Winter is a great time to think about gardening and plan ahead what you want to bloom in your spring and summer gardens. It’s also the perfect time to think about experimenting with new or unusual plants for every garden space.
For me, this season is the small rectangular brick-enclosed garden strip that leads to the west side of the front door. It was a rather ugly and dangerous house in the bush – leftovers from the previous owner of the house. It didn’t take long to say goodbye to these prickly garden plants.
It’s a barren land now. But during a recent vacation, it served as host to a few small Christmas trees.In a way, the space is just like having a window-hi-box plant area on the ground. Seasonal plants can be a conversation piece for your guests.
This week, the space has been planted with some cool-weather flowers that garden officials say are “capable of withstanding cold bouts, such as violas, pansies, and spring bulbs.” I have a small evergreen shrub. I call shrubs “bookend” plants.
I’m looking for tall flowering plants to center this space. Perhaps a purple and white iris or a foxglove. The ever-reliable Petunia, Gloriosa Daisy and Cosmos are indispensable. The walls are red brick, so I wanted a colorful and attractive theme for this small garden.
What I love about this little garden space is that it’s very easy to care for and consistently garners positive comments from visitors, even when its inhabitants were thorny bushes. I planted some vegetables last summer just because the is so close to my kitchen.
Linda Beiter, a well-known Oklahoma City gardener, also gave me some good advice in planning this feature. His beautiful book, An Elegant and Edible Garden, is a treasure trove of gardening ideas and expert advice for starting her garden from scratch. her personal gardening experience.
Micki J. Shelton is a master gardener from Muskogee.