Photography: Martina Gemmola
A burst of colour in the garden can brighten the most dreary winter’s day – and you don’t have to wait until spring for your flowers to come out. Many flowering plants bloom in the winter, bringing a much-needed pop of colour to our winter gardens. From pretty pansies to brilliant natives, these are the best flowers to plant for a colourful winter garden.
Top winter flowering plants for Australian gardens
1. Camellias
Known for their beautiful winter blooms, camellias are the perfect choice for some winter colour. These plants are very hardy, with many found flourishing in parks without much attention. There are more than 200 different species of camellias, with Camellia sasanqua (blooms late-autumn to early-winter), Camellia japonica (blooms mid-winter to early-spring) and Camellia reticulata (blooms late-winter to spring) all being great options for Australian winter gardens.
Typically, camellias are best suited to mild, humid climates but will also thrive in cold, mountainous regions. In Australia, they will typically flower between April and September, making them perfect for winter gardens.
2. Daphne
Daphne Odora or ‘winter Daphne’ is a beautiful evergreen shrub with pale pink and white star-shaped flowers. It’s a fragrant flower that will greet you every morning with its sweet scent. Daphne will flower from mid-winter to late-spring, making it an ideal late-winter planting if you haven’t yet gotten around to tending to your garden.
3. Hellebore (winter rose)
Beautiful hellebores are also known as winter roses. These flowers are perfect for winter gardens as they thrive in cold weather (even frosts for those in particularly cold regions), are easy to care for and bring long-blooming winter colour to your garden.
There are 17 different types of Helleborus but the Helleborus x hybridus is the most common one to plant in suburban gardens. While you can plant them in pots, they will thrive in the ground and are perfect groundcover plants.
4. Pansies and violas
Pansies and violas, commonly known as violets, are favourite winter blooms for their beautiful bright colours and English cottage charm. They tolerate cold really well and come in a variety of lovely colours. Pansies and violas thrive in both the ground and in pots, and will flower from autumn all the way to spring.
5. Protea
Proteas are an Australian native winter-flowering plant that will bring a beautiful burst of red (or white, green or sunny yellow, depending on the variety) to your winter garden. These almost jurassic-looking plants are extremely resilient to the cold, with many thriving in temperatures that reach below freezing. They can be planted at any time of the year and will bloom from autumn to spring, with the depths of winter being their peak time.
Choosing the best winter flowers for your region
Choosing the best winter flowers for your garden involves finding the flowering plants that suit your location best. Those in cold areas, such as Tasmania and Victoria, will find that plants resilient to frosts will give the best results during the winter months.
Winter-flowering plants for cold winters
- Hellebores
- Proteas
- Grevillea
- Snowdrops
- Camellia japonica
- Witch hazel
- Cyclamen coum
- Erica carnea
- Correa
- Acacia pravissima
Winter-flowering plants for mild winters
- Pansies and violas
- Callistemon
- Camellia sasanqua
- Daphne odora
- Callistemon
- Grevillea
- Correa
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