Winter Flowers
Kara Hyden
With winter quickly approaching the South Plains, it may be hard to imagine yards with beautiful flowers and vegetation brightening up the brown that was once the green grass of summer. But did you know you can have bright and colorful flowers right now?
King Nursery, located at 7204 Upland Avenue, in Lubbock says right now is a great time to plant pansies, violas, cabbage, and kale. They have many varieties of each, including Nagoya Kale, Peacock Kale, and Red Bore Kale; Cabbage and White Cabbage; and pansies in different colors.
According to the Lubbock Master Gardener Association, there are many different varieties of perennials recommended for the Lubbock area in this season. Some include Black Eyed Susan’s, Lavender, several varieties of Sage, Prairie Verbena, Coral Bells, Artemisia, Blanket Flower, Daisies, and Irises. Their website (www.txmg.org/lubbock) also includes seasonal gardening guides for each month within each season. The guides give you information on the best things to plant in that month, shrubs or other plants that you can prune and general reminders for plant care and planning for coming months.
If you’re concerned about water conservation or don’t have a lot of grassy areas, try Xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is a “form of landscaping for specific areas that are susceptible to drought or for areas where water conservation is practiced,” according to the King Nursery website (www.kingnurserytx.com/xeriscapes). Some drought-tolerant flowers used in xeriscapes for the West Texas area include Pansies, Snapdragons, Ornamental Kale and Cabbage, Winter Honeysuckle, Petunias, and Asters.
If you’re looking to spruce up your yard with bright colors during the drab winter months, look into some of these pretty flowers and you’ll be pleased with the results.
