Cineraria

Over the years I’ve photographed many members of the aster family. Some of my favorites are two varieties of Cineraria that I’ve only seen at Longwood Gardens in the winter. The bright cheerful colors of the blossoms are a wonderful pick me up on a cold winter day.

Sunsenerba Cineraria is a perennial that grows to about 16″ tall in your garden. It is hardy only in USDA zones 9a – 11 – further north it’s best treated as an annual plant. I love the combination of the bright white and magenta on the petals.

 

 

 

 

 

The Longwood Hybrid Cineraria is a wonderful blue blossoms. After an existing supplier of blue cineraria stopped carrying the plants, Longwood Gardens developed it’s own variety of a blue Cineraria in the 1990s, which means visitors get to enjoy a unique variety of these plants when they visit Longwood Gardens.

 

 

 

I haven’t been up to Longwood Gardens yet to see this year’s winter display so don’t know if either of these beautiful Cineraria are on display this year. I hope they are because I love seeing them on dreary winter days.