Some flowers we associate with winter. As soon as we see them we know winter is really upon us.
Last winter I did a scrap boo session at a church.
They ladies thanked my by giving me a Cyclamen.
It did not want to really grow inside so I planted it outside at the back of my deck.
When winter came it gave me the first flowers.
In many areas within the native range, cyclamen populations have been severely depleted by collection from the wild, often illegally, for the horticultural trade; some species are nowendangered as a result. However, in a few areas, plant conservation charities have educated local people to control the harvest carefully at a sustainable level, including sowing seed for future crops, both sustaining the wild populations and producing a reliable long-term income. Many cyclamen are also propagated in nurseries without harm to the wild plants.
Cyclamen (US /ˈsaɪkləmɛn/sy-klə-men or UK /ˈsɪkləmɛn/sik-lə-men) is a genus of 23 species of perennials growing from tubers, valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves. Cyclamen species are native from Europe and the Mediterranean region east to Iran, with one species in Somalia.
It was traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae but recently has been reclassified in the family Myrsinaceae.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclamen#Cultivation_and_uses
The next flower I also associate with winter.
(I see in the description that there are different types that bloom in different times of the year)
Poker plant/ Kniphofia uvaria/Torch lilly
Just across my drive way there are these “vuurpyle” as we call them in Afrikaans/
This is in New Zealand. Taken Half June 2012
Kniphofia uvaria originates from the Cape Province of South Africa,[1] and has been introduced into many parts of the world, such as North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe as a garden plant. It is hardy in zones 5-10.
In parts of south-eastern Australia, such as the Central and Southern Tablelands of New South Wales and southern Victoria, it has escaped cultivation and become naturalised.[1] It is now regarded as an environmental weed in these locations, spreading from former habitations into natural areas, where it can grow in thick clumps and threaten sensitive ecosystems. Elsewhere in southern Australia it is regarded as a potential environmental weed, and it may have also naturalised in parts of South Australia and California.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kniphofia_uvaria
scrapydo 