Beautiful Flowers that Bloom in the Winter

 Although the results of Groundhog Day indicated another six weeks of winter, believe it or not, blooming plants still do exist outside. In fact, there are plenty of flowers that bloom during the cold-weather months, and many of them are gorgeous to boot. Here are a few examples you might find thriving throughout chillier conditions.

Hellebore

Some of these flowers, which often resemble fresh cut red roses, are known as Christmas roses, reports HGTV. Hellebores are long-lived perennials that thrive in shade or patchy sunlight and feature colors like pink, white, rose, burgundy and light green. According to FineGardening.com, different species and varieties can bloom from November to April, lying dormant in the summer months.

Phlox

These perennials typically bloom all season long, according to the news source. They also thrive in the winter sun and require well-drained soil. Some feature bright pink flowers with needle-like foliage, while others include purple flowers with a darker center. Some varieties even have near-white hues with deep crimson centers.

Winter Jasmine

These yellow flowers bloom in January, reports HGTV. Their cheerful petals could provide color to your landscape if you plant them on retaining walls and banks around your home.

Algerian Iris

These blossoms begin to pop up around Thanksgiving, reports FineGardening.com, noting that the species features fragrant, blue-purple flowers as well as slender leaf blades. The plant lays dormant during the summer months and needs the winter sun to blossom.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops usually appear in late November, according to the news source, and usually remain on the ground until shortly after Christmas. However, some varieties are still thriving in February. You can tell a snowdrop from its white-green, down-turned bloom.

‘Jelena’ Witch Hazel

If you’re a fan of orange and red flowers, it’s likely you’ll enjoy this variety of witch hazel, which blooms in January, according to HGTV. The blossoms feature wild spirals of orange and red petals. Of course, while all of these beautiful flowers can certainly act as a pick-me-up during the gloomier season, one question remains – where does pollination come into play?

“Many of the plants we see blooming at this time of year don’t get pollinated,” Kerry Barringer, curator of the herbarium at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, told The New York Times. So what gives? It turns out that a couple of warm days could bring out some bugs, but many winter flowers have special adaptations that allow them to be pollinated by wind. Some plants, like the skunk cabbage, have heated flowers that can protect flies and entice them to pollinate, reports the news source.