In most areas of the country, winter is rather dreary. A look out your window usually shows a collection of grays, browns, tans and other drab colors. Maybe your yard is blanketed with white snow and the sun is hidden by a thick blanket of clouds. It’s a far cry from the reds, yellows and greens that we see during the spring and summer. However, winter doesn’t have to be completely without color. There are many plants that bloom in winter that can add vibrant colors to your back yard.
Winter plants can perk up your spirits on an otherwise bland day. While exact varieties of plants that flower in winter may vary depending on your hardiness zone, there are many varieties of winter flowering plants that add color to your yard. Wouldn’t it be nice to look out and see some pink and red decorating the vast landscape of white?
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8 Plants that Bloom in Winter
Winter-blooming plants may need a few years to really start flowering. You should also check into the best time to prune flowering plants to that you don’t snip off new flower buds by accident.
A good pair of trimmers is one of my essential gardening tools, and don’t forget to add plenty of organic fertilizer for flowering plants. Once you prepare your garden for winter, consider adding some new landscaping to your yard.
Snowdrops:
Snowdrops usually bloom in late November and will stay on the ground until near Christmas time. Some varieties will last even longer. Blooms are white-green in color and turned towards the ground.
Winter Jasmine:
Winter Jasmine is a yellow blooming plant that does well when planted on retaining walls and other areas where it has room to ‘drape’.
Other Cold Weather Gardening Posts to Read
- What to Plant in November, both inside AND outside!
- Winter Bird Feeding Tips for Happy and Healthy Backyard Birds
- Fall Vegetable Gardening: 5 Things To Plant Now and Preparing Your Garden for Fall
Hellebore:
These flowers often resemble fresh cut red roses and are known as Christmas roses. They are long-lived perennials that thrive in shade or patchy sunlight. They come in a variety of colors like pink, white, rose, burgundy and light green. Different species and varieties can bloom from November to April, lying dormant in the summer months.
Phlox:
Phlox actually thrive year-round and will often bloom even in winter. They can thrive in the winter sun as long as they are planted in well-drained soil. You will find many different shades of pink and purple flowers and even a few whites.
Other Gardening Articles You May Enjoy
- Edible Gardening Tips for Beginning Gardeners
- Cheap and Natural Organic Gardening Solutions
- Gardening for Geeks
Sweetbox:
Winter gardening can benefit wildlife when berries grow on the plants! Sweetbox is a small evergreen shrub that creates fragrant flowers from February through April. The flowers are white and slightly tube-shaped and will sprout into small, nonedible black berries in the fall. It likes lots of shade and well-drained soil.
Wintersweet:
Fragrant wintersweet makes waxy cuplike flowers that are fragrant and produce a yellow to white color with a purple center. They bloom during the winter season and continue through early spring
‘Jelena’ Witch Hazel:
The orange and red flowers of Jelena Witch Hazel create a vibrant picture against the snowy backdrop. They typically bloom in January and will create wild spirals of orange and red petals.
Flowering quince:
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
I have been wanting to have blooms in my yard all year long, but never knew what bloomed in the winter. What a great resource! I’m going ot have to see if any of these plants can grow in my area!
These plants are so very lovely! I would love to have a garden to have flowers like these, but unfortunately in the city our gardens are concrete.
I’ve got to look into these. Winter is so blah. I love the snow on the trees, but there’s just no color for the most part.
oh wow i never knew this. those are some beautiful flowers. i wonder does my mom know this as she is a florist.
Don’t forget camellia bushes! They have white or pinkish red flowers like a full rose
I will have to check those out! Sounds pretty!