I am frozen but I'll still look pretty for you

Sedums and semps are a real 4 season plant, a lot of these hardy to almost 3 zone. They are great for containers, topiaries, wreaths, and most of all the garden itself. They just show off their foliage colors more in the winter. The spurium sedums really glow in the winter. While real useful as a groundcover year round, they show off their reds, bronze and diffenerent shades of a coral. Certain sempervivum (chicks and hens) are also showing their reds and everchanging green colors. The coral bell (heuchera) is just another cold winter plant for added beauty. We can still work with the garden even now, for the real avid gardeners who dislike the winter indoors and miss working with plants. When the ground isn't frozen, you can still plant these beauties. I have been growing these for about 5 years and the hundreds I have in flats and trays outdoors in zone 6 are just in their glory healthy and in full color. These are great for windowboxes, ground containers, baskets, anything you can come up with in container line, or just use any dish gardens, boots--anything you can imagine. Consider these beauties for endless gardening rewards even in the winter.

I am so amazed about the coral bell! Are you saying that I could actually plant some of these into my cottage garden at this time of year? The fact is that this week we are having all the rain we didn't get in the late summer and the temps are in the 40-60 range. Hmmm. I wondered if there was anything I could get into the ground now. What do you say? D in TN [zone 6b]

I always plant in fall and late fall. This gives the perennials a chance to establish themselves over the winter and not dry out or chance the unpredictable weather of the spring. Also, in spring we have to wait until plants are available, ship from mailorder and by then it is usually late April, may. While they are getting established, we have to make sure they keep watered and kind of babysit them through the crucial stage of setting rooting system. In the fall, they are already in. My coral bells are in color all winter. I grow the 4 season plants for color all year and I found coral bells to be one of them. I have just recently planted some grasses and sedums and semps. I will be posting more pics as winter goes on. I work with plants all year round. Hope this helps a little. By the way, I am a grower with a small home backyard nursery, so I have had a lot of lessons through experience==good and bad :) I would mention, that as long as ground is soft, plant deep enough and give some mulch to keep from heaving if ground freezes if freezing is due shortly. Any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks, I will make my way to the garden center tomorrow. By the way, what kinds of things do you have in your nursery and do you do any mail order business? D

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1474/

Almost all perennials are happier being planted after the stress of the summer is over.

I guess that means we're talking perennials in containers!

Carrie, I loved your link. The photos are beautiful!
I was just wondering about planting the coral bells in the ground. I have a nice micro climate for containers on the south side of my house near my neighbor's fence. I would say I get at least a 7a there and then too, our winters have been really gentle in the past few years.
What I need is some coral color and that lovely foliage in my cottage garden. I Never thought that this late in Dec I could do that but I will try. I just moved the peonies, [which are budding in this spring like weather and buried them deeper in a cooler area. Has anyone ever had sucess with peonies in containers? D in TN

Thank you! I have tried and failed miserably with peonies in containers; was told on the Peony Forum that it wouldn't work. (It already hadn't by then!)

Devota, I have been growing semps(chicks and hens) and sedums mainly. I have about 20 varieties of sedums and a nice assortment of mixed semps. I also grow a variety of ornamental grasses. I have black mondo, red baron, new zealand sedge and some other of the shorter decorative colors. I started my business with the dream to specialize in year round color for the gardeners like me who enjoy easy carefree gardening. I also grow as my specialty crape myrtles (minis and dwarfs). A massive heart attack with my valve rupturing put a quick halt to my business this year. I intend on liquidating my stock and a lot can be mailorder bareroot. All my plants are in professional grow mix and chemical free. Also, I have coral bells in the garden which do fine all winter long which was a nice addition to my winter garden. Included one of my ebay lot picture earlier this year which include a very small variety of some of my plants.

Is the black Mondo a dwarf? I am interested in the dwarf Mondo that can sub for a small lawn. D

Re-reading your post I am horrified that you have such a terrible condition! I can't imagine having a ruptured valve. I don't know how you managed to live through it. D

Yes, black mondo is a dwarf about 6-7 in. high. Winter hardy in our zone, another 4 season plant that remains quite attractive through the cold. Other then in winter, these plants prefer shade to partial sun. It is pretty rare as I haven't seen it sold anywhere except mailorder or on line. You can also use it for indoor containers I found out, as I bring some of my stock plants in for the winter, so they can keep on growing. Lighting for them doesn't seem to be a problem , as they don't seem to care if they have much or not. I have found most indoor plants seem to prefer quite a bit of light.
In the garden I usually like to plant some with creeping jenny in partial shade and with the spreading lime green color of jenny and black grass, it makes an outstanding addition to the garden.