21 Best Winter Flowers With Care Guides

Have you ever noticed how winter flowers can just brighten up a room? If you dread autumn because greenery begins to fade into a lovely memory, don’t fret about it.

Cold-tolerant plants and flowers are capable of turning your home into a winter wonderland. In fact, the variety of winter flowers on today’s market is so vast, colorful and diverse, that you don’t necessarily have to stick with traditional poinsettia to create your very own Christmas spirit.

We’ll start off with a couple of winter flowers that adapt beautifully to indoor conditions during winter time. And we’ll continue with those that thrive in outdoor temperatures. Be sure to check out your hardiness zone location.

1. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)

Colorful? Oh, yes! These splashy blooms light up rooms, whether they’re white, yellow, pink, purple or red. Schlumbergera is actually a hybrid resulting from two plants that grow in Brazilian rainforests and it earned its popular name because it only blooms around Christmas.

Christmas cactus prefers indirect sunlight and humidity. That stated, beginning 6 to 8 weeks before Christmas, relegate your plant to a dark environment between 12 and 14 hours daily to achieve the showiest display.

Pay attention to its watering schedule – too much water can lead to root rot, while too little could mean fewer healthy flowers. Just like with most other succulents and cacti, it’s generally better to underwater this plant. However, it requires constantly moist soil during the flowering season.

Schlumbergera can also be grown outdoors in USDA zones 9 and above.

2. Poinsettia (Euphorbia Pulcherrima)

It’s the most popular Christmas plant, a cultivar belonging to the Euphorbia pulccherimagenus/family. The look-alike blooms are actually young leaves that grow in clusters at the end of each branch.

Sub-tropical red poinsettias are the quintessential holiday plant. However, you can find Poinsettia in myriad colors these days, including cream, peach, pink, lemon, white and gold. Named for Dr. Joel R. Poinsett, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, poinsettia prefers sunny windows in winter.

3. Bat Flower (Tacca Chantrieri)

Here’s an example of cold weather flowers that comes with both a weird name and strange looks!

The Bat flower originates in jungles, but it happily makes its home indoors, albeit in an impressively-sized pot because it can grow as tall as 3 feet. Examine this bloom up close and marvel at the network of tiny buds, thin offshoots, and mysterious shades of black.

Bat flowers love filtered shade, soil that’s moist but not soggy, and because it’s a jungle plant, lots of humidity will help it flourish indoors, too.

4. Harlequin Glorybower (Cleorodendrum Trichotomum)

This member of the cool-season flowers family is known by many names, including the Harlequin Glorybower and its formal name, Trichotomum.

Classified as a shrub, Clerodendrum can grow to 12 feet in an outdoor garden, and once you transfer it to a container, it will remain a tall and stately member of the winter flowers family.

The little blooms on this flowering bush are distinct: they look like tiny magenta stars with dark blue centers.

When wintering, keep Cleodendrum containers moist and give it at least 6 hours of sun daily.

If you prefer another member of this glorious family, check out its cousin, the Bleeding heart vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae).

5. Devil’s Tongue (Voodoo Lily)

Not everyone falls in love with this exotic plant, but if you want to impress fellow winter plant lovers, this strange-looking bloom with its dramatic center shoot will enhance your reputation.

Devil’s Tongue belongs to an equally wicked genus (Amorphophallus) that includes the voodoo lily and corpse plant.

As a houseplant, you can expect Devil’s Tongue flowers to flourish as long as you are a hospitable host.

These cool-season flowers love medium-to-bright indirect light for about 4 hours daily, but don’t expose these devils to direct sun or you risk scalding the plant’s fragile leaves.

Humidity can be critical to this plant’s display, so placing a humidifier nearby is a good idea.

6. Winter Heaths (The Erica Genus)

Are you passionate about British romance tales? You owe it to yourself to try your hand at growing Erica, the family name for heather and heath.

In fact, the Ericaceae family is so robust, diverse and prolific, there are 605 species that fall under its umbrella.

Allow plenty of room for these plants to spread out (especially if you’re eager for a voluminous heather display), and plan to re-pot as the plant grows.

Good drainage is essential, and you can ensure healthy growth by potting with soil formulated just for this genus.

These plants love the sun, but in case that’s in short supply in your geographic area, partial sun exposure will do.

7. Iceland Poppy (Papaver Nudicaule)

Poppies have gotten a bad rap because people associate them with opium harvests and drug lords.

Happily, the Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule) is so benign and pretty, it’s legal to grow them anywhere.

Enjoy white, yellow, pink and red blooms within more than 80 varieties of this showy plant. Iceland poppies grow to varying heights, so give these beauties lots of room to thrive.

Botanists recommend installing multiple plants, spaced 8- to 12-inches apart, in huge pots to produce a dramatic display.

To make sure your Iceland poppies don’t slump over, keep stakes on hand to prop them up – just in case you’re the lucky recipient of the tallest versions of these Christmas flowers.

8. Marigolds (Tagetes Erecta)

A member of the Calendula family, these easily-recognizable blooms hold their own among other colorful plants, given the cheery range of orange, yellow and red blooms currently on the world market.

These flowers don’t have to be deadheaded when mature to keep the rest of the plant in great shape, but moist soil is extremely important.

Gardeners recommend balancing this plant’s water system by drenching and then allowing soil to dry out before adding more water.

If you’re an environmentalist and you compost, mixing your waste with garden soil (half-and-half) will produce marigolds that do more than brighten up window ledges; you can add them to your salads, too!

9. Nemesias (Nemesia Caerulea)

If you’re eager to see fairly immediate results from winter flowers, plant Nemesia. These fast bloomers have colorful and abundant flowers.

There are 50 species of Nemesia and your solid color choices are spectacular: blue, pink, violet, brown, cherry, yellow, and white. Some of them even produce patterned flowers and color mixes!

A member of the Scrophulariaceae family, Nemesia like full sun and well-drained soil. Often compared to look-alike pansies, these blooms measure between 6 inches to 3 feet tall.

The best part of raising Nemesia? These are likely to be the most low-maintenance flowers in your winter garden!

10. Sugarbushes (Protea)

Expect compliments if you intend to grow Protea over the winter because the blooms are so colorful and dramatic. You can choose from over 80 members of the Protea family for your winter garden.

Give them adequate drainage, lots of sunshine and place them in an area with circulating air.

Experts advise beginners say that anyone who is capable of growing a cactus will have success with any of the plants belonging to the Protea family.

Pro tip: If you can get your hands on a Rocket Pincushion (Leucospermum reflexum), you’ll be the envy of indoor gardeners because this type of Protea is extremely rare.

11. Cineraria (Pericallis x Hybrida)

Originating in the Canary Islands, Cineraria (Pericallis cruenta) types have been called “tender perennials” that may not last as long as other winter house plants.

But during their glory, you’ll enjoy displays of daisy-like flowers that can grow as tall as 24-inches.

Surrounded by a proliferation of bright green leaves, these blooms can grow to be 5-inches in circumference and since they bloom in late winter.

You’ll enjoy a bright holiday treat that requires only a mix of loose peat moss and potting soil to keep these plants happy.

Expose your Cineraria to either filtered or bright sunlight and it won’t take long before blue, red or purple blooms unfold just in time for the Christmas holiday.

12. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana)

Can’t decide between a decorative and a medicinal shrub for your winter garden? Witch hazel has you covered.

The fiery flowers of Hamamelis Virginiana are great for alleviating inflammation and irritation – not to mention they’re a sight for sore eyes as well!

13. Winter Honeysuckle  (Lonicera Fragrantissima)

This shrub is one of the most adaptable plants – it thrives in full sun or partial shade.

It’s also one of the most fragrant winter shrubs, with its sweet scent enveloping acres of land.

14. Hellebore (Helleborus)

These stunning winter flowers last from February to around May and come in a plethora of colors. The pictures speak for themselves!

15. Japanese Andromeda (Pieris Japonica)

Also known as lily of the valley or Japanese Pieris, the Pieris Japonica shrub is a winter wonder. Although a bit finicky when it comes to soil type and light exposure, these will definitely stand out.

16. Camellia (Camellia Japonica)

These beautiful shrubs are slow growers and love sheltered, shaded spots.

There are over 30,000 cultivars within the Camellia Japonica species with flowers ranging from 1.5 to 5 inches across and from creamy shades of white to pink and deep red.

17. Winter Jasmine (Jasminum Nudiflorum)

Definitely one of the easiest winter flowers to care for, Jasminum Nudiflorum can be used as ground cover, to hide an unattractive fence or wall, or trained to grow on trellises.

18. Honeywort (Cerinthe)

I love the coloring on these beautiful winter flowers! Most of them come in deep blue and shades of purple, but some varieties also include soft cream shades.

19. Cyclamen (Cyclamen Alpinum)

Some of the easiest winter flowers to grow in your garden, cyclamen are some of the first winter bloomers. They mostly impress through lively-colored flowers ranging from gentle cream-pink to fuchsia, but many gardeners fell in love with their green and silver foliage, too.

20. Pansies (Viola tricolor var. Hortensis)

These delicate blooms are common in winter gardens across most USDA zones and a simple glance will also tell you why – they’re just stunning!

Although not the most resilient as perennials, these will do great as annuals.

21. English Primroses (Primula Vulgaris)

Although a bit challenging to grow as perennials, primulas are some of the most beautiful blooms in any winter garden. Flowers generally appear at the end of winter, when the soil is still at least partly frozen, and last for a while if planted in shaded spots.

Final Thoughts

Did you find your perfect winter flowers for this season? My personal favorite is the Iceland poppy – such a delicate, yet hardy little bloom! <3