Plants that flower in winter? Yes! We tend to think mostly of spring, summer, and fall when we plan our gardens to have something in bloom for every season. But winter in Northern Virginia can be far more interesting and colorful than you might imagine.
Winter flowering plants can contribute unexpected pops of color in January and February – and turn your landscape into a winter wonderland.
Maybe it’s time to think about adding flowers that bloom in winter to your planting plan.
Five Favorite Winter Blooming Plants for Northern Virginia
1 Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is cultivated as either a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub or small tree. It typically tops out at 10 to 20 feet high. Witch hazel has a fragrant, bright orange/yellow flower with petals that look like curly ribbons. Flowers appear after the bright yellow fall foliage drops off in November. Here in Northern Virginia, it continues blooming through January. At that time of year there isn’t much going on. So witch hazel really stands out and makes a statement. There are both native and exotic species from Asia. Both are used in landscape design.
2 Lenten Rose (Helleborus) also begins to bloom in January and continues through April. The flowers are cup-shaped and hang slightly downward from the stems. They show a variety of different colors ranging from white, pink, purple, rose tones, and green. The lenten rose is an “evergreen” perennial. That means that, unlike most herbaceous (soft stemmed) perennials it does not die back to the ground but maintains structure and green foliage year round. Helleborus grow in clumps about 18 inches wide and equally as tall.
3 Oregon Grape (Mahonia) is an evergreen shrub that grows 3 to 10 feet tall. The dark green leaves have a spiky appearance. The flowers appear in bright yellow clusters in December and continue blooming through February. Dark blue berries appear once the flowers have finished in late winter.
4 Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) is a deciduous shrub that grows in a sprawling habit up to 4 feet high. It spreads through branches that root as they touch the ground. Winter Jasmine blooms from late January until March when the forsythia blooms. Although its natural habit is to spread out along the ground, it can be trained to climb. It is cold hardy compared to other Jasmine varieties.
5 Camellia japonica has glossy dark green foliage and shows white, pink or red flowers in late Jan/Feb (Camellia sasanqua is a fall blooming variety). Note: because Camellia are of southern origin, they are not 100% cold hardy so must not be exposed to full wind. They should face Southern exposure under a deciduous tree so they have the protection of shade in the summer but full sun in winter for maximum blooming.
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Late Winter/Early Spring Bloomers
To bridge the gap between late winter flowering plants and the early spring bloomers, there are perennials that emerge from bulbs beneath the snow:
Snow Drops (Galanthus nivalis “milk flower of the snow”) are a low to the ground (about 12 inches tall) perennial plant that blooms in February. They grow in clumps and tend to spread out and cover a large area if they are happy where they are located. Each delicate green stem produces a single white flower that hangs downward like a lantern. Since they continue blooming through April, they provide sustenance for pollinators such as honey bees.
Daffodils (Narcissus) start to pop up through the snow in late Feb and may continue blooming into early May
Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) grows in clusters low to the ground (6-8 inches high) and produces small clusters of bell shaped flowers.
Ask your landscape maintenance or garden care service to try mixing your late winter/early spring season bulbs with summer perennials. Then, as the early season bulbs drop back down, the summer perennials emerge to take their place in the planting bed to keep the party going.
The Beauty of the Winter Landscape - Beyond Flowers
The simplicity of a winter landscape may seem quite spare compared with the lush riot of summer. But, if you’ve planned well, there will be more to see and enjoy than you might think.
When discussing a planting plan for your property, your landscape architect can help you to consider cross-seasonal interest, selecting plants for spring and summer blooms plus fall color. It is also important to think about how all this will look in winter when a different side of your landscape is revealed.
Plant Characteristics That Offer Winter Interest
When the warm season abundance of blossoms has past and fall colors have faded, new textures and colors are revealed in the absence of foliage:
- Bark color and texture
- Branch structure and form
- Berries for color
- Grasses and sedges for color and texture
- Seed heads form and texture
- Evergreens including hollies, laurels, and conifers
Aside from winter flowering plants, here are just a few landscape plants that reveal a different and colorful side of themselves during the cold season:
Red twig dogwood. The red stems are always there but when the leaves drop, it exposes the stems which appear even more vibrant against a white backdrop of fresh snow.
Deodor Cedar presents soft grayish-green needles on elegantly droopy branches. They emit a fragrance from their resinous wood.
Natchez crape myrtle shows off beautiful exfoliating bark in the winter that you wouldn’t notice so much in the summer with all the blossoms and foliage.
Winterberry holly is a deciduous holly that produces tiny flowers in the summer. When the leaves drop you really see the brilliant crimson berries. They just shout out at you as you pass by them in the landscape
Blue Spruce is the classic “Christmas tree” shaped evergreen. The bluish green tint of their short, stiff needles looks vibrant peeking through of a fresh dusting of snow.
And, finally, there is the aesthetic effect of hardscaping. With the greenery mostly gone, the shapes, colors, and textures of natural stone take on a more prominent visual role in the landscape. Walls, patio surfaces, seat walls, border walls, and fireplaces offer pleasing geometry and definition in the spare winter landscape.
The winter season can be tough for those of us who love having flowers in the landscape as most of the plant world is resting at this time of the year. But now you know. There are many winter flowering plants available to bring brightness and beauty into our landscapes in the midst of the winter stillness.
Schedule a consultation with one of our garden managers to discuss how Surrounds can bring out the best in your winter landscape.
To prepare yourself for that discussion, consider downloading our eBook: Choosing the Right Kind of Landscape Maintenance Firm. It is full of valuable information to help you understand the fundamental differences between landscape maintenance companies.