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These plants will last all winter (or longer!)

They look beautiful, they're edible, and they'll last all winter long. Here's a look at a few plants you'll find in stock right now that deserve a spot in your yard.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As temperatures drop, colors pop at local nurseries around the South Carolina Midlands. Some of these plants will brighten up the landscape all winter long and are good enough to eat too. 

Woodley's Nursery in Richland County tells us Autumn is their second busiest time of the year (Spring is number 1). People gravitate toward the colorful Mums which provide a big burst of fall color, but there are other options. 

Let's start with Ornamental Cabbage, Kale, & Mustard. Some of these varieties last all winter long, but they will not survive in the hot weather. Cosmic Kale is particularly noteworthy because it's a beautiful landscape plant and tasty! New leaves are always sprouting from the base of Cosmic Kale so this plant stays full even if a few leaves are picked for dinner.

Ornamental Cabbage becomes more colorful as the weather cools down. These are edible, but they're not tasty. Unlike Kale and Cabbage, Ornamental Japanese Mustard needs to be protected from hard freezes, but they are very colorful and edible. 

If you'd rather add color to your dinner than your garden, Red Romaine Lettuce and Freckled Lettuce are both great choices. These plants will require frost protection, but do well in the October garden because they reach maturity very quickly. The lettuce leaves look beautiful in the garden and can be enjoyed in a salad too. Romaine Lettuce requires cooler weather which is why late fall or early spring is the best time of year to plant these outdoors.

Credit: WLTX
Young Red Romaine Lettuce
Credit: WLTX
Young Freckled Lettuce

Swiss Chard grows best in cooler weather, but they can be grown in the summer too. While the leaves on Swiss Chard are a pretty standard, the stems on some varieties are as vibrant as it gets!  Swiss chard are as tasty as they are beautiful (if you like swiss chard that is!). The plants will start to fade when the weather gets below freezing, but they'll often start growing again in the spring for one last round of greens before their life cycle ends. 

Credit: WLTX
Swiss Chard "Bright Lights"
Credit: WLTX
Magenta Swiss Chard
Credit: WLTX
Golden Swiss Chard

If you're looking for an edible plant that gives color all year long, Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage are worth a spot in your yard. Rosemary grows into a fragrant large bush and can easy handle nighttime temperatures in the teens.

No fall dish is complete without Sage and as luck would have it, they're ready for picking in the fall (or any time of the year). Sage is evergreen during most South Carolina winters and come in green, red, variegated, and multi-color forms.

Credit: WLTX


Variegated Thyme looks small and fragile but can easily withstand heat, cold, and even drought when established. The while leaf margins found on the variegated variety adds some extra interest to a plant that's usually not grown for its looks.

Credit: wltx

Pansies are the standard for winter flower beds and for a good reason. Pansies bloom all winter long (and well into spring), come in endless colors, and the flowers are edible. You'll find a great supply of these in nurseries around the Midlands throughout the Autumn season. 

Credit: WLTX
Pansies

Some colorful Autumn plants, like Croton and orchids will not survive the winter in South Carolina, but make great houseplants during the cooler winter months. 

Fall is also a great time to plant most trees and shrubs because the winter season gives plants time to set roots down before the heat of summer returns. Typically, the South Carolina Midlands' experience the first freeze of the season in mid November.

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