Big, Bold & Beautiful + Winter Gardening Tips for Spring Success

Spring is in the air but it hasn’t sprung yet! It’s still February and groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning there is still plenty of time to take care of some essential “winter gardening.” Cleaning, mulching, pruning, replanting, there are lots of things you can do now that will help ensure your garden looks its best for spring and summer. Our guest blogger, Earl Nickel, the Curious Plantsman walks you through the winter gardening essentials in this month’s blog, Tips for a Healthy Garden.

Since fall and winter are the best time for pruning and planting perennials, this week’s featured plants include some BIG, BOLD & BEAUTIFUL selections that will appreciate a spot in your newly cleaned up, refreshed and reimagined garden.

Aster novae-angliae ‘Skyscraper’ A monster of an Aster, ‘Skyscraper’ grows quickly to make a super smashin’ statement 5’x5’ with tons of large 2.5-3” amber centered periwinkle flowers for several months. A highly reliable perennial with many multi-branching stems, it’s a total Summer-Fall show-off and gets even more bloomy each successive year. Cut flowers and butterflies galore! Deer resistant! Rich soil. Cut back to 6” in winter for next season awesomosity! Perennial USDA zones 4-10
Syringa x oblata 'Betsy Ross' We rarely see happy Lilacs here along the coast of California; we just don’t have the right weather. Several years ago, we began trialing ‘Betsy Ross’, bred to be highly adaptable to warm, humid weather, mild winters and the cold winters of the Midwest and East and West Coasts. What a thrill! It thrives here, enchanting us with its very large 8-10” panicles of deliciously fragrant snow white blooms. To 8-10’ tall and wide with thick, heart-shaped leaves, it’s bred for profuse springtime bloom, resistance to powdery mildew and for its attractive, rounded habit. You can pinch it back in May for smaller stature. Best cut flowers! EASILY grown in fertile, humus rich soil. Plant where you can enjoy is fragrance! Deciduous. Deer resistant. Perennial Shrub USDA Zones 4b-10a
Abutilon 'Talini's Pink' Yup, we're smitten with the large and delicious, pendulous pink blooms exhibited on this new variety of "Flowering Maple". Nice and big 3" flowers, give you plentiful non-stop bloom throughout the year. 'Talini's Pink' is easy, vigorous and fast growing to 6' x 5', with a dense and graceful branching pattern and attractive evergreen maple-like foliage. Abutilons are happiest when grown in rich, loamy soil, with a once or twice a year 2” layer of compost. Also, you don't want to let them get too dry. Choice beside a patio or outside a window where you can enjoy all the hummingbird action! Pretty partnered with fragrant Heliotropium arborescens. Perennial Shrub USDA Zones 9-10
Lavatera assurgentiflora "Island Mallow" Need a drought tolerant, wind tolerant and fast growing shrub, tall hedge or screen with pretty flowers from SPRING thru FALL? Quickly growing to a sturdy, multi-branching 10’ x 10’, this EASY to grow CA native from the Channel Islands thrives just about anywhere. Abundant 2-3” silky cerise hollyhock-like blooms with dark veining shimmer amongst attractive soft blue-green maple-like foliage, providing nectar for the hummers, bees, and butterflies. Not fussy about soil as long as there’s some drainage. Prune back in Fall and side-dress with compost for perfect habit and health. Hardy to 18 degrees F. Perennial USDA Zones 8-10
Fuchsia 'Santa Cruz' Pretty as it is tough - this wonderful exhibition quality heirloom Fuchsia has been a world-wide favorite since its introduction in the 1940’s! Pretty recurved rosy-red sepals and large semi to fully double brilliant violet corollas make it the epitome of the classic Fuchsia. Yet it is so easy to grow and care for as well as super hardy and MITE-RESISTANT! Growing to 5’ tall and 3’ wide with shiny bright green leaves and exuberant 2-2.5” dangling flowers that bloom Spring-Fall, it’s a bushy hummingbird and butterfly magnet! Goes deciduous in the cold months but will leaf out again as soon as the weather warms slightly. Fuchsias like well-drained, regularly watered, fertile soil in an area somewhat sheltered from heat and winds so pick your site thoughtfully and give ‘Santa Cruz’ a nice feeding of well-balanced fertilizer/high quality compost upon planting and annually in Spring. If you meet those modest requirements, this prized beauty will shine for you for years to come! Perennial Shrub USDA Zones 9-11
Abutilon 'Victor Reiter' “Flowering Maples” are prized by CA gardeners and ‘Victor Reiter’ is a heavily blooming Bay Area favorite! And what a lovely color to add to your garden! Extra-large, outward facing, soft tangerine blossoms to 2.5-3” across contrast handsomely against deep green leaves. To a sturdy, multi-branching 6’ x 4’, tip pruning keeps Abutilons nice and bushy. Loamy soil with once or twice a year side-dressing of compost keeps ’em perfect! Irresistible to hummers! Perennial Shrub USDA Zones 9-10
Heliotropium arborescens NOT the same plant as Heliotropium arborescens ‘Alba’ (confusing, we know). Possibly the original species collected in Peru in the 1700’s. A favorite of S. California garden designers, this one forms a good-sized SHRUB, 4’ x 4’, is much EASIER to grow and much longer-lived . Smaller clusters to 2” across hold white and lavender flowers whose wonderful sweet vanilla scent can be enjoyed even at a distance. If you’ve had a hard time with common garden Heliotrope, you’ll find this one a cinch. Hardy to 25°F. Cut back somewhat in Fall. Showiest in rich, loamy soil. Butterflies, bees, hummers! Perennial USDA Zones 9-11
Digitalis purpurea 'Monstrosa' From our “wild and wonderful” department comes this mutant Foxglove that’s fascinated botanists and gardeners since the 1800’s. It starts out looking like a normal D. purpurea until the top flower opens and you’re like, “wait whaat??!” Facing outwards, the bloom is a huge 3” across and bowl shaped, displaying beautifully elaborate markings. Mostly orchid-pink in color and occasionally white, both are assuredly not your average Foxglove! Self-sows true to type, too! Outrageous in a group, grow it in composty, decently draining soil for most flowers spikes. Bees and hummers. Deer resistant. Biennial USDA Zones 4-10a
Happy President’s Day!  We’re Open all Weekend & Monday 9am -5pm

Follow Annie's on Social Media

Come on over and
be our friend!