30 Cold-Loving Winter Flowers to Brighten the Darkest Days
Plan a few spots of color in your winter garden with these persistent blooms.
When the leaves start to fall, and the nighttime temps start dropping into frost territory, it can feel bittersweet for gardeners.
Sometimes it seems like all there is left to do is to plant the last of the bulbs for spring, and then put your beds to rest for the long, dark winter ahead.
But there is still plenty of life and color that can come to a garden, even in the coldest days! From super early blooming violets and pansies to long-lasting snapdragons, to flowering trees that will persist deep into winter, it's possible, especially with a little mulch and some TLC, to keep at least a little color in your growing space for a lot longer than you might expect.
To help you out, we've put together this list of 30 of the most cold-tolerant plants that will add a bit of brightness to your garden even as the snows begin to fall.
More great gardening stories from Country Living:
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- How to Care for Mums So They'll Thrive in Your Fall Garden
Crocuses
Sweet little flowers pop their heads up in late winter to early spring. These bulbs—actually called "corms"—do tend to attract rodents, so plant these alongside other less-tasty types of bulbs, such as hyacinths and daffodils, that rodents tend to ignore.
Snowdrops (Galanthus spp.)
Snowdrops are charming, ethereal, perennial flowers that require very little maintenance, are able to carpet the ground when they become established, and bloom in winter as early as January or February, depending on where you live.
Get the Guide: How to Care for Snowdrops
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)
You might think of these as strictly spring or fall flowers, but they are cold-hardy from zones 7 through 11, and once hardened off, according to the University of Georgia, they can last well past the first few frosts, especially with a layer of mulch to keep the ground warm.
Get the guide: How to Grow Snapdragons
Daffodils (Narcissus spp.)
Daffodils are usually seen as one of the first signs of spring, but, depending where you live, they will begin popping up as early as February. Don't worry about snow or freezing temperatures harming the foliage, they're extremely cold hardy.
Cyclamen
You might recognize these as a houseplant, but they're actually perennials that do well as ground covers. They like to be under deciduous trees so they can soak up winter sun but be protected from summer's heat.
Get the Guide: How to Keep Your Cyclamen Plant Thriving
Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)
This shrub has pretty, yellow flowers on arching branches in late winter. It doesn’t have a fragrance like other types of jasmine, but it does offer a bright splash of winter color in mild climates.
Get the Guide: How to Grow and Care for Jasmine
Violas
The brightly colored, charming little “faces” of violas are a welcome sight on chilly mornings. In mild climates, they’ll last all winter long. Many types technically are annuals but they self-seed freely, so they'll often pop up again next year on their own.
Daphne Shrub
This gorgeous shrub thrives in warmer climates. The daphne shrub has pretty tubular pink or white flowers which appear in late winter and have an amazing sweet, fruity scent!
Get the Guide: How to Grow and Take Care of Daphne Plants
Hellebores
These stunning flowers, also known as Lenten roses, bloom in early winter in mild climates and late winter in cold regions. Even though they appear delicate, they’re undemanding and super cold-hardy.
Algerian Iris (Iris unguicularis)
Algerian Iris, also known as Winter Iris, produces beautiful purple flowers in the later winter. These make great border plants near walkways where you can enjoy long-lasting flowers.
Get the Guide: How to Care for Irises Like an Expert
Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
Carolina Jessamine , also known as Carolina Yellow Jessamine, is a native vine to the southern United States, Guatemala and Mexico. These vines add a burst of inviting color to the garden with their bright yellow, sweet-scented flowers that appear in late winter and early spring, usually starting in February.
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Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii)
These bluish-purple-tipped flowers with white in the center can often be seen poking out of the snow. Glory of the snow are wonderful winter flowers that get their genus name from Greek with chion translating to snow and doxa as glory.
Love Blue? 20 Brilliant Blue Flowers for Your Garden
Holly-Leaved Barberry (Berberis aquifolium)
Also called the Oregon grape for its berries, Barberry is a flowering shrub with small yellow flowers that begins blooming in late winter and lasts through the spring. Plant this shrub for a bright splash of color in the garden.
Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.)
Manzanita are evergreen shrubs mostly native to Western North America. Growing in clusters, they bear bell-shaped flowers in hues of pink or white, which bloom in mid-to-late winter or sometimes early spring, adding a pop of color to an otherwise dreary garden. Hummingbirds and bees adore these flowers.
Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
Part of the buttercup family, Winter Aconite is one of the first bulbs to bloom in early spring. They have small yellow flowers that look like buttercups and can also manage in the snow or frost. And bees love them!
Winter Hazel (Corylopsis spp.)
A deciduous shrub native to Asia, Winter Hazel produces clusters of yellow flowers with a fragrant scent. Blooms appear in late winter and early spring, typically from February to March.
Camellia
This evergreen shrub, which can form up into a small tree, has exquisite blooms in late winter to early spring. There are many different varieties that bloom throughout the year, so be sure you're buying one that is a winter-blooming type.
Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
The gorgeous, frilly heads of these showy plants last most of the winter in mild climates and well into late fall in cold areas of the country. They come in many different colors and forms.
Winterberry Holly
This shrub bursts with bright red berries that add cheery color to the winter landscape. Some types are deciduous, while others are evergreen, retaining their leaves. No matter what kind, the gorgeous berries really pop against a field of snow. Plant both a "female" and "male" plant for pollination and the formation of berries.
Mahonia
Large sprays of fragrant yellow flowers appear in late fall to early winter on this evergreen shrub.
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