12 Best Winter Annuals That Thrive in Cold Weather
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Not all plants go dormant during the winter months. Cool-season annuals thrive when the temperature drops. Annuals are inexpensive and provide an easy way to add months of color to the garden. As the summer blooms fade, give your garden a makeover with these gorgeous annuals for winter gardens.
Many of the plants on this list are hardy in northern climates as well, but Southern gardeners have more options when it comes to winter color. As mentioned earlier, the same plant can be used very differently from one region to another. Know your local hardiness zone and typical winter conditions to help you choose the best cool-season annuals for your winter garden.
Pansy
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Viola × wittrockiana
- Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil type: Moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.0)
Pansies are ideal winter flowers, blooming in a range of colors with many bi-colored cultivars available. Plant them in the fall after the summer heat has subsided and enjoy the flowers for up to six months. Although they are true perennials, pansies are grown as annuals because they wilt in the heat of summer. Group them along walkways and outside windows where their color brightens the winter landscape.
Johnny jump over
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Viola tricolor
- Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil type: Moist, well-drained, average
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.0)
Johnny hops are another type of viola, related to pansies, that thrive despite winter weather. In fact, they are often seen blooming through a thin layer of snow. Its cheerful tri-colored flowers include a mix of purple, yellow and white. Like pansies, they are short-lived perennials and are more commonly grown as annuals. The plants do well in overwintering containers as well as ground plantings.
Ornamental kale and cabbage
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Brassica oleracea
- Sun exposure: Bright sun
- Soil type: Medium to moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Neutral (6.0-8.0)
The colorful foliage of ornamental cabbage and kale looks like exotic flowers. The thick, wavy to ruffled leaves come in stunning combinations of purple, pink, red, blue, green and cream. The bold colors appear only after temperatures drop and remain throughout the winter. Ornamental cabbage and kale plants combine beautifully with pansies and violas in winter containers.
Dusty Miller
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Jacobia marittima
- Sun exposure: Bright sun
- Soil type: Moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.0)
The dusty miller is another plant grown for its leaves, which are deeply lobed and covered in silvery hairs that give the leaves a silver sheen. Depending on your climate, dusty miller can be grown as a summer or winter annual, although the plants can perennial in some locations. In USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11, dusty miller can be planted from October to March for winter and early spring.
Snapdragon
Getty Images/Roberto Machado Noa
- Zoya life can be appreciated: Antirheinus major
- Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil type: Medium to moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral (6.2 and 7.0)
A wide variety of snapdragon is available with candy-colored blooms in yellow, orange, red and pink and plants that range in height from six inches to three feet. The more compact varieties are commonly used for winter color in USDA hardiness zones 9 (8b) through 11. The plants provide cut flowers during the colder months. Dusty miller and ornamental cabbage make great companions.
Polyanthus primrose
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Primula x Polyantha
- Sun exposure: Shadow part
- Soil type: Moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Acidic (5.5-6.5)
Primula polyanthus is a type of primrose that blooms from winter until early spring, producing gorgeous flowers in rich shades of blue, purple, burgundy and gold. They are remarkably frost-tolerant, although a hard freeze can send plants into dormancy. Primroses are perennial in nature but require a cool climate and are typically grown as annuals in the South. In frost-free areas, plant in fall and in cold areas, plant in late winter.
Annual ryegrass
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Multi-flowered lily
- Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil type: Moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.0 to 7.8)
Ryegrass is commonly used in Bermuda grass lawns in southern landscapes to keep the lawn green during the winter months. Bermuda grass
It is a warm-season perennial and remains dormant during cold weather. In contrast, annual ryegrass is a cool-season annual that dies in late spring when Bermuda grass emerges from dormancy. Overplanting rye is an easy and inexpensive way to provide winter color in the landscape.
Calendula
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Calendula officinalis
- Sun exposure: Bright sun
- Soil type: Medium moisture, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral (6.0-7.0)
Often called pot marigold, calendula thrives under cool temperatures and can be grown as a winter annual in many areas of the South. Although hardy plants, calendula does not tolerate hard freezes. In warmer regions (Zones 9-11), seeds can be sown in late summer or early fall for vibrant blooms during the cooler months of the year. In cooler regions, calendula is planted in the shoulder seasons, however, a simple blanket of frost on cold nights can extend fall planting well into the winter months. Plants will die during the heat of summer.
Baby blue eyes
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Nemophila menziesii
- Sun exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil type: Medium to moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (6.0-8.0)
Although native to the cool, mountainous regions of the Northwest, this annual wildflower can be grown as a winter annual in Southern gardens. In areas with mild winters (USDA zones 8-10), sow seeds in late summer and fall for vibrant blooms during spring. The plants do not tolerate the heat and humidity of the South and will decline as the weather warms, although they may leave some seeds behind to promote the next season of flowering.
Cineraria Florist
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Pericalis x hybrid
- Sun exposure: Shadow part
- Soil type: Moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic (5.5-6.2)
Corpse ash plants, so named because they are popular houseplants, produce an abundance of daisy-like flowers with brightly colored blue, purple, pink or red petals. The flowers often have a white starburst ring surrounding the dark central eye. When grown indoors, corpse ash plants bloom during the winter. Gardeners in temperate climates (Zones 9-11) can grow it outdoors for early spring blooms.
Velor cape
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Dimorphotheca senuata
- Sun exposure: Bright sun
- Soil type: Dry to medium, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (6.0-8.0)
The daisy-like flowers of Cape Marigold feature bright orange, yellow, purple, pink and white radial petals surrounding the pollen-rich eye. Flowers facing the sun close at night and on cloudy days. In temperate climates, sow seeds in late summer through fall. The foliage remains evergreen through the winter, with flowers beginning in late winter and erupting during the spring. Plants thrive best when temperatures range between 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pink
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- Zoya life can be appreciated: Dianthus chinensis x bearded
- Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil type: Medium to moist, well-drained, rich
- Soil pH: Neutral to slightly alkaline (7.0-8.0)
Pinks are hybrid varieties of dianthus that are grown as annuals in southern states because they do not perform well in hot, humid summers. Typically planted in fall and spring, the plants bloom in bright shades of pink, burgundy, white and lavender, with many gorgeous bi-color cultivars available. In frost-free areas, roses planted through the winter will bloom. Plants need protection from frost in cold areas. The blue-green foliage blends well with the dusty moss.
