Cheating Winter

Like many areas around the country, it has been a fairly mild winter here in central Ohio. And I'm loving every minute of it! Oh, we had a little snow last week, but just a little. And it's long gone now. Fall extended itself into December a few times before, but this year, I had a few days of January that I would still call fall-ish. By fall-ish, I mean I had flowers in bloom outdoors. That's my qualification. If there are blooms, it can't possibly be winter. Even dandelions count as blooms, right?

Now we all know that pansies enjoy the cool weather. But still blooming in early January? That was a first for me.

And the pansy cousin violas, we can also expect to see them in winter's early chill.

I also find lamium to be a cool weather bloomer for me. But you have to look very closely to find these little flowers.

What I didn't expect to see in bloom was my rosemary plant, hugging closely to the kitchen door. It survived several freezes and even a little snow, by hiding there close to the warmth of the house. Rosemary does not survive the winter here in central Ohio, but I guess this little guy doesn't know that yet.

But one of my favorite winter "blossoms" is not a blossom at all. Angelina sedum is lovely enough in summer, but in winter, it goes from green, to yellow, to orange, and to red. And long after my winter flowers have succumbed to the cold, Angelina will still bring me a spot of color in the winter garden. That's how I cheat winter!