Winter is the time for the Southern Hemisphere

   Winter is a blink month. It is characterized by frosted grays and a sterility of life. Yet it mustn't be this way nor must the only color come from a few hellebores. in order to overcome this challenge, one must look to the southern hemisphere for inspiration. Many southern hemisphere plants come from areas that aren't seasonally defined as more temperate ecosystems. Instead, they are most often characterized by periods of drought and monsoon. These plants often bloom in the latter half of the year and are encouraged to do so by the decrease in daylight. There is just one shortcoming to this and that is that many southern species are tender in nature and can not handle a great deal of frost lease they go dominant or die outright die.

    Southern hemisphere flora often begins to bloom at the tail end of summer. They are exciting additions to the border if one is trying to avoid the fever that is Composite yellow. These flowers often come in bright colors that are jewel-like in hue. Planting them in one's garden is casting aside the notation of fall, although its arrival is inevitable, that doesn't mean us gardeners must accept it so readily. Along with adding new color to the border, they provide further sources of nectar and pollen for any pollinators still buzzing around. Providing food for migrating pollinators is crucial, as such many South American plants can be utilized to provide a last minute meal for the myriad of hummingbirds who leave south through the southwest every winter.

   Two issues with growing Southern plants is their demand for certain conditions. As stated before many are residents to areas that experience periods of drought and monsoon ironically these periods are opposite of our traditional season. As such the sitting of your plants is crucial to ensure that they overwinter and thrive. Take advantage of sandy soil as these soils are never waterlogged and thus many of your exotic residents who are suited for that condition won't face the most dangerous enemy, winter wet. Winter wet is the greatest enemy to any exotic plants many of whom hate to have their roots wet let alone cold and wet. In these conditions, the plant will often rot and succumb. Site plants out of the way of cold wind and frost pockets, these two can cause your plants to retreat down into the ground.

Aloe Cooperi

   Aloe cooperi is a small aloe species that can be found by Thomas Cooper, after who it was named, in South Africa. It is found in grassland communities and it itself has rather thin foliage in contrast to more broad succulent foliage of other members of the genus. It is a stemless aloe which means that it does not form a trunk with age. The foliage during late spring and summer is a deep green that almost resembles the artificial green of many indoor plastic plants decorations. This all changes when the temperatures begin to drop. The leaves lose the green and gain shades of red, but even these give way to what becomes by midwinter a  black hue edged with red. It remains this way till the heat returns. This species is a slow grower with clumps taking to time to develop. This habit makes it excellent for containers. Located in a spot in my garden called the hot strip this plant stands out in winter when most of its companions are either dominant or in some state of brownness.
   Aloes where hardy are excellent plants for adding in late color to the garden. Flower stalks emerge by the end of November by which point  the majority of the garden is quieting down.The stalk continues to grow throughout the month of November regardless of frost with the growth accumulating with blooms by the start of December. The blooms are a bright orange and hang downwards, tightly knitted together. A dash of Halloween at Christmas time, this plant says Nightmare before Christmas.
   In my own garden, this plant is grown in rather poor sandy soil that in the summer is hot to the touch. This just goes to show this plants great durability and ability to thrive off neglect. It is planted in a way that mimics conditions that would be found in its native African  dry grasslands. Near it is Nassella tennuissima, which only adds to this anesthetic. This is a plant that regardless of conditions earns its keep in the garden.

Euryops pectinatus 'Viridis'

  Another native of South Africa Euryops pectinatus 'Virdis' differs from the species in being smaller stature and also green in foliage verse the typical silver of the species. growing 4 -5 feet in height and in width this shrub is easily managed and pruned. Overall growth is slow. Foliage is evergreen in nature with little winter damage if the winter remains relatively mild. During times of extreme cold foliage may blacken but the plant recovers again come spring. any damaged or unsightly damaged growth could be cut once spring comes back. Flowers appear late in the year much like the aloe discussed above. The commencement of these flowers is caused by two factors a decrease in daylight hours, a feature it has in common with many Osteospermums, and a decrease in temperature. The temperature at which flowers are produced and bloomed is mild cold, not true frost. Should a true frost hit the plant might be damaged. Flowering wanes off as the heat increase come late spring into the summer months. Flowers are a bright yellow. The daisy-like blooms are carried on pendicles above the foliage. Quiet eye-catching if you ask me. On overcast days the flowers will not fully open, a trait this plant has in common with many members of the daisy family. This color is quite an eye-catching given the rather dull landscape at this time of year.
  Euryops is often employed as a flowering hedge and takes readily to pruning with new growth commencing from old wood easily. Another way many gardeners encounter this plant is as a standard tree for container culture. However, this plant looks most attractive when allowed to grow all natural. It makes a good plant to link the larger shrub to the herbaceous component of a border. A loose mounded shape to which perennials and annuals can grow around. Often when growing plants that are easily manipulated and shaped one should use the pruners with care and try to emulate a natural look that would only enhance the overall wild look of the garden. In my own garden, I am allowing the plant to grow with a loose canopy but removing its lower branches, so that it resembles a bonsai in a way. This also allows me more room to plat right underneath. the shrubs barks is not the most attractive but it adds to the air that the plant is older than it is with the branches having a weathered twisted look to them.
  This plants late season of bloom has been of great benefit to overwintering pollinators. On several occasions, I have observed small members of the Order Lepidoptera visiting the blooms along with several honeybees. These visits on usually during the warmer days. This plant not only brightens the landscape but brightens the day for native wildlife.

The story of two Salvias: How exposure is the difference between life and "Death"
  The plants discussed above are in relatively open positions and due to the area that they are descended from in nature, they are somewhat tolerant of colder temperature. However, our last two plants are wholly tropical in nature and resent frost in any form. These are both salvia from the awarded  Wishes series. We won't go into details on them now but rather will use them as a case study of how shelter creates microclimates and how to use them.
   In one instance we have Salvia 'Wendy's Wishes ' and on the other Salvia 'Scarlet wishes'. The first plant is planted in a rather opened exposed site where air often funnels over the fence and down into the border, This plant now is mush , having retreated underground to await the return of spring (hopefully). Its counterpart, however, is still green and is in fact flowering. It is planted under the Bradford flowering pear (). This overhead cover along with the dryness of the soil has so far spared the plant that harms of frost. Why then is this so important to utilizing many southern hemisphere plants?

Salvia 'Scarlet Wish' in bloom 

  Many of the southern plants do not commence flowering in till the true onset of winter. For this reason, they are often either rejected from the landscape or set indoors to the greenhouse. Such plants include a broad range of winter blooming salvias. By identifying areas that remain sheltered and warm one can experiment with these tender southerners and perhaps have jewel-like salvias blooming in December. Determining microclimate depends a lot on observation. In this case, it was pure luck that Salvias 'Scarlet wish' was situated in such a position to allow it to remaining blooming in winter.. Like I said it takes experimentation to figure things out. If you are afraid of losing your plant always take cuttings before the frost! Another way to determine micro climates beyond plant behavior is using a thermostat. simply position it in the areas of interest and record over a series of day or weeks from there a pattern should begin to emerge and sites of interest established Regardless of which method you use the results are the same, the south blooms in winter.

An Ongoing Experiment in Utilizing Microclimates

  Microclimates provide a myriad of opportunities and as discussed above they allow the gardener to widen the usual gardener palette and experiment. That is what gardening is all about, experimentation, trial and error, and eventual discovery. Using exotic southerners in one's garden broadens the possibility for fall and winter gardening, however, the location is always key.
   One location that has been underutilized, at least in my own garden, has been the porch. The benefits of a porch include filtered sunlight, residue heat from the house and an overall more controlled environment. I for one will admit that I'm suffering from a bit of zonal denial and envy when I  look at Californians who can grow so many exotic beauties. As such, in the near future, the backyard porch will be transformed into an oasis of color for exotics. So watch this space and start growing some exotic southerners.