Winter can be a dismal time of year. You might not have to mow the lawn or weed the garden as often, but you have to stare at a bare, dull-looking yard with no growth and not a flower in sight.

However, it might surprise you to learn that you can have a vibrant-looking garden in winter. All it takes is the right selection of plants, such as these options below.

Hellebores – The Roses of Winter

It won’t take you long to work out why hellebores are often called the roses of winter or winter roses. These fast-establishing perennial plants produce elegant flowers and thrive in shady areas during late winter and early spring.

Hellebores love well-drained, rich soil and will thrive in full or part shade. They don’t tend to enjoy the sunshine as much as many other plant varieties, which makes them ideal for wintry conditions.

Once you plant them in rich organic matter, it doesn’t take them long to make your garden their permanent home. They grow quickly and, as an added bonus, are easy to take care of. You’re also bound to enjoy planting the many different varieties that produce a range of flowers in shades of pink, white, and reddish-purple.

Camellias

Every homeowner deserves to have a showy flower that can be the envy of neighbours, and camellias definitely tick that box. Camellias are evergreen shrubs that bloom throughout winter and spring, providing a much-needed boost of colour in an otherwise grey and dreary winter landscape.

Camellia flowers are stunning and contrast beautifully against the green, glossy foliage of the shrub. They are also quite versatile in that you can turn them into hedges or shape them into beautiful shrubs you’re proud of.

Among the best camellias to purchase and plant are Sasanqua varieties, which flower from autumn to late winter, and Japonica, which flower from winter to late spring.

Pansies

If you’re not much of a gardener and often receive gardening help rather than tackling the task yourself, pansies are undoubtedly an ideal plant option for you. Not only are they easy to care for, but they can liven up the most depressing-looking winter garden with ease.

You simply need to purchase and plant them before the cold weather sets in, and they’ll have no problems thriving in all sorts of weather conditions like rain, hail, and even frost.

Alongside being a vibrant addition to any garden, pansies are also incredibly versatile. They are the ideal addition to any sprawling cottage garden but are also right at home in hanging baskets, garden beds, and borders.

Cornflowers

One of the hardest things to come to terms with when you plant new flowers is the fact that not all will grow in your garden year after year. Some will thrive for a short time before disappearing forever. That’s not the case with cornflowers.

These winter beauties are a common sight in the average cottage garden in New Zealand and tend to thrive in a wide variety of conditions. Once they’re there, they continue to grow each year.

While it can take some time for them to establish themselves, they tend to thrive once they settle into the soil. You can then enjoy beautiful double flowers in a vibrant shade of blue once the temperatures plummet.

Calendula

Frost can be a significant problem for the average gardener. It can easily wipe out a vegetable crop if you haven’t prepared for it, and many perennials succumb to particularly hard frosts. But out of all flowers that bloom in winter, Calendula would have to be one of the most robust varieties.

These vibrant orange flowers are frost-hardy, which means they aren’t normally phased when the mercury drops. You can also plant them in your vegetable garden to keep aphids away without needing to resort to pesticides.

Violas

Violas, or baby pansies, are a delight in any garden. Even when everything is dying in your garden around them, they stand out with their vibrant purple-blue petals and healthy green foliage.

Violas can be planted in March or April in spring or during autumn in September and October. However, winter varieties are hardy enough to be planted out in the winter months. Once you’ve planted them, you can enjoy their presence yearly.

Time to Get Planting

There’s no denying that winter is many gardeners’ least favourite time of the year, but that doesn’t mean your garden has to look as sad as you feel. By planting flowers that bloom in winter, you have something to look forward to once we welcome the colder temperatures.

Talk to your local lawn care and gardening experts about the best winter plants to include in your garden and how to create a peaceful flowery paradise of which you can be proud.