In warmer zones, the winter planting window is wide open. You can sow seeds for winter vegetable crops, like salad greens, radishes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, English peas and kale. Look for transplants of other cool-season vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower.
Fall and Winter LEAFY GREENS
A beautiful sampling of some of the leafy greens you can grow in your fall and winter garden, including different varieties of kale, spinach, lettuce, chicory, and even wild chickweed! Spinach is a very fast-growing, cool weather vegetable.
Begonia, Brugmansia, Colocasia, Gardenia, Pelargonium, standard fuchsia and will enjoy the better light levels in a heated conservatory during winter which may not be available in the house.
While some plants are well adapted to the cold, a bad season can cause damage to even the hardier trees, shrubs, and perennials. Plants are vulnerable to a range of different damage throughout the winter season. Simply freezing, for those plants that are not cold tolerant, usually means death for the plant.
Regular household temperatures that you're comfortable in are fine for most houseplants during the winter. But extreme changes in temperature, even for a short time, can cause problems. Keep plants away from cold drafts, radiators, and hot air vents.
Ornamental kale and cabbage are some of the most popular winter annual plants. They lend a completely different texture to a winter landscape bed. Once the plants are hardened by cooler night temperatures they can survive most cold winters.
The only plants that don't go dormant during the winter are annuals, which are only capable of surviving for a single growing season, and must be replanted each year for continual enjoyment.
To get a jump-start on your garden and grow some fast-growing, cold-tolerant plants you're going to want to try out some radishes, turnips, sugar snap peas, kale and spinach.
The general rule of thumb for planting a winter vegetable garden in Zones 7 to 10 is to plant during October. In Zone 6, get plants in the ground in late September. Finesse the timing with resources from your local extension office.
SNOWDROPS (Galanthus nivalis)
True to their name, these early-blooming bulbs often emerge while snow is still on the ground to provide a breath of fresh air for winter-weary gardeners. In mild winters, snowdrops can flower as early as late January, but February or March is more common.
Tomatoes are a warm-season crop that dies back when cold temperatures threaten. This usually means no home-grown tomatoes in winter, unless you have a greenhouse. You can, however, grow tomatoes indoors, but they are usually smaller and produce less prolifically than their summer cousins.
Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) is a good choice for an outdoor winter plant because it's an evergreen that keeps its leaves on its branches all winter long. It's drought-tolerant and thrives in both full and partial sun. Hardy to Zone 4, Japanese yews can survive harsh winters.
Plants like chrysanthemums, nasturtiums and asters are wonderful choices for seasonal planting arrangements. While perennials that will survive the winter are great choices, autumn is also a great time to explore new ideas will short-season annuals too.
Hardy winter annuals include snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), pansy (Viola x wittrockiana), viola (Viola cornuta), sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), painted tongue (Salpiglossis sinuata), pinks (Dianthus chinensis) and nemesia.
Light freeze - 29° to 32° Fahrenheit will kill tender plants. Moderate freeze - 25° to 28° Fahrenheit is widely destructive to most vegetation. Severe or hard freeze - 25° Fahrenheit and colder causes heavy damage to most plants.
Use a frost blanket, cloche or row cover material – not plastic — to insulate the ground around your outdoor plants and keep them warm. Prop the cover with sticks or stakes to keep it from coming into direct contact with the new growth. And, make sure to remove the cover the next morning after the temperature warms up.
Cover plants.
Putting old blankets or plastic sheets at the coldest point of the night or placing soil mulches on the pot are possible ways to cover your plants. This would trap the heat while protecting them from chilly winds; just make sure to unwrap them during the day.
All houseplants require less water in winter. Over-watering is always dangerous, but especially so in winter. Make sure you're not letting your pots stay too wet, and your plants will thank you. Try decreasing cutting the frequency of watering in half, or just water if your plants look thirsty.
Shift plants to new locations near brighter windows for winter. Wash dust off plants so leaves can make maximum use of available light. Add artificial light. Fluorescent bulbs provide adequate light.
Each plant has a different threshold when it comes to dealing with the cold. Some plants can survive outside even when temperatures hit freezing. Others need to be brought indoors when temperatures reach the mid-40s.
Name: Helleborus sp. commonly known as winter rose or Hellebore. Belongs: to the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Origins: Europe to western China. Flowering: Winter to early spring.
Christmas Rose. This evergreen perennial blooms from winter to early spring depending on the selection and where you live (mostly early winter in warmer regions, and as late as February or March where it's very cold).