Winter doesn’t have to mean the end of the growing season and home-grown food. Don’t let Old Man Winter spell an end to the fun. There are dozens of edible species you can grow in a winter greenhouse, from leafy greens like watercress to root veggies like beets and turnips. This guide gives you 35 excellent options.
The glory days of summer may be over but there are still a few things to do in the garden before winter arrives. Take the time now to get these tasks done and your plants will be protected from freeze and frost, the soil will be nourished, and your garden will be ready for action when spring arrives. Get the list here.
There’s no reason to settle for a drab, gray garden during the winter. Here are 25 suggestions, plants that can transform your cold weather landscape with color whether you need a shrub or a ground cover, to bring some delight when your garden needs it most. From hellebores to mahonia, we have every garden covered.
As winter approaches, there are steps you can take to care for hostas so they’ll return in spring healthier than ever. Mulching, tidying up, and dividing plants, and burying, moving, or covering your container-bound hostas, will go a long way toward protecting your plants from pests, disease, and frost heave damage.
Japanese maples are fairly sturdy trees that can live a long time but they’re not immune to winter dieback. When temperatures rise and fall repeatedly, especially coupled with desiccating winds, it can seriously harm your precious plants. Learn all about dealing with and preventing winter damage in Japanese maples now.
When yuccas are grown in a cold climate, it may be tough for these plants to make it through the winter unscathed. In our guide to caring for winter-injured yucca plants, you’ll learn how to help a frost-damaged yucca the right way, and how to prevent cold injury and frost damage in the future. Read more now.
Wintertime can be dreary. Why not brighten things up with colorful houseplants? Learn about 23 of our favorites to find the best options suited to your indoor conditions and decor. From fresh and tropical to old school, plants are available in your favorite colors that are sure to thrive in your home. Read more now.
Large tropical flowers on tall, sturdy stems, bold and beautiful amaryllis brightens our winter decor with a long flowering time. These long-lived perennials are easily cultivated and can be saved for years of continuous enjoyment. Learn all the necessary steps to force amaryllis indoors in this guide. Read more now.
Welcome spring with mass plantings of hardy snowdrop, a bulb flower that blooms right through the snow. Let this charming perennial naturalize for impressive drifts of bell-shaped white blossoms, or interplant it with crocus for a stunning display. Learn how to add Galanthus to your garden now on Gardener’s Path.
Spirea are deciduous ornamental shrubs loaded with beautiful, showy flower clusters in either spring or summer, depending on the variety. These tough, durable, deciduous plants are cold-hardy and able to withstand a variety of harsh seasonal weather conditions. Learn how to care for spirea shrubs in winter in this guide.
Looking for something colorful to add to your northern garden? It’s possible to grow tropical hibiscus year-round, even in cold climates! Keeping your hibiscus alive through the winter is easy as long as you know what to do. Read on to learn how to overwinter hibiscus indoors for beautiful blooms all winter long.
Snapdragons are perennials that can show off with their distinctive stalks of flowers year after year. We’ll explain how to overwinter snapdragons for several seasons of stunning color. Our comprehensive guide to protecting snapdragons during winter explains how to keep your plants healthy for future blooms. Read more.
Lilies are summer-flowering bulbs that are tough enough to endure harsh winters in the ground or in containers. They readily survive hard frosts and freezing temperatures, but can’t abide wet, soggy conditions. Bulbs can also be lifted and stored if needed. Learn how to overwinter lilies in this guide. Read more now.
Lettuce thrives in cool weather, but is frost too much for this leafy green? In this guide, we share the most frost-tolerant lettuce varieties to grow in your garden, along with ways to protect salad greens in freezing temperatures. Avoiding frozen roots is the key to fresh lettuce through fall and into the winter.
Cold weather doesn’t have to put an end to the gardening season. There are plenty of frost-tolerant leafy greens that can be grown easily, well into the winter months. Continue reading for a list of yummy salad greens to grow in cold conditions, as well as some important factors to consider when growing winter greens.
Why suffer through the miserable symptoms of a cough, cold, or the flu when you can find fast relief with an easy-to-make batch of soothing herbal tea? Prepared with fresh, natural ingredients, you can start feeling better in just 10 minutes with a steaming mugful of this brew. Find the step-by-step guide right here.
Herbs, flowers, and fruits have been used for millennia to provide natural, wholesome relief from the discomfort of cold and flu symptoms – and many can be grown in your own garden. Join us now for a look at some of the most popular and easily grown plant-based medicinals to combat cold season naturally with herbs.
If your spring forsythia display isn’t up to par, it could be because the shrubs have suffered cold weather damage. Unusually low temperatures and frozen precipitation can wreak havoc on plant tissue. Read on to discover the warning signs and steps you can take to try to restore your forsythia to its former glory.
If you’re looking for unique perennial flowers, hybrid hellebores are for you. Also known as Lenten roses, they’re perfect for moist, shady locations in the garden, and reward with cheerful blossoms in late winter and early spring. Learn how to cultivate these evergreen early bloomers in this guide. Read more now.
To have healthy, beautiful roses, you need to grow varieties suited to your growing zone. And if you live where the ground freezes during the coldest months of the year, you may have to provide winter protection to get those beauties safely through to spring. Learn how to winterize your roses in this guide.
Brussels sprouts are a cool weather crop suitable for cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9 and their flavor is improved by a light frost. But what about if a heavy freeze is in the forecast? Learn how to protect your brussels sprouts and enjoy a fresh winter harvest in this guide. Read more now.
Dahlias are spectacular, long-lasting flowers that add reliable color to the late season garden. But these plants are frost tender and don’t like wet feet. They need to lifted for winter storage and benefit from having their tubers divided in spring. Learn how to lift and store your dahlias during winter in this guide.
Garden, or zonal geraniums are popular herbaceous perennials in Zones 10 and 11 that grow as annuals in colder regions. Instead of letting them die at season’s end, you can overwinter your plants indoors for planting out the following spring. Learn all you need to know to winter over garden geraniums in this guide.
Gaillardia is an easy-to-grow perennial that puts on a burst of color throughout the summer months. With a few simple preparations, you can set up your plants to survive winter’s chill and come back healthy in springtime. Learn how to care for your blanket flowers during the winter in this guide. Read more now.
Hot peppers are typically grown as annuals, but did you know that you can overwinter these perennial plants for a larger harvest next season? With the right preparation, you can keep your favorite varieties dormant in the winter months and they’ll come back healthy in spring. Learn how to winterize hot pepper plants.
Milkweed is wonderful for attracting monarch butterflies and other pollinators to the garden, and with minimal winter care, this attractive perennial herb will reemerge from its impressive root system year after year. Ready to learn how to winterize your milkweed plants for a bounty of blooms next season? Read more.
Bright coreopsis flowers provide a sweet, cheerful sight during the summer months, and now they’ve died back. These perennial wildflowers will go dormant through the winter months and return in the spring. But how do you prepare your coreopsis for winter? Learn all about winter care and preparation in this guide.
Strawberries are suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 10. With the proper winter care, hardy varieties can come back year after year and yield abundant harvests of sweet and juicy berries. Learn how to prepare and protect your strawberry plants during the winter months in this guide. Read more now.
There’s nothing better than homemade fresh pesto in the middle of winter. But supermarket basil gets pricey after the summer season, and it can be hard to find. The good news is that there’s a way to keep your garden basil alive throughout even the chilliest winter months. Find out how in our guide. Read more now.
You’ve enjoyed their vibrant autumn color and now winter is creeping in. But what if you’re not ready to say goodbye to your mums? Rather than tossing them out, our helpful guide will show you how to overwinter your plants so you can enjoy them year after year, from fall prep to spring care. Read more now.
Your boysenberry bushes provided tasty sweet-tart berries through the summer, and now they’ve died back. You know they’re going to return in the spring – as long as you can keep them warm this winter. But how do you do that? What steps are involved? Learn everything you need to know in our guide. Read more.
If you are growing peonies you’ll need to know how to care for them over the cold winter months. Peony plants require a period of dormancy and chilling hours to bloom again next season. So how do you prepare your plants for winter? Learn all about winter care for peonies in this guide. Read more now.
Your delphiniums bloomed splendidly during the summer, and now they’ve died back. You know they’re going to return in the spring, but only if you prepare them for dormancy and keep them warm during the winter. But how do you do that? What steps are involved? Learn everything you need to know in our guide. Read more.
Perennial hellebores add color to the late-winter garden, when many plants are still dormant. There are numerous varieties and each has unique characteristics. Some are more common in the home garden, and others are quite rare. Read on to increase your knowledge of the Helleborus genus, right here on Gardener’s Path.
Nothing brightens the spirit better than a field of early-spring crocuses. Did you know that there are numerous varieties to choose from? Some are deer resistant, others are extra hardy, and with their colorful hues, all are gorgeous. Check out our roundup of 11 of our favorite crocus varieties for your garden now.
Are you longing for color in the late winter garden, when most plants are still dormant? Hardy flowering hellebores fit the bill. Easy to sow, they reward with an abundance of sweetly nodding blossoms in an array of colors. Chase the winter blues away with these 7 tips for planting hellebore seeds. Read more now.
Nothing shows that spring is on the way like the nodding heads of hellebore flowers in the snow. If you eagerly anticipate these hardy late-winter perennials, prepare to fall in love. Read on to discover 11 of the best double hellebore varieties with robust blossoms in irresistible colors. See our favorites now.
Are your crocus corms failing to produce blooms, or maybe they’re not even pushing foliage through the ground? If you’re not seeing flowers by mid-spring, you know something’s up. But what could it be? This guide will introduce the nine most common reasons why your crocus might fail to bloom. Read more now.
Crocuses are known for dotting lawns and gardens with vibrant hues of purple, pink, and yellow just when winter seemed it would never end. They’re also famously hardy. But can they survive the most frigid winter temperatures? What if they bloom just before a cold snap or blizzard? Can they grow in snow? Find out now.
Are you wondering when is the best time to plant crocus bulbs in the ground for a vibrant springtime reward? You won’t want to miss this guide. Discover exactly when to plant the three most popular crocus varieties for a late fall or early spring bounty of purple, pink, white, or yellow blooms. Read more now.
Learn how to grow crocus, the vivid-hued, tulip-like flower that offers Northerners the first taste of spring. Find out more now with our growing guide.
Banana plants add a dramatic and splashy punch of the tropics to the landscape, but they will succumb to winter’s wrath if they’re not properly cared for. In this article, our experts share several ways to safely overwinter these (mostly) cold-intolerant plants so they are happy and healthy when warmer weather returns.
Nasturtiums’ bright blooms and rounded leaves bring cheer to the summer garden. However, these edible annuals don’t do well in the winter chill. In order for your plants to survive the colder months, you’ll need to give them some extra care and protection. Get our top tips on how to care for nasturtiums during winter.
You take pride in your lawn, invest time and money in it, and tend it lovingly from spring through fall. Why not give the turf some love in the winter? With our 11 winter lawn care essentials, you can discover ways to keep it healthy and avoid headaches in the spring. Read more now to learn how.
If you mourn the loss of garden-fresh herbs with the arrival of cold weather, take heart. There are a few that still continue to produce leaves in winter, and parsley’s one of them – so you can enjoy their fresh taste in your favorite recipes all year. Join us as we dish the dirt on how to grow parsley in winter.
When the thermometer takes a sudden dive, you may wake up to a vegetable garden coated with frost. Some crops can tolerate it, but others are ruined instantly. Learn about the hardiness of vegetables, what to do when frost is in the forecast, and how to deal with the damage that may occur. Read more now.
Clematis adds long-lasting beauty to the garden from spring to fall. But not all varieties can survive freezing temperatures, and some require a bit of protection to make it through cold snaps and hard frosts. Find out how to provide winter care for clematis in all regions
Do you mourn the loss of color when summer ends? Well, instead of living in the gray zone for six months, add some bold, vibrant color to the late season garden. We’ve rounded up 11 of the best ornamental plants that will add interest and vibrant hues to your fall garden. Join us now for a closer look.
Want to help your garden rest well this winter? Winter mulching is a great way to prolong harvests, improve soil quality, and protect overwintering plants by insulating soil with organic materials. Learn how to use mulch to better support perennials and annual crops this winter. Read more now.
Are you itching to get into the garden, but it’s still too cold outside? Satisfy your craving to play in the dirt by starting seeds indoors. With an egg carton and potting medium, you can grow flowers, herbs, and vegetables to transplant outside when the weather warms. Learn how on Gardener’s Path.