While the winter months may seem like a barren time in the garden, there are actually many excellent plant choices that will provide interest, color, and even fragrance from late fall right through until spring. Whether you want to decorate flower beds, create festive containers, or dress up your patio, the following plant suggestions will all add seasonal curb appeal and help brighten those dreary cold days. Read on for tips on planting and caring for these holiday-themed plants!
Table of Contents
Poinsettia
This one is an obvious plant for the garden in winter since poinsettias are basically the symbol of Christmas. Their bright red, pink, or white bracts really stand out against the winter landscape. Poinsettias make great potted plants that can be displayed inside or out. If kept in a sunny spot, they may continue to bloom through January or February.
Winter Jasmine
With its small, star-shaped white flowers, winter jasmine has a nice winter vibe. It’s a great winter garden plant option because it blooms when little else is in flower. Winter jasmine plants are evergreen and will trail or climb, so they work well trained up a trellis, fence, or pillar. You’ll enjoy its sweet fragrance on cold days.
Do You Know? The South Carolina State Flower is the Yellow Jessamine.
Hellebore
Often called Christmas or Lenten roses, hellebores have big pretty blooms in shades of white, pink, purple, or green. Their flowers appear quite early, sometimes even under snow. Hellebores prefer partial to full shade and are deer-resistant, making them well-suited as outdoor plants in winter.
Mahonia
An excellent and the best winter plant choice, mahonia has glossy evergreen leaves and racemes of yellow flowers in winter that attract pollinators. After blooming, it produces vivid blueberries. Mahonia tolerate sun or shade and are deer and drought-resistant.
Cyclamen
Like hellebore, cyclamen bloom in winter and early spring. You’ll find cyclamen in shades of pink, red, and white, perfect for Christmas time. They are terrific container plants that can stay outdoors if protected from heavy frost. Cyclamen also do well inside as lovely winter indoor plants.
Camellia
Camellias may be more associated with Valentine’s Day than Christmas but their shiny dark green leaves and ruffled flowers in red, pink, and white make a stunning backdrop in the garden during the colder months. Camellias thrive well and are nice plants for a winter garden in the California Bay area in part sun or light shade.
Do You Know? The Camellia Was Adopted as Alabama‘s State Flower in 1959.
Winter Daphne
Also called spurge laurel, winter daphne has small pink or white flowers and an unmistakable spicy fragrance. It thrives in full sun or partial shade. Take care not to overwater the winter daphne, as its roots are sensitive to wet soils.
Snowdrops
Nothing says spring is on its way like delicate little snowdrops pushing through late winter ground. Often one of the first flowers to appear, snowdrops come in white or occasionally greenish-yellow. Plant bulbs in the fall for lovely winter-blooming plants.
Winter Aconite
One of the earliest flowers to bloom, cheerful winter aconite will add a splash of sunshine and yellow to your garden in late winter/early spring. Their cheery buttercup-like blooms emerge even before the foliage. Winter aconite thrives as winter flowering plants in either sun or partial shade.
Pansy
Pansies are good winter plants to grow in Georgia that require sunlight and they put on a colorful show throughout the winter months in shades of yellow, purple, blue, and pink. Use them to brighten up garden beds or plant them in hanging baskets and containers for a burst of beauty. Pansies do well as winter-blooming plants in either sun or partial shade.
Winter Hazel
Winter hazel lends a delicate fern-like texture to the winter garden with its clusters of fringed yellow flowers appearing right on the bare branches. It’s another great choice of flowers for winter planting in shaded spots in the landscape.
Violas
Similar to pansies but with a sweet fragrance, violas come in all the same winter-hardy colors. Use violas in the same way as pansies to add winter blooms to beds and planters. They thrive as reliable winter flower plants that will keep your garden looking lovely from the holidays through spring.
Heuchera
Heucheras, or coral bells, offer colorful foliage all season long. In winter the dark burgundy and purple leaf colors really stand out. Heuchera come in many varieties so you can find one suited to your growing conditions. They thrive well and are great plants for winter in Virginia and are lovely additions in containers or on the border.
Send flowers with FREE delivery in the USA and make someone’s day.
If you would like a ready-made way to bring more seasonal cheer, consider ordering a winter flower bouquet from SnapBlooms. Our floral arrangements are expertly designed with holiday-inspired blooms and greens by your online local florists. SnapBlooms also has a great selection of low-maintenance winter indoor plants perfect for brightening up your home through the colder months. Order today!
