16 plants that bloom in winter

Article for :All parent plants

In ancient times, pagans would take conifer branches home to celebrate the winter solstice and the victory of life over darkness. If I were them, I'd have chosen a cyclamen, a hellebore or one of the other plants that bloom in winter, both indoors and in the garden.

1. Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

The flowers of the poinsettia are found at the heart of the colorful bracts - Photo by Jacinta Lluch Valero / Flickr

Let's start with the star of winter flowers, the euphorbia pulcherrima, which waits patiently for its time to shine. In summer, the poinsettia looks like a green bush. But as the days shorten, the plant is adorned with red, pink or white bracts and small yellow flowers.

The poinsettia is not a difficult plant to care for. It needs a bright spot and regular watering when the soil is dry on the surface. But it fears the cold. Keep it indoors, out of draughts.

2. The boat orchid (Cymbidium)

With their colors and patterns, Cymbidium flowers are anything but ordinary - Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Cymbidium is without doubt the best remedy for seasonal depression. Native to tropical Asia, it brings a little life back to our winters. Each flowering spike hosts a dense bouquet of six to twelve flowers. The color palette is almost infinite. From violet to purple, pale green to coral, the Cymbidium orchid come in every shade of the rainbow.

Cymbidium likes bright light, but fears direct sunlight. If you're going to place it just outside your window, make sure it's covered with a curtain. That way, your plant won't get burnt or sunburnt.

3. Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata)

The Christmas cactus has no thorns. Perhaps this anecdote will help you make small talk with your neighbor over Christmas dinner - Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

In its native Brazil, the Schlumbergera truncata blooms in May. But in our European apartments, the flowers bloom at the end of the year and generally last a month. Pink in the botanical variety, they can be cream, yellow or apricot in cultivars.

Getting your Christmas cactus to bloom again from one winter to the next won't require much effort. After flowering, reduce watering and keep your specimen cool, in a room with a temperature of between 10 and 15° C. Resume watering and return the plant to its original position when the first buds appear.

4. Fire tongue (Anthurium andreanum)

In red and green, this Anthurium has taken on the colors of Christmas - Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Anthurium andreanum blooms in autumn and winter. When irises, peonies and lilies go gray, this houseplant shows off its colors. Varnished red, white or orange bracts brighten up its green leaves. At their heart is a spiky yellow flower.

From March onwards, when flowering is over, Fire Tongue needs a period of rest. Reduce watering until late spring. From May onwards, water to keep the soil slightly moist and start fertilizing.

5. Moonflower (Spathiphyllum wallisii)

The moonflower is said to have depolluting properties - Photo by Krzysztof Golik / Wikipedia

With its varnished white spathes and yellow flower spike, Spathiphyllum wallisii resembles Anthurium andreanum. This is normal, since they both belong to the Araceae family. But Spathiphyllum blooms all year round.

Moon Flower is far from being a diva. It loves light and humidity. Remember to spray its leaves with non-calcareous water and place its pot on a bed of moist clay balls.

6. Love apple (Solanum pseudocapsicum)

How about replacing your Christmas tree with a love apple? Photo by Manuel m. V. / Flickr

The love apple shouldn't be on this list. The starry white flowers bloom in summer. But in winter, Solanum pseudocapsicum is covered with red, yellow or orange fruit. With its evergreen foliage and round, colorful berries, the shrub looks like a Christmas tree.

The Love Apple can't stand frost. If you want to see it flourish and grow, grow it in a pot. This way, it can spend the summer in the garden or on your terrace, where insects can pollinate the flowers. Once autumn arrives, simply bring it into a bright, heated room.

7. Bamboo orchid (Dendrobium nobile)

Dendrobium nobile is nicknamed bamboo orchid because of the shape of its stems - Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Dendrobium nobile blooms compactly and fragrantly from November to April. Its flowers grow along upright canes, which can reach 60 centimetres in height. If you want to incorporate your Bamboo orchid into your winter decor, choose a variety with immaculate, snow-white petals. But you can also opt for a touch of color, with a hybrid featuring cream flowers hemmed in mauve.

Dendrobium nobile is an epiphytic orchid. Plant it in a mixture of peat, sand and perlite. When repotting, don't forget to stake the canes so they don't bend under the weight of the flowers.

8. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)

Amaryllis is a poisonous plant. Keep it away from pets - Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Here's a houseplant that could well overshadow your Christmas tree! The amaryllis grows to a height of 90 centimetres, with trumpet-shaped flowers up to 15 centimetres in diameter. Red, pink or white, often variegated or bicolored, they give off a subtle scent of vanilla.

Only mature amaryllis produce flowers. If you've just planted your bulb, you'll have to wait a few years before seeing it bloom. You can, however, make it bloom again by cutting back the foliage in early summer and keeping your plant in a cool place until autumn.

9. Calamondin (Citrus x microcarpa)

The calamondin is one of the few citrus plants that can be grown indoors / Photo by Geoffrey Rabbit - Wikipedia

When grown indoors, the calamondin blooms all year round. Its star-shaped white flowers fill your living room with their sweet citrus fragrance. But flowering isn't the only attraction of this cousin of the lemon tree. In winter and summer alike, the shrub bears round, bright orange fruit.

Calamondin is slow-growing. Repotting every two or three years is sufficient. Plant it in a perforated pot with clay balls at the bottom to promote drainage. Choose a light substrate, such as potting soil for citrus and Mediterranean plants.

10. Hawaiian palm (Brighamia insignis)

The moth that pollinates the flowers has disappeared. The operation is now carried out by hand - Photo by C.T Johansson / Wikipedia

You don't need to gorge yourself on pineapple pizza this winter to think you're in Hawaii. Get yourself a Brighamia insignis instead. This curious succulent plant with its swollen trunk blooms between November and March. Like a tourist trying his hand at the hula the Hawaiian Palm produces fragrant yellow flowers in its tuft of leaves.

Brighamia insignis is easy to care for. This variety requires plenty of light, warmth and a little water. But don't hesitate to pamper and fertilize your Hawaiian palm to ensure long-lasting, abundant flowering.

11. Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)

Cyclamen thrives in pots, alone or with other varieties - Photo by Magnus Manske / Wikipedia

Looking for a plant to brighten up your veranda, balcony, terrace or rockery in winter? Choose a florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum). Their fuchsia, white, mauve or red petals are embellished with patterns. Just the thing to brighten up a gray day.

As a good Mediterranean plant, Persian cyclamen can withstand temperatures as low as -4°C when the soil remains dry. You can also grow them indoors in a room where the temperature doesn't exceed 16°C.

12. Christmas rose (Helleborus)

You can plant hellebores in pots or in the ground - Photo by Leonore (Ellie) Enking / Flickr

The Christmas rose is to the garden what the poinsettia is to your home: a classic winter-flowering plant. Its evergreen foliage and large white, crimson or yellow flowers are frost- and short-day tolerant. Hellebores bloom between March and December, come rain, snow or shine.

For the first few years, water when it's hot. But once the hellebore is well established, you won't need to do anything else. Just mulch the base to keep the soil cool in summer, and add a little fertilizer in autumn.

13. Christmas clematis (Clematis cirrhosa)

But why do half the plants on this list have the name of an afternoon TV movie on TNT? Photo by Motohiro Sunouchi / Flickr

Would you like to give a gift to pollinating insects? Plant a Christmas clematis. Bees, flies and even butterflies will appreciate finding something to forage on when most plants are dormant. And since karma rewards good deeds, you can enjoy the spotted flowers of your Clematis cirrhosa.

Unlike many climbers, winter clematis doesn't need pruning. Let it climb freely on its support. If you want to control its shape and development, shorten the branches in early spring, just after flowering.

14. Winter mimosa (Acacia dealbata)

Mimosa flowers are also perfect for making bouquets - Photo by Laurent Neyssensas / Flickr

Like the swallows, the mimosa heralds the return of spring. Its fluffy yellow flowers appear in January and last until March. For the rest of the year, the mimosa's attractive, blue-green leaves are native to Australia.

The winter mimosa is fast-growing. After a few years, it can reach a height of five meters and a width of three. If you're planting it in a bed, remember to give it enough room to grow, without disturbing the other varieties. If you plant it in a tub, you'll need to repot it every year.

15. Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

Galanthus nivalis is the most frequently grown variety of snowdrop in France - Photo by Xulescu_g / Flickr

Who would believe that this plant, barely 20 centimetres tall, with its delicate white bells, can withstand frost and snow? Yet the snowdrop can withstand temperatures as low as -20°. This super power makes it an ideal flower for winter gardens, even north of the Loire.

Snowdrops have only one enemy: humidity. Be sure to plant your bulbs in well-drained soil and avoid over-watering. Mulch the base of young plants to protect them from slugs and snails.

16. Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)

You don't need leaves when you've got flowers like these - Photo by Yi Chen / inaturalist

Winter jasmine puts on a curious show between November and March. While the branches are still leafless, bright yellow, delicately scented flowers bloom. The limbs, on the other hand, don't arrive until spring.

Winter jasmine is not a climber. Unlike honeysuckle or wisteria, this variety is not equipped to hang on its own. But you can trellis it to cover a low wall, facade or fence. You can also leave it to grow as it pleases. After a few years, your jasmine will form a colorful ground cover, with its bright green leaves and buttercup flowers.

By Servane Nemetz
on 05-01-2024 at 08h02