S.everything seems to be in hibernation but it is not. Even January, despite the low temperatures, has its blooms. And not a few, if you want to look carefully. Between Ellebori, Hamamelis, Calicant, Lonicere and Winter Jasmine, but also the classic cyclamen, everything is blooming on balconies, terraces and gardens. Red, white, pink, yellow, purple or with streaked shades: even in the coldest month of the year, there is no shortage of colors.
Flowers in January, the Ellebori
Resistant to bad weather and low temperatures, the white Ellebori are also called “Christmas Roses” just for the time of year in which they bloom. Now available in many varieties (x ibridus) with the most flamboyant colors, they are ideal for bringing color to the most shady corners. They already prefer the undergrowth of them, they are also suitable for pot life as long as they are always cool, especially in summer.
Present in 30 varieties, they have delicate petals whose colors vary from the candid white, typical of Helleborus Niger which blooms in mid-December, to pink, yellow, dark red, passing through the speckled variants and silver-blue gray, up to the intense green of the Helleborus Foetidus variety.
Calicanto, the plant of the Madonna
The Calicanto, known in some regions as “the plant of the Madonna“, is a very fragrant shrub with small flowers that can survive the cold winters of northern Italy. The flowers are yellow or white and the petals are elongated and bloom from the older wood of the shrub, between the end of January, February and March. Easy to grow, it does not require particular care and is “satisfied” with the water of the bad weather; some types, such as the chimonanthus praecox they resist even the sunniest and hottest days of summer, making it a suitable plant for any garden or terrace. Cuttings can be obtained from Calicanto shrubs by cutting the tips of the branches in summer and removing the leaves at the bottom. It will grow a new shrub in a couple of years.
Witch hazel with ribbon petals
The flowers range from ocher yellow to dark red, passing through orange and brown. Also called Witch Hazel, this shrub-like plant originates from the North American coasts, brought to Europe in the 1700s. Said in English “witch hazel” has petals curled like ribbons, very scenographic, which come to life on the still bare branches. It is the first plant to bloom in winter, already in January its lively color and sweet fragrance they flood the dormant gardens.
Winter flowers: Hamamelis. Photo: Si Griffiths, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A curiosity: this flower it has many therapeutic properties thanks to the high concentration of active ingredients contents, which is why it is a cosmetic ingredient in decongestant and anti-inflammatory products.
Camelia Sasanqua, with a colorful winter flowering
It is definitive a “tolerant” plant precisely because it adapts very easily to the climate and the soil in which it is planted, the Camelia Sasanqua it is native to Japan and China and blooms, with a very intense perfume, from October to February. Suitable for growing both in the ground and in pots, loves acidic and well-drained soils and does well in both shade and sun. Highly adaptable plant, therefore, only one trick: prefers water without limestone, or rain. Unlike the more common camellias in Italy, the Sasanqua blooms all autumn and winter.
Lonicera, the perfume on the coldest days
Lonicera fragrantissima -Assen, February 2 – 2020
winter honeysucle _ Struik kamperfoeli
There Lonicera fragrantissima is a non-climbing shrub, with arched branches bearing white or cream-colored flowers, very fragrant. Evergreen, it loses its leaves only when temperatures drop to 5 degrees. Its flowers bloom between January and February, when most of the other plants are still dormant, giving an elegant touch of life and fragrance to our outdoor spaces. Beautiful plant also the rest of the year with its vigorous foliage (leaves fall only in December-January before flowering) and the berries it produces in spring. Originally from China, it was brought to Europe in 1845.
Winter Jasmine
We are used to associating jasmine with warm summer evenings but there winter variety in less rigid climates can bloom even in January. Not as fragrant as its spring peers, it carries though a touch of vibrant yellow with the characteristic trumpet flowers of the family. It is a vigorous plant native to some regions of China, such as Tibet, in addition to bright flowers it is characterized by dark green foliage that disappears in winter to make room for yellow flowers and very green branches. It grows on any type of soil and in any exposure. Ideal for covering walls and bringing joy to the terrace.
Cyclamen, the most classic of flowers in January
Small, apparently delicate, lover of winter temperatures if not particularly rigid, it must in fact be protected when the temperature goes below zero. THEThe cyclamen is the typical winter flower. White, red or in an intense fuchsia, it does not require special care and, if desired, it can bloom until spring and from year to year.
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Particular attention to the soil that must be slightly humid, never dry or soggy, and must not have gray mold in the center, above the tuber. It can also be kept indoors, only in cooler rooms, while in the case of the florists’ cyclamen they must avoid the sun between March-April and in September and October.
Snowdrop, the flower that emerges from the snow
Symbol of winter, the snowdrop spontaneously arises in the woods this season, hence its name. It blooms from late January to early February and its white petals recall the purity of snow. It can be planted in the garden while in nature it can grow up to 1000 meters, which is why it is considered a typical mountain flower.
A lover of shade, it is a simple plant in management and care, which is why it is very suitable for those who do not have a green thumb.
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