A complete listing of vegetables that can be planted in December and through the winter includes beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collard, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas (English and snow), radish, rape, rutabaga, shallot, Swiss chard and turnip ...
The answer is you can plant as late into the season as you are able. That is, as long as you are able to get a spade into the ground you can plant or divide. Where I live in New England, Zone 5b/6a, our ground usually doesn't freeze until December or early January.
Bright reds, soft pinks, sunny yellows –– these colors can still pepper your lawn, even when there's snow. You just need winter flowers that bloom in the cold. Viola, winter jasmine, calendulas, and many plants love cooler temperatures, and they don't hesitate to take advantage of winter's pollinators.
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.
December is a good time to plant as it means you can get ahead before spring. Sowing vegetables and flowers early can result in earlier harvests – winter-sown broad beans are ready to harvest from May, while hardy annual flowers sown in December can flower several weeks sooner than those sown in spring.
Starting too soon can result in a weak, lanky plant, while starting too late can give you one that is just not ready for the outside world—both will struggle to survive!
In Zones 6 and 7, you'll want to sow perennials in December, with annuals and biennials going in the ground or the greenhouses in late February or early March. Zones 8 and 9 don't tend to experience winters that are long or cold enough to make winter sowing count.
The general rule of thumb for planting a winter vegetable garden in Zones 7 to 10 is to plant during October. In Zone 6, get plants in the ground in late September. Finesse the timing with resources from your local extension office.
There are two December birth flowers: holly and narcissus.
What to grow for winter. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, kale, leeks and parsnips are hardy vegetables and will stand through the winter. Leafy crops such as chard, parsley and rocket should also over-winter with a little protection.
The best time to winter sow perennials and hardy annuals is generally December to March depending on the weather conditions in your area. These seeds require a consistent period of moist, cold temperatures before germination occurs in spring.
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.
The hardiest of flowers can be planted as soon as the soil in your garden can be worked, even if it's several weeks before the last frost of the season. For half-hardy flowers, hold off until a couple weeks before the final frost, and for tender flowers, plant when there's no chance of frost for the rest of the season.
Flowers that come back up from their roots every year in the springtime are called “perennial” flowers. Some of the best perennial flowers to grow in a garden are peonies, daylilies, coneflowers, and hollyhocks.
The best month to plant flowers in spring is really down to the USDA hardiness zone you live in and the likely last frost date. This is likely to be from around March, but if you live in a northern zone, be sure to plant frost-tolerant perennials until you are happy that the risk to more tender flowers has passed.
Light freeze - 29° to 32° Fahrenheit will kill tender plants. Moderate freeze - 25° to 28° Fahrenheit is widely destructive to most vegetation. Severe or hard freeze - 25° Fahrenheit and colder causes heavy damage to most plants.
The latest time to plant for most vegetables would be the second week in June with a short harvest time. If planting crops that mature within 50 days, you could plant those as late as the last week in June, but keep in mind the weather will be turning cooler, especially at night. Cool crops are best for late plantings.
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).
There's no need to winterize them, since they won't go dormant and should continue to bloom throughout the year. But there are a couple of beneficial chores to complete so your petunias will thrive from November to March.
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.