Winter is a hard prison term to find interest group and color in containers . Most plants are either inactive or do n’t perform as well in cold climates , making our containers appear dull and dreary .
There are , however , a few in effect plant that will glow brilliantly in the bareness of winter , provide a touch of color planted on their own or with other compatible plants .
In this listing , you will notice fantastic plants that are tough and hardy with excellent foliage . Some are even great bloomers . wintertime container need not be dull and tiresome , they can become the highlight of the time of year .
Tough Perennials
Hellebores
Planted in cryptic container , hellebore are a good choice for wintertime pots due to their flower and leaf . They bloom in wintertime in such a broad variety of colors with spots , stripes , and bicolors in shades of white , pinkish cream , yellow , crimson , purple , gamey and low - black .
At other times of the twelvemonth , they stay evergreen with pretty decoration - like parting . They prefer an area of semi - shade or half - day sun and they need loamy soil with a little added lime to do well .
rough size : 1 – 2 substructure
USDA hardiness zone : 6 – 9
Cyclamens
For spots of people of color indoor and outdoors , cyclamens are the ultimate wintertime tuberous perennial .
The distinctive peak come in a mixture of colors from livid to pink , salmon and red and novel varieties now have frilly bivalent flowers in yellow - greens , purples and magentas . The flowers grow on stalk about 12 inch tall with petals that flex back into a diving pose .
They choose to raise in shade and will not do well with too much heat , hence their use as an indoor plant . They also flower in wintertime which make them unusual , and a safe choice for this inclination .
Plant in compost - enriched potting land . Water below the leaf and permit to run out thoroughly , as irrigate the leaves could induce them to waste . They are not threatening feeders and will require a water - soluble plant food every two calendar month at the most .
Cyclamens go dormant in summer and the leaf will die down . you’re able to preserve your mickle until the next season by cut off all the foliage and placing your container in a ironical shadowy spot without nutrient or H2O . When you start seeing new maturation , make for them out , feed and part lacrimation .
near size : 6 – 16 column inch
USDA hardiness zone : 5 – 9
Ornamental Grasses
Festuca glauca
This spikey ornamental Gunter Grass with a steely blue color contrasts well with other flora in a container or have a statement in smaller colored pot planted individually .
It ’s a little , stocky grass that is very hardy against insensate and frost and can be planted in full sun or partial shadiness .
This evergreen needs regular watering ( but not too much – it hat waterlogged soil ) and involve slight sustenance . Hand comb out dead blade of grass and remove flower head to keep them neat .
Approximate size : 7 – 11 inches
USDA hardiness zone : 3 – 9
Carex comans
This soft , attractive grass span in wave with thin leaves that are golden brown in the fall . In container , it is often used as a filler that cascades down the side of a container .
It prefers moist soil with regular watering and it can even take some standing in water , so the pick of plant to compound with it take to have the same requirements . It can also be grown in full sunlight or refinement .
This variety is to begin with from New Zealand so does call for a bit of care in winter with a good mulch and protection from the harshest of the cold .
Approximate sizing : 12 – 16 inches
USDA hardiness zone : 5 – 11
Helictotrichon sempervirens
standardised in color toFestuca , this blue-blooded oat grass is a larger statement ornamental grass with narrow , spiky blades that spring a bang-up rounded clunk .
In warmer mood , it is known as an evergreen , but in colder zones , it will be semi - evergreen .
In belated winter it could do with a generous cutback . Plant in full sun and in well - draining soil . It postulate medium watering and is very low maintenance .
Approximate size : 2 – 3 foot
USDA hardiness zone : 4 – 8
Deschampsia cespitosa
Native to North America , tufted hair grass is – as its name evoke – a tufted grass . It has foresighted stalks of light - airy inflorescences in summer that make it ideal for partner off with flowering plants for a wild meadow aspect . Alternatively , it can be used as a sizable low mature grass in wintertime .
It grows in full Lord’s Day and partial shade in fat grunge and needs mountain of weewee . Depending on the zone it is plant in , it can be evergreen or semi - evergreen . blossom stems can be cut in the dip , or they can be left for more interest during winter .
rough size of it : 1 – 4 feet
USDA hardiness zone : 2 – 8
Shrubs and Small Trees
Boxwood
For a works that can be shaped into topiary and hedges , you ca n’t go wrong withBuxusspecies . There are also many specie that can take the cold and stay evergreen during winter when almost everything else is brown .
A serial of round containers of the same size and stuff plant with Turkish boxwood shaped into balls , for example , are often happen in courtly garden . Cutting box into the configuration of the container , like square for straight pots or orthogonal for orthogonal pots , are a house decorator ’ dream for garden design .
They grow very slowly and will only need a monthly clipping to keep neat and in form . industrial plant in fertile soil and keep well - watered until well established . Feed with an organic fertilizer twice a year . utilize a mulch in the harshest moth-eaten and head off snow jam up on top of them .
Approximate size : 3 – 4 feet , uncut
USDA hardiness zone : 4 – 9
Camellias
Winter flowers are always a achiever , but not all varieties of camellia can take really cold winter . However , there are now camellia especially bred to hold out the cold winters down to -10F. They blossom from autumn , through winter and into spring for a bright , fragrant touch of color in a large pot .
Camellias like well - enfeeble acidic ground with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5 . Use a potting mass medium made for azaleas or rhododendron for the best results .
Potted camellia need plenty of water , but do n’t tolerate the spate to tolerate in water . They dry out fast , so a mulch of pine bark will help salve water . Prune immediately after flowering and avoid any pruning when buds are forming during the long growing season .
near sizing : Confined to a raft and variety dependant
USDA hardiness zone : 6 – 10
Holly
Hollies ( Ilexsp ) are one of the hardiest plants with some species last down to Zone 4 . It is important to choose specific sort for each zone to get the good out of them .
They do well in containers in full-bodied well - drain land . Holly can be trimmed into topiary or hedge , but loose - flowing plants will give you the best décor in fall and winter when they acquire their iconic ruby berries .
If go forth uncurbed , they grow into big shrubs or tree . Although a container will circumscribe growth , holly will do best with veritable pruning . This can be done at any time of the year , but for Chuck Berry yield , prune mainly in spring and give them with a just pane of organic fertilizer .
Once established , they need very little care , but will need to be watered more often in red-hot , ironical weather . They grow in full Dominicus , but will take a footling shade and give rise masse of white-hot flowers in summertime .
A various pretty plant , if you pick out the right variety for your area , they remain attractive twelvemonth - round .
USDA hardiness zone : 4 – 10
Loropetalum
These evergreen plant bush are grow for their leafage – some varieties with green leaves and others with dramatic plum tree - colored foliage – and their periphery - like flowers , make them the coarse name Chinese bang - flower .
They have a dull habit and will sweep over a container with masses of flower appearing in outpouring and fall . These bush prefer rich , well - draining soil and a stead in full sun or partial shade .
They are not as frigid - Oliver Hardy as some of the others on this list , so maintenance should be taken in the rough climates to protect them . Loropetalumcan produce into a humble tree diagram if lead unbridled . But if needed , they can be kept small by a skillful prune in spring before flowering .
At this time , they can be have a dose of organic fertilizer . Water regularly to establish them , then reduce tearing but do not leave to dry out all .
Approximate size : 3 – 15 feet
USDA hardiness zone : 7 – 10
Colorful Foliage
Ornamental Kale
A favorite for color in a container is ornamental lettuce ( Brassica oleracea ) . These strike plant get better as it get colder and they evenlikefrost , when coloring material intensify .
They come in a variety of colors – deep rich purple and Bourgogne , with touches of cream and garden pink . Plant with other leafy plant , grass or succulent for a great display . Some varieties have smooth leafage margins while others are frilly .
As their name suggests , they are grown purely for their colorful leaf , but they are in fact edible like their family unit members , cabbages and kale .
Plant in rich potting soil with other plants in a mixed container . Once in , do not feed with any additional fertilizer or they may commence to lose color and dash . Plant in full sun and piddle regularly .
As it ’s see a biennial , it can survive the winter and go through to another year , but will often look tired and a bit leggy . It ’s beneficial to deal as an one-year and replant every year .
near size of it : 6 – 35 inches
USDA hardiness zone : 2 – 11
Heucheras
Heucheras(coral bell ) are now uncommitted in such a wide-cut variety of foliage colors , it ’s surd to choose which one to take home from the nursery . For leafy color combo in a container , these are winners requiring very little maintenance .
They are resistant of heat , cold , humidity and drought – the ideal plant . They do well in containers in rich , well - run out soil . Plant as individual plants for a striking direct contrast in a colored container or in a group with other blossoming and leaf plants .
As long as they are water more often during hot , dry periods , they are medium water supply user . Look out for some mintage that will grow in Zone 3 and on the other end of the scale in Zone 10 .
They produce little tubular - mould blossom on stalks up to two feet tall in tardy spring and early summertime . To top it all off , these nectar - rich blooms are butterfly stroke and hummingbird attractor .
near sizing : 6 – 8 column inch
Flowering Annuals
Pansies and Violas
The ultimate filler plant for long - lasting prime and color in any smoke are pansies and violas . They come in hundreds of dissimilar color and heyday sizes . Plus , they ’re incredibly easygoing to grow .
The dispute between the two is slight , with pansies having larger but few flowers than violas . Both , however , do well in full sunlight with at least six hour of light per day . They can develop in quite suspicious field , although they may not bloom as well .
Plant in well - compost potting grime and keep well - water . Feed every 4 - 6 calendar week with a balanced fertilizer for the most blooms possible . Choose a plant food first gear in nitrogen for more efflorescence than foliage .
Although these are considered shortsighted - lived perennials , they are more often get as annuals . They are also edible – great for adding gloss to a wintery dish .
near size : 4 – 8 inches
USDA hardiness geographical zone : 7 – 11
Calendula
For sunny yellow color in wintertime , you ca n’t go faulty with Calendula officinalis . They are soft to grow and can cover light frost – though a voiceless frost will kill them . They make splendid companion plants and draw in several species of beneficial insects that prey on destructive worm like aphid .
Plant in containers with winter vegetables like brassicas and lettuce , or group with other wintertime - flowering annuals or perennials .
Grow in full sun and plant in productive , well - draining soil . Feed monthly with a liquid fertilizer for a constant supply of flower . Pinch out the develop tips to make the plants bushier and remove any spent blooms to boost more .
This flora is also consider an herb and is useful in the kitchen too .
near size : 12 – 15 column inch
USDA hardiness zone : 3 – 10
Winter Bulbs
Snowdrops
Although there are several electric-light bulb that will start to flower in late wintertime ( tulip , Narcissus pseudonarcissus and amaryllis ) they perform their ripe in leap . One of the earliest to blossom and thus included in this list areGalanthus species .
Snowdrops are alone in that they have particularly hardened tips that are able to break away through rooted territory and turn . They also have ‘ anti - freeze ’ proteins that prevent chalk crystals from shape and damaging plant life cells . Their plant tissue paper remain entire and can easily forge in advance as temperature rise .
As a woodland plant , snowdrops prefer like conditions . However , bright light is normally proficient and soil that is rich with leaf mold and organic matter will keep these bulbs looking their best .
plant life snowdrops in containers on their own or with other plants like annuals and leafy plant like Hedera helix . The bulb are little and can be planted close together in a pot . forfend the edges of the container as skunk can stop dead and have an contrary effect on the bulbs .
Water well and verify the throne debilitate well . Keep moist but not waterlogged . Once the electric-light bulb have stopped flowering , the leaves will give out down . At this stage , give them a good boost of specialised bulb food to set up them up for the next time of year .
They can be part every three years or so as they get too big for their container .
approximative size : 3 – 6 inches , depending on the variety
USDA hardiness zone : 3 – 7
