{"id":1479,"date":"2024-11-29T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/?p=1479"},"modified":"2025-11-04T10:36:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:36:07","slug":"flowering-plants-that-brighten-winter-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/flowering-plants-that-brighten-winter-landscapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Flowering plants that brighten winter landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A
Pansies brighten winter gardens with a variety of colors. Photo by Katerina Niuman on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As fall progresses to winter, our landscapes can begin to look bleak. Annual pansies and violas might add a pop of color, but there are also perennial plants and shrubs that flower in the winter. In addition to brightening our winter landscapes, these can cheer our hearts and nourish songbirds and pollinators. As added bonuses, many are suited for shade, and some are fragrant. Here are some winter bloomers suited for Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herbaceous winter flowering plants<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pansy and Viola<\/strong> \u2013 (Viola x wittrockiana, Viola tricolor<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yellow
Smaller than pansies, violas are more tolerant of shade and make great container plants for winter. Photo by Iridial on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bright, happy faces of violas and pansies have made them popular winter bedding plants for hundreds of years. Forming into small 6-inch mounds, these annuals bloom throughout the winter and spring, offering a variety of colors and color combinations. They also thrive as container plants. Pansies and violas need full sun and are hardy in zones 6-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"light
Herbaceous and evergreen, Lenten roses are ideal for shady gardens and erosion mitigation on slopes. Photo by Andrea Laine, NC State Extension.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lenten rose<\/strong> \u2013 (Helleborus orientalis<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing into clumps up to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, perennial, evergreen Lenten roses are ideal for naturalized woodlands. Because they spread, they\u2019re also ideal for erosion mitigation on slopes. Nodding, bell-like, white to lavender flowers appear around February and bloom for several weeks. These resilient plants are easy to propagate and share. Lenten roses need dappled shade and are hardy in zones 5-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter flowering shrubs<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camellia<\/strong> \u2013 (Camellia japonica <\/em>and C. sasanqua<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camellias are evergreen shrubs known as \u201cthe winter rose.\u201d They bloom from September to March depending on the cultivar. About three years ago, I planted a dwarf sasanqua camellia (C. hiemalis<\/em>) in a shady spot at the side of my house. This little plant started putting out an abundance of pale pink flowers in mid-November, and still has more to come. Dwarf sasanquas are very slow growers, topping out at 3-5 feet tall. Regular camellias, both japonica and sasanqua, can reach 15 feet tall. Flowers range from white to pink to red, and forms include single, rose, peony, and double. Camellias need sun to semi-shade exposure and are hardy in zones 7-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"two
Dwarf sasanqua camellias are small evergreen shrubs, but the flowers are full-sized. Photo by Heather Kolich, UGA Extension.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Winter daphne<\/strong> \u2013 (Daphne odora<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter daphne is slow-growing, small (3-4 feet), evergreen shrub with stunning, fragrant flowers that present in a clustered sphere in shades of white to pale pink. It can be difficult to grow, but in a protected spot with deep, well-drained, woodland soil, it can put on an irresistible winter show. Winter daphne requires semi-shade and is hardy in zones 7-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter Jasmine<\/strong> \u2013 (Jasminum nudiflorum<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A semi-deciduous shrub reaching 3-5 feet tall, winter jasmine blooms with star-like yellow flowers in nearly leafless, arching branches in late winter to early spring. It tolerates partial shade, poor soil, heavy pruning, and resists deer damage. Branches may root where they touch the soil, so it can be used as ground cover and on slopes. Winter jasmine flowers best in full sun to partial shade and is hardy in zones 6-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"golden
Delicate, fragrant wintersweet flowers bloom on the arching branches of this large shrub. Photo by Kristine Paulus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wintersweet<\/strong> \u2013 (Chimonanthus praecox<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving up in size, wintersweet is a deciduous, 10-15 tall shrub with an open, arching form. Fragrant, delicate yellow flowers begin blooming in January. It can be planted in sun to partial shade, exhibits slow to medium growth, and tolerates severe pruning. It is hardy in zones 7-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bright,
Fragrant, strappy yellow witch hazel flowers bloom from October to March. This large shrub is native to North America. Photo by Kurt Wagner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Witch hazel<\/strong> \u2013 (Hamamelis <\/em>spp.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Native witch hazel (H. virginiana<\/em>, H. vernalis<\/em>, and H. ovalis<\/em>) is a large shrub reaching 10-25 feet tall at maturity. Buds open with strappy petals from October to March, depending on variety. Flowers are fragrant with colors varying from yellow to orange to red. An interesting feature of witch hazels is that they can have flowers and fruit on branches at the same time. Witch hazels thrive in full sun to light shade and are hardy in zones 3-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hopefully, as we\u2019re out and about this winter, we\u2019ll encounter some of these blooming winter plants and enjoy a moment of beauty \u2013 and maybe be inspired to add some winter bloomers to our own landscapes in the spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As fall progresses to winter, our landscapes can begin to look bleak. Annual pansies and violas might add a pop of color, but there are also perennial plants and shrubs that flower in the winter. In addition to brightening our winter landscapes, these can cheer our hearts and nourish songbirds and pollinators. As added bonuses, many are suited for shade, and some are fragrant. Here are some winter bloomers suited for Georgia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":1482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[361],"class_list":["post-1479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anr","tag-winter-flowers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1479"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2151,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479\/revisions\/2151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}