Planting a January Flower Garden in Florida
One of the nicest things about living down south is that the winters are usually very mild. Sometimes the weather can get cold, but garden flowers can be protected from freezing by covering them with plastic or woven fabric. The ground is never cold enough to be frozen solid, so you can still consider planting an attractive flower garden to brighten up the winter season. The best colors to plant this time of year are blue and purple flowers, as the cool but bright tones reflect the season well.
Evaluate the area where you want to plant your winter January garden. It can be close to the house, along the driveway, or in a random area near your front lawn. The garden is best placed in front of the house instead of the back for curb appeal, too. Remove any dead plants from the area, as well as weeds and mulch (which can later be added, or for a real winter feel, white marble chips or seashells). Once the soil is exposed, it will be easier for you to work with.
Prepare your soil by digging it and breaking it up to make sure it is well drained. Add a 1-2″ layer of topsoil and mix that in with the soil. You can also add some compost to make the soil rich in minerals so that your flowers grow well this time of year. Lay out the pots of flowers that you want to plant and place them in a position that you like the best. Blend in the blue flowers with the purple ones so that not all of one color is clumped together. After you have your ideal layout, you can start planting the flowers. Cover the roots well and water them afterward. In the wintertime, you only have to water the garden once a week. After all the flowers are planted, you can apply a thin layer of light colored mulch, tiny marble chips, or seashells, which are commonly found throughout Florida, even in wooded areas.
Flowers that come in blue and purple that are ideal for your winter January garden are: pansies, salvia, petunias, lobelia, trailing verbena, centaurea montana, dianthus, scabiosa, saxifrage, aster, allium, and thistle. Check your local nursery to see what plants are available in your area. Once your garden is planted, the flowers will last through the spring season if they are given the right care and attention with a weekly watering and weed removal.
Image Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
