16 winter-flowering plants for your home and garden

In ancient times, pagans would bring home conifer branches to celebrate the winter solstice and honor the victory of life over darkness. If it were up to me, I would have chosen a cyclamen, a hellebore, or another of those plants that bloom in winter, both indoors and in the garden.

1. The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

The poinsettia's flowers are found at the center of the colorful bracts – Photo by Jacinta Lluch Valero / Flickr

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

The poinsettia isn't a difficult plant to care for. It requires a bright spot and regular watering when the soil is dry on the surface. But it doesn't tolerate cold well. Avoid placing it in a draft and keep it indoors.

2. The Boat Orchid (Cymbidium)

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

The Cymbidium is undoubtedly the best remedy for seasonal depression. Native to the tropical regions of Asia, it breathes a little life into our winters. Each flower spike bears a dense cluster of six to twelve flowers. The color palette is almost endless. From violet to purple, pale green to coral, the Cymbidium orchid comes in every shade of the rainbow.

The Cymbidium thrives in bright light but should be kept out of direct sunlight. If you place it right behind your window, make sure the window is covered with a sheer curtain. This will protect your plant from burns and sun damage.

3. The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata)

The Christmas cactus has no spines. This fun fact might come in handy as a conversation starter with your neighbor during Christmas dinner – Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

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

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

4. The Flame Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum)

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

Anthurium andraeanum blooms in the fall and winter. When irises, peonies, and lilies are looking a bit lackluster, this houseplant shows off its colors. The glossy red, white, or orange bracts brighten up its green leaves. At their center stands a yellow spike-like flower.

Starting in March, once flowering is over, the Anthurium needs a rest period. Reduce watering until the end of spring. Starting in May, water so that the potting mix remains slightly moist and begin fertilizing.

5. The Moon Flower (Spathiphyllum wallisii)

The moon flower is said to have air-purifying properties – Photo by Krzysztof Golik / Wikipedia

With its glossy white spathes and yellow flower spike, Spathiphyllum wallisii resembles Anthurium andraeanum. That's no surprise—they both belong to the Araceae family. But Spathiphyllum blooms year-round.

The Peace Lily is far from being a diva. It loves light and humidity. Be sure to mist its leaves with soft water and place its pot on a bed of moist clay pellets.

6. The love apple (Solanum pseudocapsicum)

What if you replaced your Christmas tree with a love apple? Photo by Manuel m. V. / Flickr

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

The love apple cannot tolerate frost. If you want to see it bloom and grow, grow it in a pot. This way, you can let it spend the summer in the garden or on your patio so that insects can pollinate the flowers. Once fall arrives, simply bring it indoors to a bright, heated room.

7. The Bamboo Orchid (Dendrobium nobile)

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

Dendrobium nobile produces compact, fragrant blooms from November through April. Its flowers grow along upright canes, which can reach up to 60 centimeters in height. If you'd like to incorporate your Bamboo orchid into your winter decor, choose a variety with pristine, snow-white petals. But you can also opt for a touch of color with a hybrid featuring cream-colored flowers edged in mauve.

Dendrobium nobile is an epiphytic orchid. You should plant it in a mixture of peat moss, sand, and perlite. When repotting, be sure to stake its canes so they don't bend under the weight of the flowers.

8. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)

The amaryllis is a toxic plant. Keep it out of reach of your pets – Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Here's a houseplant that might just outshine your Christmas tree! The amaryllis grows up to 90 centimeters tall, and its trumpet-shaped flowers can reach up to 15 centimeters in diameter. Red, pink, or white—often variegated or bicolored—they give off a subtle scent of vanilla.

Only mature amaryllis plants produce flowers. If you've just planted your bulb, you'll have to wait a few years before it blooms. However, you can encourage it to bloom again by cutting back the foliage in early summer and moving your plant to a cool spot until fall.

9. Calamondin (Citrus x microcarpa)

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

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

The calamondin is a slow-growing plant. Repotting it every two or three years is sufficient. Plant it in a pot with drainage holes and place clay pellets at the bottom to promote drainage. Choose a light substrate, such as one designed for citrus and Mediterranean plants.

10. The Hawaiian palm (Brighamia insignis)

The moth that pollinates the flowers has disappeared. The task is now done by hand – Photo by C.T. Johansson / Wikipedia

No need to stuff yourself with pineapple pizza this winter just to feel like you're in Hawaii. Instead, get yourself a Brighamia insignis. This curious succulent with a swollen trunk blooms between November and March. Like a tourist trying her hand at hula, the Hawaiian Palm sports yellow, fragrant flowers in her “toupee” 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 and abundant blooms.

11. Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)

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

Looking for a plant to brighten up your sunroom, balcony, patio, or rock garden in winter? Go for a florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum). Its fuchsia, white, mauve, or red petals are accented with patterns—just what you need to brighten up a gray day.

As a true Mediterranean plant, the Persian cyclamen can withstand temperatures as low as -4 °C as long as the soil remains dry. You can also grow it 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 among winter-blooming plants. Its evergreen foliage and large white, purple, or yellow flowers are unfazed by frost or short days. Hellebores bloom between March and December, come rain, snow, or wind.

In the first few years, water during periods of extreme heat. But once the hellebore is well established, you won't have to do anything else. Simply mulch around the base to keep the soil cool in summer and apply a little fertilizer in the fall.

13. Christmas Clematis (Clematis cirrhosa)

But why do half the plants on this list have names that sound like afternoon TV movies on digital cable? Photo by Motohiro Sunouchi / Flickr

Want to give pollinating insects a gift? Plant a Christmas clematis. Bees, flies, and even butterflies will appreciate having something to forage on when most plants are dormant. And since karma rewards good deeds, you'll get to enjoy the speckled flowers of your Clematis cirrhosa.

Unlike many climbing plants, the winter clematis doesn't require pruning. Let it climb freely on its support. If you want to control its shape and growth, trim the branches in early spring, right after flowering.

14. Winter mimosa (Acacia dealbata)

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

Like swallows, the mimosa heralds the return of spring. Its yellow, downy flowers appear as early as January and last through March. The rest of the year, the deeply lobed blue-green leaves are the main attraction of this shrub native to Australia.

Winter mimosa is a fast-growing plant. It can reach five meters tall and three meters wide after a few years. If you plant it in a flower bed, be sure to give it enough space to grow without crowding out other varieties. If grown in a container, you'll need to repot it every year.

15. Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

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

Who would believe that this plant, barely 20 centimeters tall with its delicate white bell-shaped flowers, can withstand frost and snow? Yet the snowdrop can tolerate temperatures as low as -20°. This remarkable ability makes it an ideal flower for winter gardens, even north of the Loire.

The snowdrop has only one enemy: moisture. Be sure to plant your bulbs in well-drained soil and avoid overwatering. Also, mulch around the base of young plants to protect them from slugs and snails.

16. Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)

No need for leaves when you have flowers like these – Photo by Yi Chen / inaturalist

Winter jasmine offers a curious sight between November and March. While the branches are still bare, bright yellow, delicately fragrant flowers bloom. The leaves, however, don't appear until spring.

Winter jasmine is not a climbing plant. Unlike honeysuckle or wisteria, this variety isn't equipped to cling to a support on its own. But you can train it to cover a low wall, a facade, or a fence. You can also let it grow as it pleases. After a few years, your jasmine will form a colorful groundcover, with its bright green leaves and buttercup-yellow flowers.