The winter blues in our house are not the sort to get you down. To be precise, they’re blue violas, light blue lobelias, lavender primulas and moody blues pansies. And they’re all excellent ways to inject some bright colour into your winter garden.
If your garden is looking a little bland after your summer flowers have dried up, now is the time to plant these winter annuals. And if you’re not feeling so ‘blue’, many of these pretty flowers also come in shades of pinks, purples, whites and yellows as well.
For the sunnier areas of your garden, look to antirrhinum dwarf, viscaria, nemesia and lobelia as good starting points for adding colour. They suit borders, mass planting or simply planted in between your roses. And for those slightly shadier spots, polyanthus, primulas and cineraria dwarf can all help add some bursts of colour.
But if you’re not sure where to start, violas are a staple of any winter garden. You’ll find these cute little flowers in shades of oranges to yellow, dark blues, burgundy and white.
At Awapuni Nurseries we’ve got blue, apricot and Penny citrus viola bundles available, and also a of mixed viola bundle option. But if you’re wanting something new, we’re growing sorbet blue viola for the first time this season. It’s a cute little white and violet coloured flower, still featuring the tiny yellow face that many violas often have.
When you’re ready to plant some winter colour, get your viola seedlings from our Awapuni Nurseries online shop. We ship nationwide in recycled cardboard boxes, and the bundles arrive freshly wrapped in damp newspaper. If you’re not entirely happy with the quality of your plants, we will replace them.
Plant your viola seedlings 10cm apart, in full-sun with well-drained soil. They’ll flower from right now until spring, growing to around 15cm high. Give them a good initial watering and feed of general fertiliser. Once they’ve got going, they won’t need much watering through the cooler months – the perk of a winter garden.
In around four to six weeks, you’ll start to see a splash of colour pop up. Just remember to pick off the dead heads to encourage them to flower, and you'll get to enjoy your colourful winter garden for many months ahead.
And, if you’re a hanging basket enthusiast, combine your violas with some cascading lobelia and hang it near your front door to add some welcoming colour to your home. For a basket 30cm across, I really pack them in (around 5 -7 seedlings) in for a fuller effect. Now that’s a lot of reasons to get excited about the upcoming winter blues.
