Winter Cassia

 

  

 

Winter Cassia (Cassia bicapsularis) is a winter blooming plant that puts on a wonderful display of sunny yellow flowers, just in time for the holiday season.  Originally from South America, this touch of the tropics is always a pleasure in a landscape setting, especially when it blooms at an unexpected time.  The fall display of flowers can be described as incredible and will become the talk of the neighborhood.  Cassia attracts butterflies, especially the Sulphurs and it is one of their caterpillars' favorite foods.  This hard-to-find plant is probably best located among other shrubs, especially evergreens, the reason being is that it is not real showy until it blooms.  We have a limited selection of the plant. Come by and let us show you this wonderful plant, as well as other fall bloomers. 
 

 

Have you ever wondered why deciduous trees and shrubs have colorful leaves in the fall?  The process is very complicated and not fully understood, though to make it simple, leaf color comes from pigments in the leaves.  Small amounts of these colors are in the leaves all along we just can't see them in the summer, because they are covered up by the green chlorophyll.  Trees respond to decreasing sunlight by producing less chlorophyll and eventually stop producing it altogether.  When that happens, the other pigments, already in the leaves, can finally show through.
 

Just because fall is here, it does not mean that it is time to close down your vegetable garden until spring.  We are so lucky in our area to be able to garden year-round. In fact, I prefer to garden during the winter when it is not so hot and muggy.
 
There are a number of cool season vegetable plants that will continue to grow all winter long.  Just because it is winter, there is no reason you cannot have fresh salads. Lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, celery and arugula do well all Winter.  Let's not forget about planting Southern greens like collards, mustard and turnips.  Many of our herbs will continue to provide fresh condiments for cooking.  Parsley, fennel, dill and chives all do well during our cool months.  Other vegetables that you might want to try are English and sweet peas, rutabaga, beets, cabbage, Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and kale.

 

 
Seasons Garden Center keeps a good selection of vegetable plants and seeds for your gardening needs.  Stop by and let us show you these and other plants that will increase your cool-season enjoyment.