By Jane Purnell, Lawn Love
Photographs courtesy of Lawn Love
Not every plant in your yard needs to lose its petals and foliage when winter comes. Bright reds, soft pinks, sunny yellows –– these colors can still pepper your lawn, even when there’s snow. You just need winter flowers that bloom in the cold.
Many plants love cooler temperatures, and they don’t hesitate to take advantage of winter’s pollinators. Plants like black-eyed Susans and lavender won’t be making an appearance in winter. They prefer the warm weather of summer.
Now that you’ve winterized your lawn, your landscape needn’t look dreary, gray, and melancholy.
Here are 10 winter flowers that bloom in the cold:
1. Crocus
Common name: Crocus
Plant type: Perennial bulb
Bloom time: Flowers appear in autumn, winter, or spring
It’s normal to see these white, yellow, or purple flowers peeping their tiny petals out of the snow. Crocuses have excellent cold-weather tolerance, and a chilly frost or snowfall won’t wipe them out.
Because they remain so close to the ground, the warm soil temperatures help protect these mighty flowers. The soil also ensures the underground bulb survives any freeze that happens to kill the blooming crocus.
2. Camellia
Common names: Sasanqua, japonica, or rose of winter
Plant type: Evergreen shrub or small tree
Bloom time: Sasanquas bloom from mid-fall to early winter; japonicas bloom from mid-winter to mid-spring
Camellias are famous for their magnificent blooms. These evergreen shrubs feature thick, serrated, and glossy leaves throughout the year, and surprise us with their breathtaking flowers as temperatures drop. These shrubs can grow between 6 to 15 feet tall, making them quite the spectacle in your winter wonderland.
3. Snowdrop
Common name: Galanthus
Plant type: Perennial bulb
Bloom time: Fall, winter, and spring
An early sign of spring, snowdrops are typically the first among many winter bloomers to burst through the earth’s soil. These dainty flowers create a striking, dense bloom that multiplies through the spreading bulbs. Keep in mind: These plants are toxic to humans and pets.
4. Winter Jasmine
Common name: Winter jasmine
Plant type: Perennial
Bloom time: Winter
Beat the winter gloom with budding winter jasmine. These shrubs burst with bright yellow flowers in winter and are favored by gardeners for their low-maintenance care.
While most jasmine flowers feature beautiful scents, you won’t be smelling winter jasmine anytime soon. Unlike the rest of their family, winter jasmines aren’t fragrant.
5. Winter Aconite
Common name: Winter aconite
Plant type: Perennial
Bloom time: Winter
Members of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), winter aconite’s tiny yellow spots will remind anyone with cabin fever that warmer days are just ahead. Winter aconites love the warm sun so much they only open when the sun is bright and shining.
On dreary, overcast days, expect these little blossoms to close up. Though only four inches tall, they’ll make an impression on your landscape, as winter aconite spreads year after year.
Common names: Rosebud cherry, spring cherry, winter-flowering cherry, weeping Higan cherry
Plant type: Ornamental tree
Bloom time: Late winter to early spring
Higan cherry trees add a lovely, charming spot of color during a frigid winter. Admire their soft pink petals contrasting against the tree’s dark bark and look forward to their full flowering in the spring. Nothing quite compares to the miraculous blooms of cherry blossoms to transition us from a long winter to sunnier spring days.
7. Hellebore
Common names: Winter rose, Lenten rose, and Christmas rose
Plant type: Perennial
Bloom time: Winter and spring
If your shade garden is looking a little lonely in the wintertime, grow shade-loving hellebores. These wintery blooms are long-lasting and fragrant and aren’t a favorite of deer and voles.
No need to worry about their little petals getting swallowed up and taken away from the beautiful winter view. Just don’t let your pets and small children eat these pretty flowers as the plant is poisonous.
8. Witch Hazel
Common names: Witch hazel
Plant type: Deciduous shrub or small tree
Bloom time: Fall, winter, and spring
Witch hazel is popular for its low-maintenance, attractively textured blooms, medicinal and cosmetic properties, and high resistance to pests and disease. Its sweet fragrance cuts through the crisp cold air, giving your nose quite the delight as you step outdoors.
9. Pussy Willow
Common names: Pussy willow
Plant type: Deciduous shrub or small tree
Bloom time: End of winter through spring
The soft tufts growing along your pussy willow may not look like flowers at all, and they don’t have bright colors or a beautiful scent. But these little fuzzy nubs are flowers just before they fully bloom.
The nubs, famous for their cat paw resemblance, signal spring is just around the corner. Once spring rolls around, the pussy willow enters full bloom and creates petalless flowers called catkins.
As they bring us closer to spring and feel soft against our frozen fingertips, pussy willows also make for great seasonal decoration. Snip a few of the fuzziest branches, place them in a vase inside, and you may even get to see them bloom.
10. Mahonia
Common names: Mahonia
Plant type: Evergreen shrub
Bloom time: Winter and spring
This evergreen shrub will burst with bright yellow flowers, renewing your landscape and bringing joy to the changing seasons.
With a fabulous explosion of yellow contrasted against dark green leaves and white snow, you won’t be in much of a hurry for summer to get here.
Stop to Smell the Winter Flowers
There’s no need to let the joys of sunny weather and beautiful gardens escape in winter. Winterize your garden so bare trees and the frozen earth don’t take the spring out of your step.
When you want the perfect wintery landscape in your backyard, sometimes you need the advice of a professional. A gardener can help choose flower arrangements that best accentuate your yard, and they can determine where these flowers will flourish.
A professional gardener can help maintain your winter flowers for you so you can stay inside where it’s warm and enjoy a hot chocolate.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Terra Nova’s breeders have created a series of outstanding world-class echinaceas that are consistent in size, bloom power, color intensity and are a pollinator buffet. What’s not to like.
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