Winter Flowering Trees: Beautiful Trees That Bloom In Winter
Camellias, Jasmine, Dogwood, Daphne are the winter flowers that must be on your radar
Maintaining and growing a blooming garden during the autumn, early summer, and spring is undoubtedly a piece of cake. You have the sunny skies and the warm temperature to help you through it all. However, when the winter kicks in, your garden may appear gloomy and boring enveloped in a blanket of white snow.
Hence, planting trees that bloom in winter is an excellent method of having your yard look healthy, thriving, and fresh even during the holiday season.
You can find various plants that grow over the colder months, from shrubs and trees to statement blooms and ground covers. Each of them brings something unusual to the landscape. Each plant is unique, from the foliage to the flowers, colors, textures, and fragrances. You can use them to amplify the snowy garden, whichever way you deem fit.
Thus, it is imperative to perform intensive research and pick winter flowering trees and shrubs native to your region to achieve the best plausible results. We did the groundwork for you and present you these pretty flowers that bloom in winter.
Top 14 Winter Season Flower Trees with Gorgeous Blooms
- Flowering Dogwood
- Camellia
- Southern Magnolia
- Winter jasmine
- American Fringe Tree
- Japanese Apricot
- Black Tulips
- Daphne
- Hellebore
- Arrowood dawn
- Snowdrops
- Cherry Tree
- Witch Hazel
- Pussy Willow
Which Are Best Winter Flowering Trees For Your Garden?
If you desire bright hues of yellow, purple, and red during the winter, popping and accentuating your frosty winter snowstorms, here are some of the top suggestions. Let us discuss them below one by one.
1. Flowering Dogwood
A deciduous beauty, Cornus Florida thrives in early spring. Upon maturity, it grows about 30 feet tall and has a vast 35 feet spread. But, its typical height is usually 15 feet high with a spread between 15 and 20 feet. Native to the United States, Flowering dogwood belongs to the Cornaceae family.
The genus comprises around thirty to sixty woody plant species. It is one of the top winter tree flowers that depicts its canopy of pink or white flowers while other trees hibernate during the cold weather. Dogwood also is full of new fall foliage and small, red fruits unfolding for two to three weeks together with its blooms.
You can find two varieties of dogwood. So, you can select between white or pink bloom colors. It is an excellent specimen tree and can beautify any space. The plant thrives in full sun in the north and partial shade in the south, accompanied by moist, well-drained soil.
2. Camellia
Camellias and their renowned varieties are pretty winter flowering trees and shrubs. You can find them in a host of hybrids and cultivators, each having attractive blooms from the fall to the spring, depicting an unparalleled beauty. Its large white petals have a soft yellow center, and some others have pink, showy flowers. One of the standout features of these hybrids is that they are cold-tolerant.
So, you can plant these flowers to have color across the year in your yard. They thrive in zones six through nine. If you desire color across the year, consider complementing winter camellias with spring-blooming camellias. When the blossoms fall, clear the debris instantly to keep pests at bay. A thick mulch layer may help in some geographies.
3. Southern Magnolia
Botanically called the Magnolia grandiflora, Southern Magnolia produces glossy dark green leaves and several white blossoms in spring, followed by numerous flowers in summer.
Its height ranges between twenty and eighty feet, depending on your chosen variety. It finds multiple uses in the landscape, but its falling fruits and leaves can be messy on the lawn. You can plant Magnolia as an ornamental plant. It is hardy to USDA zones six through nine.
4. Winter jasmine
It is an attractive, deciduous flowering vine that blooms from November and across the season. Native to China, Winter Jasmine is called the flower that welcomes Spring or Yingchun in the country. It is one of the alluring winter tree flowers with bright yellow flowers found on the vine-like, trailing green stems, making it a beneficial ground cover.
The plant gets its scientific name because it grows on green or bare stems, seeming pretty next to the yellow flowers. Winter Jasmine grows in USDA hardiness zones six through 10 in full sun to part shade conditions. The plant seeks well-drained, sandy loams with consistent moisture to develop well.
5. American Fringe Tree
Botanically called the Chionanthus virginicus, American Fringe Tree is typically called the dogwood alternative in landscape circles. It flowers in late spring and produces white blooms that develop a fringe on the tree.
Its red fruits attract birds, and the American Fringe Tree requires female and male trees for fruiting. The plant finds use in native plant designs or wildlife gardens. It is hardy in zones three through nine.
6. Japanese Apricot
Botanically called the Prunus mume, the Japanese Apricot thrives in USDA hardiness zones six through nine and is one of the best winter flowering trees. The plant desires full sun or partial shade to thrive and excels in well-draining, loamy soil and flowers between January and March.
Its white-flowering cultivators include Rosemary Clarke with a double set of petals and Shiro-Kaga with a single row of petals. It is a beautiful deciduous tree that grows between 20 and 25 feet with an umbrella-shaped canopy, and its fruits (apricots) are edible but are primarily grown for ornamental purposes.
7. Black Tulips
Also known as the Queen of the Night Tulips, Black Tulips are the best moody trees that bloom in winter. Even though tulips are mainly associated with sprint, the Black Tulips are resilient. They can handle cold temperatures.
So, if you reside in a milder temperature or feel the challenge, you can consider planting Black Tulips for an early spring or a late winter bloom. It is best to plant them in the fall as they desire at least eight to fifteen weeks in the ground.
8. Daphne
Daphne is one of the most divinely aromatic winter flowering trees. It thrives in well-drained soil, a treat during the cold weather. You can plant it in-ground or in a large pot full of top-notch potting mix. The plant enjoys slightly acidic soil.
Hence, if you reside in a region with alkaline soil, you must take measures to lower the soil pH. A few daphne varieties like Eternal Fragrance and Perfume Princess can do well in the full sun position. The plant is susceptible to Scale insects. So, keep a check on them for the plant’s good health.
9. Hellebore
Hellebores, also called Lenten roses, are beautiful winter tree flowers. So, if you have planted hellebores variety in your yard, you are in for a surprise. These stunning beauties appear in mid to late winter, typically around Lent. Their exquisite color and lust petals make them a mandatory inclusion in every landscape. They are super-hardy perennials. So, you can plant them even if you experience harsh winter climates.
10. Arrowood dawn
Arrowed Dawn or Viburnum x bodnantense are deciduous pink flowers that are a hybrid of two famous plants, resulting in a rare but beautiful mix of oval leaves and clustered pink flowers. Its blooms show between spring and winter, and its scented smell lasts all year.
Once the flowering season ceases, this ornamental berry tree yields red, blue, and blackberries. You can build a pathway or a border in the garden with this tree. It is a compact plant, suitable for every landscape, and its fragrant smell will attract many passers-by.
11. Snowdrops
As is apparent, Snowdrops are winter flowering trees that yield small flowers that bloom while the snow is still on the ground. Also called Galanthus, the Snowdrops variety may look delicate but are cold and hardy. They yield white-green petite-dropping aromatic flowers between early spring and late winter. You can plant them in the fall to cherish spring and winter flowers.
12. Cherry Tree
Botanically called the Prunus campanulate, the Cherry Tree is often referred to as the bell-flowered Cherry, Taiwan cherry, or Formosan Cherry. It is a small, deciduous plant that goes up to a maximum of twenty-five feet high.
The cultivator thrives in winter and seeks the cold temperature as its much-needed chill period as it gives the plant ample time to form healthy bud-bursts, flowers, and small cherries that ripen to the black color.
This winter season flower tree has bell-shaped, inch-sized, aromatic, neon pink flowers in abundance in early spring that are present in clusters between two and six. The flowers show before the leaves in summer and late spring. In autumn, the leaves become bronze.
Regarded as one of the most beautiful flowering cherries, the Taiwan Cherry is an excellent tree, famous for its Japanese-style winter garden. Many even grow it as a specimen plant.
13. Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel brings a real burst of color to any landscape. This beautiful shrub holds back its seeds till they ripen. When they are ready, it explodes and sends them out as far as 59 feet. Even though it is incredible as the seed pod prepares to explore, the seeds begin spinning inside the pot at 26000 times per minute.
You will find different types of witch hazel plant in various colors, from purple to red, orange, and yellow. Its flowers have an aromatic fragrance, but their aroma differs depending on the cultivator planted. These trees that bloom in winter yield flowers between October and December.
14. Pussy Willow
Pussy willows are a beautiful shrub with little flowers known as catkins that show on the bare stems between late winter to early spring. It has multiple weeping varieties that are particularly dramatic for every landscape.
Related: Low Growing Perennials That Bloom All Summer
Frequently Asked Questions
Ques 1. Which are the trees that bloom white flowers in winter?
Ans. Star magnolia, Kousa dogwood, Flowering Crabapple, Japanese Tree Lilac, Star magnolia, Hawthorn, Serviceberry, and Smoketree are some of the trees that bloom white flowers in winter.
Ques 2. What are the most fragrant winter flowering shrubs?
Ans. Chinese Paperbush, Winterhazel, Sweetbox, and Winter Daphne are four fragrant winter flowering shrubs.