Wayside Gardens Voices

Winter Blooms: We've Still Got Plenty of Amaryllis

It's obviously too late to order them for the holidays, but there is plenty dull winter left to brighten up, and a huge blooming fragrant houseplant is just what you need. We've got Amaryllis in green, red, and white--the Jade Serpent is my favorite. With up to 8 huge, lime-green to white blooms in just over a month, it is sure to give you the winter sparkle you're looking for.

It isn't all about the blooms. They grow so fast, you can actually notice the change throughout the day. A coworker who's desk is next to mine has been tracking hers every few hours for the last couple weeks. They are really fun to grow, and the spectacular blooms are really worth the build-up.

You can see here where she was keeping measurements for the the first nine days, from 12/15 until Christmas Eve. But now it's too big for this envelope.

New Unique Blooms For Spring 2009

We've really got some interesting flowers in our line-up this spring. Wayside Gardens is known to many gardeners as the place you go to get the varieties you can't find anywhere else, but some of the new blooms are extraordinary.

One of my personal favorites is the Centaurea "Gold Bullion". This beautiful little perennial ground cover will sparkle in your garden. It is hardy from zones 3-8 and does well in part shade or full sun. The bright chartreuse leaves and delicate blue blooms will add the color variety you need.

Another plus for many gardeners, Centaurea are big nectar producers which make them attractive to pollinators like butterlies, humming birds, and honey bees. And, they are less than $10 apiece!

New Roses In the 2009 Wayside Gardens Catalog

The new catalogs are on their way if you haven't gotten one already. There are beautiful new items and, of course, all the classic Wayside Gardens favorites. The 2009 Wayside Gardens Catalog is really beautiful. I am especially impressed with the rose line-up. We have many old favorites, but there are also a few really amazing new roses this year.

Request Wayside Gardens Spring 2009 Catalog

View 2009 Spring eCatalog

For example, the brand new Rose 'Fragrant Wave' is a really impressive plant. You can see from the picture that it is extremely floriferous. 'Fragrant Wave' is a hardy, disease-resistant re-bloomer with big, fluffy white blooms with subtly golden center and a spicy fragrance.

I believe Rose 'Wildberry Breeze' is my personal favorite, but mostly because it is so pretty. This is not to say that this new Rugosa cultivar doesn't have much more to offer than her stunning looks. This is a cold-hardy (zone 4), black-spot resistant, beautifully fragrant rose that will bloom through two long seasons.

Camellias Offer Beautiful Winter Blooms!

Camellias are blooming right now! Everything is gray, cold, and (if you live on the east cost) very damp. It is very dreary outside, but camellias are bright and cheery. If you have this little evergreen workhorse shrub planted in your garden you will have bright blooms through the holiday season.

They live for a very long time, hundreds of years, and they are very cold-hardy, blooming and thriving in the winter months to temperatures of 0ºC. Camellias can be a dependable source of year-round beauty in your garden or landscape design.

These woody perennial shrubs have been bred into thousands of colorfully blooming cultivars. It should be very easy to find the camellia that fits your specific tastes and needs. They work well in containers or as part of a large landscaping plan.