Let's Go for a Walk...

It's sunny and 64 degrees outside, which makes it a great day to venture out. So, come for a walk with me and we'll see if we can find the "cold-hardiest" plants around. Make sure you put on a good pair of walking shoes, 'cause we may have to walk a bit to find some plants that aren't brown and shriveling up. :-)

Let's start with my yard...Hhmm! Oh, over here. This variegated Cast Iron plant is an old-fashioned, staple of the south, and it made it through completely unscathed. Very dependable and great looking, but it only likes shade. Plant it in the sun and you'll be extremely disappointed.

Two more favorites of mine. First is Nandina a/k/a Heavenly Bamboo...which is the name I prefer. It just sounds...well, so "heavenly."

and, Holly fern. This fern doesn't go crazy and spread like other ferns. Instead, it develops into healthy looking clumps of lush green. And, right about now, "lush green" looks really, really good.

My Daylily (pictured below), Society Garlic, and Agapanthus a/k/a Lily of the Nile (one of my favorites) came through like troopers. They're not blooming now, but come spring and early summer they'll put on a great show.

All of my Iris....African (pictured below), Brazilian, Flag, and Walking...also look great. These plants should be considered staples in everyone's yard. They're easy to maintain, they multiply, and they bloom their little hearts out.

I've mentioned Indian Blanket Flower (Gallardia) before, as a "favorite new" plant of mine. And, now that I see how well it did, I'm an even bigger fan. The top flowers were wilted but the buds still look great.

Here's a new plant I tried for the first time this past October...Gold Mound Sedum. The tag said it was hardy down to 26 degrees, and it looks like it passed the test. It's succulent-looking in nature, and I really love the chartreuse color. Looks like I'll be planting more of it.

Some other plants that did well in my garden are...
African Bush Daisies...yellow flowers
Azaleas
Roses...I'll be incorporating a few more antique varieties for sure
Thryallis...yellow flower
Lorapetlum...leaves turned slightly darker
St. Bernard's Lily...white flower
Rose of Sharon...another old southern favorite
Bulbine...yellow flower
Gardenia...shiny leaves and deliciously fragrant flowers
Beautyberry...native plant with purple berries
Brazilian Plum Pink Flamingo...shade loving plant

All my tropicals are toast for now, but the dependable plants I mentioned above are all in good shape and should brighten up my spring and summer garden.

Now, let's head down the road to see what else we can find. About now, I'm looking to replace some of my tropicals with some interesting and productive cold-hardy varieties.

Right away this Camellia jumps out of all the brown. I don't know why more folks don't grow them...they're a great green looking plant and their flowers are lovely, especially in winter.

One neighbor has some great looking clumps of Lamb's Ear that did well. I lke the gray color, too. You don't often find grayish colored plants that look this good.

Her neighbor which is Nancy...I wrote about her in a previous post...reports that her black-toned Ajuga groundcover, her gray-toned Yarrow (blooms white), and her flowering Dianthus are all unfazed. Her Confederate Jasmine vine also looks great.

Down the road this Red Sensation cordyline is the only one of this family to look great, and the Rosemary bush also looks good as new...both add great texture to the garden.

Here's a plant I couldn't identify. It's some sort of groundcover with varying tones of green, burgundy and cream. I think it might be Joseph's Coat. What do you think?

Well, I think our little walk was very productive. We found a lot of "cold-hardy" plants...30 in all... that we can incorporate into our own gardens, and not have to worry about them next winter. Thanks for coming along with me.