Winter Flowers

Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin' January 2010

Erica australis February 2009

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Pallida' February 2009

Hepatica americana February 2010

Pieris japonica February 2010

Camellia japonica March 2010

 Chionodoxa luciliae March 2010

There is not a huge number of plants that bloom in winter in Seattle.  But it is a real treat to walk in the garden on a sunny winter day & find plants in bloom.  Winter blossoms are often fragrant.  The sweet scent of Hamamelis x intermedia (Witch Hazel) fills the air with enchantment.  Many Mahonia bloom early in the year.  Some of the earliest are listed below.  Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ can bloom before the winter solstice, other selections bloom later in winter.  Early-flowering Camellia japonica also bloom in winter, but fully double flowers can rot in winter rain.  1 of the earliest perennials to bloom in Seattle gardens is Euphorbia rigida in January.  It is followed a few weeks later by Euphorbia myrsinites.  A stunning combination of purple & yellow flowers is Crocus sieberi ‘Firefly’ & Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’ in February.  

Visit the Witt Winter Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle for color & fragrance on a sunny winter day.  I’ve gathered these names from sources including the Cascadia Garden, the plant list for the Witt Winter Garden, Bulbs by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix, Perennials by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix, Shrubs by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix.  These encyclopedic books by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix have are ordered by bloom time rather than alphabet, making it easy to find flowers for every season.  During very cold winters, some of these plants may be pushed toward spring bloom.  Many spring-flowering plants bloomed during the very warm winter of 2010.

Winter Flower Plant List

Trees
Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry)
Corylus maxima 'Atropurpurea Superba'
Hamamelis x intermedia, Hamamelis japonica, Hamamelis mollis (Witch Hazel)
Prunus mume (Japanese Apricot) Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ (Winter Cherry)

Shrubs
Abeliophyllum distichum (White Forsythia)
Camellia japonica ‘Elegans’ & others, Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ & others
Chimonanthus praecox (Wintersweet)
Corylopsis glabrescens, Corylopsis pauciflora, Corylopsis sinensis, Corylopsis spicata (Winter Hazel)
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ (Hazel)
Daphne mezereum
Edgeworthia chrysantha
Erica australis, Erica carnea, Erica x darleyensis
Forsythia giraldiana, Forsythia ovata
Garrya x issaquahensis (Silktassel)
Jasminum nudiflorum (Winter Jasmine)
Lonicera standishii
Mahonia ‘Arthur Menzies’, Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) Mahonia bealei, Mahonia mairei, Mahonia repens
Pieris japonica
Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’, Rhododendron cyanocarpum, Rhododendron barbatum, Rhododendron dauricum ‘Midwinter’, Rhododendron lutescens, Rhododendron moupinense, Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Cornell Pink', Rhododendron ririei, Rhododendron strigillosum
Ribes laurifolium, Ribes sanguineum
Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)
Sarcococca confusa, Sarcococca hookeriana, Sarcococca humilis, Sarcococca ruscifolia
Viburnum x bodnantense, Viburnum farreri, Viburnum tinus

Perennials
Corydalis cava
Crocus sieberi ‘Firefly’, Crocus tommasinianus, Crocus vernus
Cyclamen coum
Euphorbia myrsinites, Euphorbia rigida
Chionodoxa luciliae (Glory of the Snow)
Eranthis cilicica, Eranthis hyemalis (Winter Aconite)
Erythronium dens-canis (Dog-tooth Violet)
Galanthus (Snowdrops)
Hacquetia epipactis
Helleborus foetidus, Helleborus lividus, Helleborus x hybridus, Helleborus niger, Helleborus x sternii (Hellebore)
Hepatica americana (Liverwort)
Iris histrioides, Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’, Iris reticulata
Leucojum vernum (Spring Snowflake)
Narcissus ‘Little Gem’, Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, Narcissus ‘Small Talk’, Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’, Narcissus ‘WP Milner’ (Daffodil)
Primula elatior, Primula x juliana, Primula vulgaris (Primrose)
Trillium ovatum (Wake Robin)
Tulipa turkestanica (Tulip)