Flower beds can be designed very creatively, for example with colorful summer flowers or with a composition of perennials and shrubs. But while annuals do not have to be winter-hardy and must be sown every year, you should choose winter- and frost-hardy species for permanent plants. These make your winter care much easier, and with the right choice of plants you can also create an attractive focal point in the garden in winter.
Which plants are suitable for a hardy flower bed?
A hardy flower bed can be designed with hardy perennials such as phlox, steppe sage and delphiniums. Evergreen plants such as boxwood and holly, as well as winter-flowering shrubs such as winter viburnum and winter jasmine, provide color and structure in the cold season.
Hardy flowers for the flower bed
No flower borders without long-flowering perennials in magnificent colors! Here the selection of winter-hardy species is particularly large, but you should carefully select plants that match each other. These must be in terms of
- Growth habit and height
- color
- Bloom and flowering time
- Location and soil requirements
- Care needs
harmonize with each other. Tall, magnificent perennials such as phlox, steppe sage, maiden's eye, delphinium, lupine and noble rose belong in the background of the bed orin the middle, provided you group the smaller flowers in front of it. Short-flowering plants such as Turkish poppies and annual summer flowers belong before this, but should only be used sparingly. If they have bloomed, gaps will otherwise arise in the bed that need to be filled. Flat and carpet-forming perennials such as autumn anemones or silver candles come to the fore.
Evergreen and winter-flowering shrubs and trees decorate in winter
Evergreen plants provide fresh greenery during the winter months. For example, native species such as boxwood, holly, bergenia and purple bells are hardy. These trees are perfectly complemented by winter-flowering shrubs, which show their delicate flowers as early as December or January: Winter Viburnum ('Viburnum') not only blooms lushly white, but also smells captivating. The winter mahonia shows long, yellow flower clusters from mid-January, while the sulphur-yellow blooming winter jasmine opens its flowers in December. Witch hazel (November to February) and the delicate pink-flowering Chinese winter blossom (December to March) have long flowering periods. The evergreen snow heather (Erica carnea), a ground-covering dwarf shrub, also blooms all winter long.
Tip
Most hardy perennials and shrubs should be planted in early fall so that they have enough time to root before the first frost. Then the soil is still warm enough to make rooting easier and the plant no longer focuses on the formation of flowers and fruits and shoot growth.
