When home gardeners design a flower garden, hardy species and varieties should not be missing. This guide explains the characteristic features of hardy flowers and offers tips for selection.
Hardy flowers shed their foliage in winter
What distinguishes hardy flowers?
If a flower is defined as hardy, it survives frost and snow at the location without protective measures. This floral masterpiece is based on a sophisticated survival strategy. The following properties characterize perennial flowers:
- All herbaceous plant parts die after the first frost
- Deep in the ground, the roots survive the winter
- In spring, hardy flowers sprout again on their own
Various types of flowers make use of this clever master plan. This includes not only plants with strong roots and rhizomes. Bulb flowers, such as daffodils and tulips, also fall into this category. Of course, we can't lump bulbs together. While anemones grow hardy down to -30 degrees Celsius, exotic dahlias only survive the cold season in frost-free, dark winter quarters.
Hardiness zones - practical guide
Since winter conditions depend significantly on the geographical location, a plant cannot be described as frost hardy. A flower diva that blooms all year round from the Mediterranean shivers in Central Europe at temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius. Be on the lookout for perennials for your flower garden, so take a look at their hardiness zone.
In order to record the sometimes drastic climatic differences, special maps divide Europe into winter hardiness zones with temperatures as the central criterion. A total of five winter hardiness zones are valid for Germany. These range from WHZ 6a (- 23.4 degrees to - 17.8 degrees for high altitudes) to WHZ 8a (- 12.3 degrees to - 6.7 degrees for mild wine-growing regions).
In practice, however, it has been found that winter hardiness zones are only useful as a rough guide. The local microclimate in your garden is decisive for the frost tolerance of perennials. In a warm, wind-protected niche within hardiness zone 6a, Mediterranean flowers have a better chance of wintering unscathed than in an exposed, wind-blown location within hardiness zone 8a.
tips
The imaginative, Mediterranean garden design is not limited to frost-sensitive flowers and shrubs. Torch lilies (Kniphofia uvaria), coneflowers (Rudbeckia) and lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) inspire with colorful blooms and Mediterranean charm year after year.