Of Greenery and Blooms in the Snow

• Hardy plants need time to acclimate to their new location and adjust to falling temperatures.
• They must be fertilized and watered regularly during the colder months, otherwise they can dry out from frost and winter sun.
• Remove dried material in spring, as it insulates the plant during cold weather.
• There are no uniform regulations for the term "winter hardy." Plants that can withstand temperatures of minus ten degrees are declared hardy, as are plants that only thrive down to freezing point. Pay attention to care instructions and, if necessary, use bast mats or gardening fleece as frost protection.

Hardy plants include not only decorative conifers like the Nordmann fir or Oriental spruce, but also evergreen hedge plants such as bamboo and boxwood, which transform into intriguing winter sculptures under snow and ice.

Solitary plants create a special impact at an entrance or in the center of a flowerbed. When the enchanting fragrance of blossoms from witch hazel (Hamamelis), Chinese mahonia (Mahonia x media 'Charity'), and winter viburnum (Viburnum bodnantense) unfolds, winter truly seems conquered.

The blooming ornamental mahonia, Carnival rhododendron, winter cherry, and winter jasmine also draw all eyes to your garden.

The crabapple charms with its yellow dwarf fruits. And from firethorn (Pyracantha) or holly (Ilex), striking orange-red berries glow brightly in winter.

Shrubs with colorful bark, such as dogwood (Cornus) with its deep red shoots, are also considered hardy.

Flat-growing hardy plants like Calluna (heather), Skimmia, wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), or dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) offer fewer points of attack for the cold. However, the undisputed "Queen of Winter" is the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger), which, according to legend, was a gift for the newborn Christ Child.

Place early bloomers, from winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) to snowdrops (Galanthus), anemones, and hyacinths, in balcony boxes, along sheltered walls, and on the south side of your house. This way, you can discover spring much earlier. Farewell, gray winter!