Winter bees and flowers
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean bees disappear. Warm winter days draw them back into the garden, where cool-season flowers lure them with nectar and pollen. Mahonia flowers in the winter here in Texas. This is ‘Marvel’, a new-to-me mahonia I’m trialing from Southern Living Plant Collection. A honeybee zoomed in on it one warm afternoon.
I’ve grown Chinese mahonia and ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia for years, as well as our Texas native mahonia, agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata). Statuesque ‘Marvel’ has narrow, prickle-free leaves, which are handsome, but its banana-yellow flower clusters are where it really stands out compared to my other mahonias.
The bees surely agree!
Also making a pretty show during this mild Austin winter is pink knotweed (Persicaria capitata ‘Magic Carpet’), a creeping groundcover or front-of-border plant I’ve seen in many a Curt Arnette design.
A faint burgundy chevron on pointed, oval, blue-green leaves echoes the brighter pink of upright, French-knot flowers. I would love for this plant to spread more quickly. However, it’s been slow-growing for me.
‘Twinkle Pink’ cuphea continues to pump out hot pink, tubular flowers, unblighted by a freeze so far. I brought this plant, a passalong from Annie at The Transplantable Rose, from my former garden of 10 years ago. I’m pleased that it’s still healthy and happy. As with all passalongs, it always reminds me of the friend who gave it to me.
One last winter-pretty plant to share: our native palmetto, Sabal minor, its arching stems of navy-blue berries dangling over long-fingered leaves. Such dramatic greenery and fruit!
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Digging Deeper
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How nice to have such beautiful flowers in winter. I like the description of ‘french knot’ type flowers. I saw a moth at our back porch light this week. It is warm here, but not to last.
I hope the moth finds a safe place to wait out the cold, when it comes.
I like the idea of a prickle-free Mahonia – my ‘Charity’ bites back! Coincidentally, I have the same Persicaria and a similar if not identical Cuphea (purchased as ‘Starfire Pink’) blooming in my own garden at the moment.
My Chinese mahonia and agarita have prickly leaves too. Not ‘Soft Caress’ though, one of my faves.
Our milder winter has brought your garden some welcome blooms both for the bees and for us. I only have the common prickly mahonia but it is still weeks away from flowering.
I love those little pink oersicaria blooms. Will be in the lookout.
I can’t remember where I found the persicaria, Jenny, but it was a local nursery. I bought a few and only this one survives. I wish I could grow it as prolifically as Curt does. He uses it in the gaps along limestone step risers to great effect.