10 Winter-Flowering Plants That Actually Thrive in the Cold!, by Your Garden Buddy on YouTube. 8 min 34 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 34 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Choose from the ten plants in the video: chrysanthemum, petunia, dianthus, marigold, gerbera, gazania, kalanchoe, geranium, pansy and dahlia. All of them work in pots, hanging baskets, balconies and terrace gardens.
Check the light in your spot before you buy. Most of these plants flower best in good sunlight, so place them where they get several hours of direct sun.
Fill your pots with a well-draining mix and check each one has drainage holes. Loose, free-draining soil stops roots sitting in cold, soggy compost.
At the nursery, look past the open flowers. Pick plants with healthy foliage, strong stems, good branching and plenty of unopened buds so the display lasts longer at home.
Water only when the top layer of soil starts to feel dry. Tip away any water sitting in saucers and trays so the roots never stay wet.
Pinch out the growing tips of young plants after planting. This pushes out side shoots and gives you a bushier plant with more flower buds.
Pick off faded blooms every few days. Deadheading stops the plant putting energy into seed and keeps new buds coming.
Start new plants from seed, cuttings or tubers depending on the type, or buy ready-grown nursery plants for the quickest colour.
Tips and common mistakes
Shelter new plants from cold wind for the first week or two before moving pots to an exposed spot.
Water in the morning in cold weather so wet leaves dry before night and are less likely to rot.
Group pots together so they shelter each other and are easier to cover on frosty nights.
Go easy on nitrogen feed, which gives lots of leaves and very few flowers.
Questions
Which of these plants is easiest for a beginner?
Pansy, dianthus and geranium are forgiving in cool weather and cope well in pots. Start with two or three kinds rather than all ten.
Can I keep winter-flowering plants indoors?
Kalanchoe and geranium do fine on a bright windowsill. Most of the others flower best outdoors in good light and struggle in a dim room.
Why does my plant have lots of leaves but no flowers?
Usually too little sun or too much nitrogen feed. Move the pot somewhere brighter and switch to a feed higher in potassium.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
