Here's our subjective guide to flowering plants that will provide interest in the garden for the winter months.
Hellebores
Hellebores are easy-to-grow plants that will look great in a border as well as in pots. They adapt well to different sun and soil conditions which makes them perfect plants for more difficult areas of the garden which don’t allow much sun in or have soggy (although rich in organic matter) soil. Hellebores originally are woodland plants and will look best in naturalistic planting schemes.
They are susceptible to leaf spot so keep your eyes open for blacked leaves and remove them.
Hellebores flower between December and April (depending on hybrid or cultivar)
Cyclamen
Cyclamens are also woodland plants and they will look best growing under deciduous trees or shrubs. They are quite small (10-15cm spread and height) with subtle dark green leaves with silver accents and flowers with colour variations from white through shades of pinks to red. Cyclamen hederifolium flowers October - November and Cyclamen coum from January to April.
Winter honeysuckle
Sweet-scented honeysuckle, with creamy white flowers that flowers from December to March.
Early daffodils
Intense yellow flowers will brighten any dull winter day and are the promise of coming spring.
Early flowering cultivars are: Narcissus ‘February Gold’, ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, ‘Tete-a-Tete’
Snowdrops
White flowers appearing from early winter to middle of spring, perfect for naturalising gardens and for adding more brightness to shady areas. Plant them in partial shade and make sure that the soil they are in does not dry out easily (especially during summers!)
Winter flowering camellias
Sasanqua camellias are the group of Camellia flowering in late autumn/early winter. They are evergreen shrubs which prefer sheltered locations. They will do great in pots and most of them are fragrant. May be not suitable to grow in harsher climate with cold winds and very low temperature. Check cultivars: “Rosea Plena’, ‘Crimson King’, ‘Rainbow’, ‘Narumigata’
Winter jasmine
Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) is an easy-to-grow, deciduous shrub that can be trained against the walls or be left to ramble and be treated as groundcover. During winter months (December-March) it gives masses of bright yellow star-shaped flowers on its bare stems.