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What type of gardener are you? Are you the kind of gardener who likes to take care of your miniature plants under the bright sun, sweat building on your brow, before going inside to cool down with a glass of lemonade? Or perhaps you love to pull on a sweatshirt and add mulch around your miniature trees, enjoying the short but oh-so-lovely weeks of fall. For others, spring is the best season to get outside in the garden. Full of sweet smells, mild weather, and welcome rain, the spring garden is a peaceful place to be. Or maybe, just maybe, you are the elusive winter gardener. You delight in bundling up to go outside and gaze at your fairy houses, all lit up in the bright snow. You choose hardy plants that may die back a bit when the temperature drops, but will surely stick around for warmer weather, too. You are tough-as-nails, and your gorgeous garden is all the better for it! No matter what gardening season you prefer, we can all agree that the calendar offers 365 days of adventure. As the daylight starts to wane and the nights get a little chilly, I have been thinking about winter plants that will allow me to keep my gardening habit during all twelve months of the year, whether in a winter container garden or in my regular beds. I am on the search for winter plants that will compliment my fairy houses and miniature garden accessories, but also look stunning on their own. My latest pick? Ajuga. For an attractive, low-maintenance perennial, look no further than Ajuga reptans, also known as bugleweed. Ajuga plants grow well under trees, making them a smart ground cover pick for shady gardens and yards. Ajuga offers dense leaf coverage, spring flowers, and a vigorous growth habit. While my favorite way to use Ajuga is in mass plantings as a lawn alternative, it can also be utilized beautifully in borders, edging, and smaller gardens. Plant it alongside your favorite winter plants, include it in a winter container garden, or use it in a village full of fairy houses. The options are endless. While winter tends to be the season of brown trees, white snow, and not much else, Ajuga offers a welcome sight—color! These winter plants come in several different varieties, each with their own unique look. Some have golden-green foliage, while others are a deep, dark burgundy color that will look stunning against winter’s cloudy skies and sparkling snow. The leaves tend to be crinkled and very glossy. And in the springtime, they bloom with spikes of bright flowers, often in a shade of blue. Gardening in the winter can be fun, but it is not my favorite. I am more of a hot-weather gardener. That makes Ajuga, a low-maintenance plant, the perfect pick for me. It does not need any deadheading and usually does not need to be cut back in the spring. If your climate is mild enough, it makes an excellent semi-evergreen winter plant. Not in the market for a ground cover plant? Ajuga makes a great container plant too, especially in the cooler months. The blue flowers are a beautiful addition to any miniature garden, rock garden, winter container garden, or fairy garden. Miniature Gardening' offers miniature plants, accessories, fairies, garden tools & dollhouse furniture to create enchanting miniature landscapes for containers or your yard. Story telling and imaginary fairy garden from 'Miniature Gardening' bring the playful kid out in all of us. Filled with intrigue and mystique each little miniature garden scene you create is a snapshot of such a dream.
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