4 of the Best Plants for your Winter Garden

Here is another article from Gypsy, this time talking about her Winter Garden.

Everyone asks "What's the most important plant you can grow in a garden?" Well.. that's a very personal question. It depends on what type of garden you have. Is this a tea garden? Are you a diabetic? Do you want to grow your own kitchen herbs, or tea? What is in your garden, is very much up to your lifestyle and you. What does remain the same, is gardening.

For me, having plants aren't just for use, it's a state of mind and helps me mentally. The aroma, the visual, all the things that go together to calm my mind, and give me that peace that only environment can bring. I have no plant in my home that isn't of some form of use.

The most important garden of the year, is for me the winter garden. This is the one that gives me peace of mind when I'm trapped inside for 4 months of the year. When I don't hear birds, or see green.

When the term dead of winter seems to come from the soul, that is when I need my garden the most. I'm not planting food in this garden, but attitude. I choose things that have a pleasant odor, and a lot of color. Things I miss when I can't open windows or enjoy being outside.

snow on fir trees and a barn in a winter garden

4 Plants to Grow in your Winter Garden

1) Balsam, is one of my top favorites. It is ever-blooming and although has no real smell, is loaded with color as long as it is in bloom and it will bloom for the full 4 months of my imprisonment.

The flowers taste like fresh tomatoes off the vine and can be used in salads and sandwiches as tomatoes. The stems, eaten raw are wonderful and when cooked are like asparagus. Leaves are like fresh crunchy lettuce. All of this brings back fond memories of a time recently past, and soon to come. Seed pods are also a blast to pop.

2) Rosemary is another thing I love. I will walk by and just squeeze the leaves for that smell that fills the house. Winter is a time of soups, stews and a lot of poultry cooking, and what better than fresh rosemary for the kitchen?

3) Another very easy way to bring back spring is to keep some bulbs back and about mid-January start the bulbs in the house. You can have any room looking like a Dutch tulip garden in a few short weeks. The smell and color of the bulbs really help the mind when the "dead of winter" is at it's height.

Since light is short, make sure all your bulbs are florescent, and add a few hanging lights. Wal-Mart sells some small and cheap lights that work wonderfully.

What ever you choose, it's your winter world, and it's your winter garden.

Me? I'm raking leaves today and pretending winter does not exist LOL.

4) Finally, I will also be digging up some mini-roses to bring into the house to use for attitude and tea.

So... what's in your winter garden?

By Gypsy, our resident homestead blogger from One Sky Ranch

Gypsy's Wanderings Homestead Blog

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