When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing better than a garden full of winter-blooming plants. Although hellebores may be the first perennial that comes to mind, surprisingly many annuals, other perennials, and shrubs thrive in the colder months, adding colour and charm when your garden needs it most. Flowers like snowdrops even peek through the snow!
With the right plants for your hardiness zone, you can enjoy a winter flower garden almost anywhere, especially near your front entrance for a winter pick me up. Just remember, most winter bloomers need to be planted in the fall while the soil is still warm to establish roots before the chill sets in.
Here are six flowers that will bloom in winter/early spring in Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area:
English Primose (Primula vulgaris)
Plant type: Perennial
Zones: 4-8
Exposure: Partial shade
Bloom time: Late winter to early spring
Height/Spread: 6 to 12 inches tall, 8 to 9 inches wide
You’ve probably spotted primroses as houseplants in the spring, but here’s a cold-hardy variety that’s perfect for your garden. Plant it outdoors, mulch well, and it’ll start blooming as early as March, adding a cheerful pop of pale-yellow flowers to those dull winter days. Like most primroses, it loves partial shade and moist soil, so it’s a natural fit for a woodland garden.
Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
Plant type: Bulb
Zones: 3-7
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Bloom time: February to March
Height/Spread: 3 to 4 inches tall
Winter aconite is one of the first bulbs to bloom, often popping up right alongside snowdrops. Its bright, buttercup-yellow flowers are like little rays of sunshine, bringing warmth to the late winter landscape. These long-blooming beauties are perfect for naturalizing—once planted, they’ll happily spread by seed, creating a thick, colourful carpet that keeps growing year after year.
Japanese Pieris (Pieris japonica’ Mountain Fire)
Plant type: Shrub
Zones: 5-8
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Bloom time: Late winter to early spring
Height/Spread: 5 feet tall, 4 feet wide
This shade-loving evergreen shrub is a showstopper all year, but it really steals the spotlight in early spring when its branches are loaded with clusters of lily-of-the-valley-like blooms in white. Give them protection from the wind and these flowers stick around for weeks, and just when they fade, fresh bronze-red foliage appears in spring, eventually maturing into glossy dark green leaves. If you’ve got a smaller garden, no worries—there are compact varieties that grow to just 3 or 4 feet tall.
Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)
Plant type: Bulb
Zones: 3-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Bloom time: Late January to March
Height/Spread: 6 to 12 inches tall, 4 to 6 inches wide
Snowdrops are true to their name—they often pop up while there’s still snow on the ground, giving winter-weary gardeners a much-needed hint of spring. In mild winters, you might even see them blooming as early as late January, though February or March is more typical. These little bulbs are happiest when left undisturbed and will spread over time, creating a stunning naturalized display, especially along garden edges.
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis spp.)
Plant type: Shrub
Zones: 4-8
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom time: January through March
Height/Spread: 10 to 20 feet tall, up to 15 feet wide
Witch hazels are a must-have if you want some winter magic in your garden. Even better, they are an Ontario native shrub and like full-to-part sun. They bloom like crazy from late winter into early spring, even in colder climates. Their spider-like flowers, which come in shades of yellow to red, really pop on bare branches and often have a lovely fragrance. Come fall, their foliage puts on a show of rich reds, oranges, and yellows, making them a year-round stunner.
Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen coum)
Plant type: Bulb
Zones: 4-8
Exposure: Light to full shade
Bloom time: January through March
Height/Spread: 3 to 4 inches tall, 8 to 12 inches wide
While cyclamen is often kept as a houseplant, this super-hardy variety—also known as Persian violet or winter cyclamen—thrives outdoors and really shines in the winter months. Cold weather wakes it up from summer dormancy, bringing out its stunning heart-shaped leaves first, followed by delicate pink or white flowers that bloom as early as December and last through March. These plants love to self-sow, creating a gorgeous natural ground cover that only gets better with time without being invasive.
Want to get a head start on your spring garden? Listen to the Down the Garden Path Podcast
Here are some popular podcast episodes you may enjoy:
If you’re eager to get working on your garden, you can check out past episodes here, or on YouTube.
Interested in learning more about what to do for and in your garden month to month?
Gear up for spring with Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, an easy-to-follow guide designed to help homeowners create and maintain low-maintenance thriving gardens.