8 Plants that Flower in the Winter

In the middle of winter I am looking out my window at my dreary backyard. I so miss my flowering garden. I see my neighbors holly bushes looking great with red berries. I need to plant some wintering flowering plants next spring. I want to look out beyond my covered wooden outdoor furniture and see my garden alive with some color.

Winter Flowers are those that flower between Mid November and March. All have good foilage, leaves and stems that maintain a good presence in the garden year round. These plants are a hardy group that can thrive and flower in Zones 6 and colder.

These plants should be located in a sheltered part of the garden and thrive best in partial shade

In addition you need to cut back on the watering and fertilizing these plants late in summer season so there will be better blooming in the winter.

Take a look at my website to get some ideas for your backyard such as decorative birdhouses, tuned wind chimes, squirrel proof birdfeeders, outdoor wooden furniture, garden fountains and more.

I obtained this list from Fine Gardening's February issue.

Winter jasmine "jasminum nudiflorum"
shines when others shiver
Zones: 6-9
Size: 9 ft tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun and light shade;
Well drained soil
Features:Yellow flowers that bloom through-out winter
Sprawling, trailing shrub that climbs walls


Witch hazels "hamamelis x intermedia cvs"
add structure with color
Zones: 5-9
Size: 8-12 ft tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade;
Moist, fertile, well drained soil
Features: Year round ornamental tree. Leaves color
in the fall. flowers in the winter



Hardy cyclamen "cyclamen coum and cvs"
push through snow and ice
Zones:5-9
Size: 2-4 inches high and 6-12 inches wide
Conditions: partial to full shade, fertile, well drained soil
Features: Flowers of dainty white, pink and rose nod from short stems in winter or early spring. Year round this evergreen perennial holds it own with heart-shaped, 2 inch wide leaves marbled in silver



Winter aconite "Eranthis hyemalis"
colonizes beneath trees
Zones: 4 to 9
Size: 3 to 5 inches tall and wide
Conditions:Full sun to partial shade; moist fertile soil
Features:goblet shaped flowers that open in late winter. Clumps of deeply cut leaves spread into colonies in moist soil below deciduous trees

In warmer areas where freezes are rare. The winter garden will vary depending on how severe a particular season is.


Algerian iris"Iris unguicularis"
sparkles in January
Zones: 7 to 9
Size: 12 -18 inches tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to light shade, well drained soil
Features: This iris comes through with an abundance of flowers when no others will. The foliage of the iris gives a larger landscape potential than other iris. The flower blooms consistently between December and February.


Winter heaths "Erica x darleyensis and cvs"
are blanketed with blooms
Zones: 7 to 8
Size: 18 to 24 inches tall and up to 36 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun, well drained acidic soil
Features: Needle like foilage gives a soft texture to this flower.
These mounding shrubs are covered masses of tiny blooms of
pink, white or lilac. They begin flowering in December or January
and continues through April



Grape Hollies "Mahonia x media cvs"
attract winter birds
Zones: 8-9
Size: up to 12 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well drained soil
Features: deer resistant shrub with large divided prickly leaves that demand attention year round. Long fragrant lemon yellow flowers rise above foliage in janary & february attracting winter hummingbirds; blue fruit follows in the spring


Sasanqua camellias "Camellia sasanqua cvs" are the roses of winter
Zones: 7-9
Size: 4 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, fertile, well-drained, loose soil
Features: many weeks of flowers from mid fall to mid winter. Flowers come in many shades from white to lilac to deep red. Most varieties are shrubs but some are trees. Larger varieties will make great patio trees.