Still, some other plants can grow in mild winters. Root vegetables like garlic, carrots, and radishes grow well in cold temperatures. So do leafy greens like collards, kale, and cabbage. However, even most cold crops grow best if they're protected from frost and freezing temperatures.
Winter pansies are cold weather all-stars. These cheery winter blooming flowers can freeze solid and emerge from that state ready to grow and flower. Other bedding plant flowers that grow in winter include nemesia, snapdragon, sweet alyssum and flowering stock.
Christmas Rose. This evergreen perennial blooms from winter to early spring depending on the selection and where you live (mostly early winter in warmer regions, and as late as February or March where it's very cold).
Pansies. Remarkable as a winter plant, Pansies can survive freezing coldness and can thrive vigorously when summer returns. Its “smiling face” flowers are vibrant in color and fragrance that can fill up your space with so much joy.
Ornamental kale and cabbage are some of the most popular winter annual plants. They lend a completely different texture to a winter landscape bed. Once the plants are hardened by cooler night temperatures they can survive most cold winters.
Fall and Winter LEAFY GREENS
A beautiful sampling of some of the leafy greens you can grow in your fall and winter garden, including different varieties of kale, spinach, lettuce, chicory, and even wild chickweed! Spinach is a very fast-growing, cool weather vegetable.
Depending on your region, there are a number of ornamental blooms that work well when planted in the month of December. Finding established pansies, primroses, and hellebores plants will give your December garden some beauty. Additionally, planting sweet peas and delphinium will make for a gorgeous springtime bloom.
Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)
This is a must-have shrub for winter flowers and their intoxicatingly delightful, lemony fragrance. This deciduous shrub hails from China and grows 8 to 10 feet tall with a spread of 6 to 8 feet as far north as zone 5.
Name: Helleborus sp. commonly known as winter rose or Hellebore. Belongs: to the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Origins: Europe to western China. Flowering: Winter to early spring.
With reduced sunlight and dry air from indoor heating, winter isn't a time when your plants will thrive, but, with the right care, they can certainly survive. “Less sunlight typically sparks a plant's natural dormancy,” says Casey Godlove, creative director at PlantShed.
Hardy winter annuals include snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), pansy (Viola x wittrockiana), viola (Viola cornuta), sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), painted tongue (Salpiglossis sinuata), pinks (Dianthus chinensis) and nemesia.
The snowdrop flower. As a plant that actually despises warm winters, the snowdrop flower performs its best in frigid temperatures. This flower can withstand temperatures down to -30 F. while still displaying its bright green stems and delicate, white flowers.
SNOWDROPS (Galanthus nivalis)
True to their name, these early-blooming bulbs often emerge while snow is still on the ground to provide a breath of fresh air for winter-weary gardeners. In mild winters, snowdrops can flower as early as late January, but February or March is more common.
Fiberglass, lead, iron, heavy plastic, and stone are the best weather-resistant containers to use; terra-cotta will eventually expand and crack with repeated freezing and thawing.
Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Kohlrabi, Collard Greens, Celery, Spinach, Peas, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Radish, Beets, carrots, Lettuce, Arugula, Onions, Potatoes, Swiss Chard-all can handle light frost, but keep a cover handy for a sudden really cold dip (below 25 degrees F).
Perennials are a flower garden's backbone, providing beautiful color, texture and form. They are easy-care, dependable performers that come back every year. They also are: Uncommonly colorful thanks to foliage and/or flowers.
Roses, in general, can survive winters in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 and above (or in temperatures as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit). As such, they can survive very cold climates, but you should still prepare to winterize them to ensure they have all they need to thrive throughout the winter months.