A poinsettia lifting red and creamy-white bracts above glossy green leaves indoors, hellebores opening pink, green-white and purple out in the border: winter has flowers of its own. Five of them, in the house and in the garden, carry colour from late autumn through to mid-spring, each asking only for the right spot and sensible watering.
Both in the house and in the garden, here are a few flowers to admire in winter for their blooming…
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Some of these bloom on a windowsill, others out in the open ground, and each covers a different stretch of the cold season. Use the table to pick the one that suits the spot you have to fill.
| Flower | Where it grows | Flowering period | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poinsettia | Indoors | Christmas season | The right spot, and careful watering |
| Phalaenopsis orchid | Indoors, near a window | Blooms while other plants are dormant | Bright light but no direct sun |
| Hellebore | Garden beds and garden boxes | early winter to mid-spring | Rich, heavy well-draining soil, neutral to basic pH |
| Winter heather | Ground, garden boxes, balcony, windowsill | early winter to late winter | Watering only, and not too much of it |
| Cyclamen coum | Ground, pots and containers | late autumn to early spring | Cool setting, shade or part shade |
Between them, these five carry colour from late autumn right through to mid-spring, indoors and out.
The five plants above are all sold as named cultivars, and the choice decides the colour and the exact weeks you get flowers. These are the ones most often found on garden centre benches and in mainstream catalogues.
| Variety | Flower colour | Where to grow | Flowering season |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Springwood White’ | White, spreading carpet | Ground cover, tubs, sun | Midwinter to early spring |
| ‘Myretoun Ruby’ | Deep ruby red | Front of border, window boxes | Late winter to spring |
| ‘Kramer’s Rote’ | Magenta red, dark foliage | Border or large container, sun | Early winter to spring |
| ‘Silver Lace’ | Apple green, silvered foliage | Sunny well-drained border | Late winter to spring |
| ‘Springwood Pink’ | Clear pink | Ground cover, tubs, sun | Midwinter to early spring |
| Pewter Group | Pink to magenta, silvered leaves | Shady ground, pots, cool spots | Late autumn to early spring |
| ‘Walberton’s Rosemary’ | Pink, held facing outwards | Border or container, part shade | Midwinter to spring |
| ‘Potter’s Wheel’ | Pure white, green eye | Border edge, cool shade | Early to midwinter |
| ‘Album’ | White with a pink nose | Under shrubs and trees, pots | Midwinter to early spring |
| ‘Vivellii’ | Magenta, bronzed winter foliage | Front of border, tubs, sun | Midwinter to early spring |
| ‘Darley Dale’ | Pale shell pink | Border or container, sun | Early winter to spring |
With its lush green leaves, bright red or creamy-white bracts, the Christmas star definitely prepares the home for the warm season of love and giving!
Poinsettia isn’t only spectacular, it is resilient and easy to care for. Simply place it in the right spot and monitor its need for water, and it will brighten up your indoors for a long time.
One of the easiest house flowers, the orchid thrives all year long. Interestingly, winter is when it has the most fans, since blooms emerge just as all the other plants go dormant!
To make sure it blooms again and again so you can marvel at its towering flower scapes, place it near a window but not in direct sunlight. Every time roots seem dry, dunk the whole pot in a bucket of room-temperature water for a few minutes.
You might need to add fertilizer if you feel the blooming isn’t as lush as it once was.
Christmas rose is the other name it goes by: hellebore is a perennial that blooms from early winter to mid-spring depending on the variety, and it brightens up any spot of the garden with its pink, green-white, purple flower, be they light or dark-colored.
Both hardy and elegant, it loves both sun and shade, and is satisfied with heavy well-draining soil that’s rich. pH is best when neutral or basic. A must-have in the garden!
Also excellent for composing garden boxes, but make note to use soil mix that’s prepared for perennials.
In the ground or in winter garden boxes on the deck, balcony or windowsill, winter heather turns into a miniature bush of tiny white, pink or red flowers. This blooming lasts two full months, from early winter to late winter.
No care at all except for watering (not too much of it, either), and repotting in spring with well-draining soil mix.
This resilient plant grows anywhere, even in clay soil if you add in a little sand.
Select a coum cyclamen if you want blooming from late autumn to early spring. In every region, it will produce white, purple, pink or red flowers. It does great in the ground, and in pots and containers, too.
Cyclamen loves cool settings, in the shade or part shade. This particular variety is hardy, but other cyclamen species are vulnerable to freezing.
Those that might freeze can be transferred indoors, as long as the temperature isn’t any warmer than 60-65°F (15-18°C). And give the mini-cyclamen a try, too!
Claire Lelong-Lehoang
