30 hardy flowers from A-Z: for balconies and beds

When winter approaches, the flowers retreat, leaves fall from the trees and the snow covers the entire garden. Regardless of whether you have flowering balcony plants or bedding plants, these do not show up over the cold season and in most cases even die off completely. In the domestic latitudes, however, hardy flowers have no problem presenting their blossoms in the garden or on the balcony.

Hardy flowers

30 hardy flowers from A to Z

Do you enjoy the flowers on your balcony and the pleasant scents that your bedding plants give off every year? The closer winter approaches, the more flowering plants such as roses, heliotropes or sweet peas withdraw. Hardy flowers are rare, but there are domestic and cultivated winter plants that you can easily keep in the tub in the garden or on the balcony. These delight not only with their bloom, but also with their scent, which is a desired change during the cold season. The following list gives you an overview of 30 hardy flowers that brighten up the winter.

Plants from A to C

1. Early spring cyclamen (bot. Cyclamen coum)

The early spring cyclamen is probably one of the best-known bedding plants, as a hardy flower that presents its blossoms in the snow from January to March. They are available in a variety of colors, from white to carmine to pink, and stand out as a Flowering plants for the bed, as the individual colors are combined in an appealing way in color gradients can.

2. Amur Adonis (bot. Adonis amurensis)

The Amur Adonis is also a well-known hardy flower that belongs to the buttercup family (bot. Ranunculaceae) and are immediately noticeable in the snow because of the large, yellow flowers. They bloom from mid-February to April and the plant will pull in again towards the end of May.

3. Chinese winter blossom (bot. Chimonanthus praecox)

The hardy exotic is a symbol of luck in Japan and grows as a three meter high shrub in the garden. The shrubs are extremely suitable as winter plants and flowering usually begins in January, but can easily start as early as December when the winter is mild. The lovely, yellow flowers bloom until March and can easily be cut off and placed in the vase.

4. Christmas rose (bot. Helleborus niger)

The Christmas rose, also known as the snow rose, is an absolute classic and is popular due to its extremely long flowering time. Depending on the location and temperature over the winter, the flowering period extends either from November to May or from February to April. Christmas roses have large white flowers, which make the roses the perfect bedding plants.

Plants from D to G

5. Scented meatberry (bot. Sarcococca humilis)

The hardy plant is ideal for keeping in pots on the balcony and from January to March the white-pink flowers enchant the nose with an indescribable, intense scent.

6. Real winter jasmine (bot. Jasminum nudiflorum)

The real winter jasmine is another exotic representative that can make friends with the German winter. It is perfect for the balcony as it needs winter protection in order not to shrink due to cool winds. It blooms in beautiful yellow flowers from December to March and really enchants everyone who sees the climbing plant. Compared to the other types of jasmine, however, the plant has no fragrance.

7. Elven crocus (bot. Crocus tommasinianus)

The elven crocus is one of the earliest crocuses and shows its purple flowers as early as early February and lasts into March. As with all other crocus species, attention must also be paid to toxicity in this species. As winter plants, they are very suitable for the bed, especially if you are growing a large group.

8. Veined arum 'Pictum' (bot. Arum italicum ssp. italicum 'Pictum')

The veined arum 'Pictum' is one of the plants on this list that does not bloom until the end of winter in mid-March, but the yellow flowers delight every gardener. They should be kept near the edges of trees to develop their full potential.

9. Gedenkemein (bot. Omphalodes verna)

Yes, the commemorative name resembles the forget-me-not, but this is only due to the design of the flowers. Also known as spring umbilical nuts, these blue balcony plants bloom from mid-March to June and show their handsome flowers even in late snow.

Plants from H to L

10. Autumn cyclamen (bot. Cyclamen hederifolium)

The autumn cyclamen is one of the flowers that blooms from autumn into winter and is therefore perfect for the Christmas season. It begins to bloom in October and bloom continues through February. With the cyclamen you can look forward to flowering plants that come in different colors, underneath white, pink, purple and blue peep out of the snow and the dreary winter time is more cheerful design.

11. Autumn chrysanthemums (bot. Chrysanthemum indicum)

The autumn chrysanthemums are particularly suitable as balcony plants, but also as flowering plants for the garden. They are not completely hardy, but the ideal transition into winter. They bloom in a wide variety of colors.

12. Horned violet (bot. Viola cornuta)

The horned violet should not be missing from this list of flowers for winter. The violet plant (bot. Violaceae) blooms as one of the first signs of spring with good care from the end of February and presents the colorful flowers until October.

13. Camellia (bot. Camellia japonica)

Camellias with their pink flowers are one of the absolute beauties among the balcony plants over the winter. They bloom from January to April and even smell, which makes the hardy plant ever more popular in Germany despite its sensitivity to cold winds.

14. Spring rose (bot. Helleborus orientalis)

The spring rose, also known as oriental hellebore, shows its beautiful flowers in a variety of colors from January or February. As hardy flowers, they are often used as bedding plants.

Plants from M to S

15. Oregon grape (bot. Berberis aquifolium)

Mahonia are hardy balcony plants that bloom as early as mid-March and usher in spring as a shrub or a small tree. The yellow flowers then form into berries that can even be eaten raw in small quantities.

16. Märzenbrecher (bot. Leucojum vernum)

As the name suggests, Märzenbecher or spring knot flowers bloom as bedding plants in March, even if it should still be snowy and cold. The white calyxes bend characteristically downwards.

17. Mediterranean snowball (bot. Viburnum tinus)

Mediterranean snowballs are considered hardy bedding plants, but can also be grown on the balcony. The white flowers have a very strong scent and inspire with their round shape, which has given them their pictorial name.

18. Palm leaf snow rose (bot. Helleborus foetidus)

Also belonging to the winter plants, the palm leaf snow rose, also known as the smelly hellebore, is an indispensable part of any garden. The light green flowers stand out in the bed together with other flowers from the snow from February to April.

19. Red carpet berry (bot. Gaultheria procumbens)

The red carpet berry is particularly easy to care for and is one of the most attractive bedding plants in the garden due to its extensive growth. It has no flowers in winter, but decorative, red berries from October to May, which are poisonous but harmonize with the green of the foliage due to their color.

20. Pansy (bot. Viola tricolor)

One of the classic flowers for winter, which like to appear as balcony plants or flowering plants in the bed from February onwards. They come in numerous colors and bloom well into midsummer.

21. Transylvanian liverwort (bot. Hepatica transsilvanica)

The light purple-blue flowers of the Transylvanian liverwort begin to appear in the garden as early as February. They are extremely decorative flowers, the flowers of which catch the eye immediately.

22. Snowdrop (bot. Galanthus nivalis)

Of course, the snowdrop should not be missing here, the flowering period of which begins between October and April depending on the species, but the majority of the species bloom in January and February. Always a highlight in the garden.

Plants from T to Z

23. Grape hyacinth (bot. Muscari azureum)

The flowering time of the blue or purple grape hyacinths extends mainly from the beginning of March to May and they are often kept as flowers for the end of winter.

24. Roller Spurge (bot. Euphorbia myrsinites)

Also known as myrtle-leaf milkweed, this plant, which is hardy down to -20 ° C, is also very popular. The bright yellow-green flowers stand out nicely from the snow, because the flowering period begins early in March and lasts until July, depending on the weather.

25. White dead nettle (bot. Lamium maculatum)

The white dead nettle is often confused with the nettle, although they start to flower much later. The flowering period is from late March to September or October. It is one of the flowers that end the winter.

26. Winterling (bot. Eranthis hyemalis)

As the name suggests, the winterling is one of the plants that shows the golden yellow flowers even in the dead of winter. The hardy plant is therefore always very popular and can easily be added to the flowering plants in the bed. Depending on the variety, the flowering time can even be forced earlier. 'Winter magic' should be mentioned here, which presents its flowers a month earlier in December.

27. Winter heather (bot. Erica carnea)

Also known as snow heather, these winter plants bloom from February to April in reddish-colored racemose inflorescences and provide a unique aspect in the winter garden.

28. Witch hazel (bot. Witch hazel)

The witch hazel is one of the absolute winter plants. The hardy plant is offered in many types, of which the Virginian witch hazel (bot. Hamamelis virginiana) does not bloom until spring. All other varieties begin to bloom as early as January or February and are one of the first sources of food for bees and other insects. It can stand on the balcony or in the garden and the individual flower colors range from red to orange to yellow.

29. Dwarf blood plum (bot. Prunus cistena)

This beautiful type of plum definitely belongs in the winter garden and blooms as a late bloomer in April, when the last snowfalls are just possible in pink-white flowers. Even the very sweet fruits can be harvested in autumn.

30. Cotoneaster (bot. Cotoneaster dammeri)

Also known as the carpet cotoneaster, it is also not a flowering winter plant. Like the red carpet berry, it has fruits that are colored an intense light red, which contrasts nicely with snow and green foliage. They ripen at the end of October and can stay hanging for a long time to ring in winter.

Please note that the flowers mentioned above will not all bloom completely through winter. While some bedding plants bloom at the beginning of winter and even over Christmas, there are other bedding and balcony plants that only show their blossoms from January or February. However, these two months are extremely dreary, for which hardy flowers are best.

Tip: When you have a constant display of flowers in your garden, on your balcony or terrace all year round you should combine the winter plants with balcony plants and flowering plants from the other seasons combine. If you take a little time planning and placing the individual flowers, you will always be able to enjoy flowering plants.