Winter gardens loving the cold

Create your own winter basket: 1. Icicle Pansies, 2. Heather, 3. Cedar 'Emerald Green', 4. Cedar Rheingold. Other plants like the Compact Globe Cypress can be added. Visit www.fernlea.com for more garden recipes.

The trend towards winter gardening that has been so popular in Europe has been embraced by enthusiastic gardeners in North America. "Each year we see the growth of winter planting as novice and experienced gardeners experiment with either colorful containers or creating outdoor winter gardens," said Jeff Howe, president of Fernlea Flowers. "Many people are discovering the joy of year 'round gardening as there is such a variety of plants and color now available for the autumn and winter months, adding to the traditional green plants and poinsettias."

There is versatility in shape, color, flower, and type of plant, but to understand which plant enjoys how much cold and sun, visit www.fernlea.com and their Winter Garden Collection section to find a great mix. On the website, there are also indoor and outdoor container 'recipes' for planting, providing you with choices of what to plant whether for yourself or a gift.

You can make it really simple and plant a variety of colorful heathers in a container as there are over 16 varieties from pink, lilac to ruby red. Or, if you want to add a variety of plants and flowers, try the many shades and heights of conifers, with flowers such as wintergreen, gentiana, euonymus, and the ever popular Icicle Pansies. Here's an example of a container planting recipe and how easy it is to get started in creating your own winter paradise.