Delightful Winter Gardening Tips: 16 Southern California Flowers

Now that the days are short and colder, time in the garden is may feel limited, but it doesn’t have to be. Growing a garden in Southern California means you can grow plants all year long! Here are some winter gardening tips for flowers to grow in Southern California.

What Gardening Can I Do In Winter?

This counts on where you live. If you happen to live in an area with a mild climate, such as Southern California, there is plenty of planting you can do in the winter months. These winter gardening tips apply to flowers that can grow in the mild winters of Southern California.

What Flowers Will Last Through the Winter?

Below is a list of flowers that will last through the winter for you to enjoy. Some may need plenty of sunshine, while others thrive in the shade. Plan ahead to enjoy these flowers in your winter garden!

Snapdragons

Snapdragons grow flowers on long stems, which look great alone or mixed with other plants to add height to a border or container. They are frost resistant and easy to grow, making them great for beginners and winter gardening flowers.

Snapdragons come in a variety of colors and also make great cutting flowers for bouquets.

Winter Jasmine

Winter jasmine is a fast-growing winter shrub that can reach heights of 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide. They bloom tons of yellow flowers that make a great, colorful spot in the winter garden.

Winter jasmine grow best in light shade or full sun. Plant several along the border of your yard for privacy.

Hellebores

Hellebores are perennials that also go by the name, Lenten rose, due to to them blooming around Lent. These popular are very hardy and a beautiful flowering plant to add to your winter flower garden.

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are leafy bushes that grow bunches of flowers together in blue, pink, purple, white, and green. These plants love the shade and small spaces, making them great container plants for porches and patio gardens.

Many types of hydrangeas can withstand the colder temperatures during the winter, especially here in mild Southern California.

Pansies and Violas

Pansies and violas are colorful flowers that grow well in the wintertime. They grow in a variety of colors, and look great in planters by themselves, or mixed with other plants and flowers.

They are short flowers, which make them great border flowers around the garden. They are also frost-tolerant, if you live in a place that gets under 30 degrees.

Pansies and voilas are great to add to salads, desserts, and make beautiful pressed flowers to use with a variety of creative projects.

Sweet Peas

Sweet pea vines can grow up to six feet tall. The ruffly blossom make great cut flowers for home bouquets.

It’s best to start sweet peas by soaking the seeds in water for 48 hours, then planting them in full sun to enjoy during the winter months.

English Primroses

English Primroses are small, flowering plants that love the cold weather in winter. I was looking for bright plants that I could grow in my small, patio garden in the shade several years ago and discovered that these primroses are perfect for this.

They thrived in my hanging planters in the shade during the winter. English primroses come in a variety of colors, and are a great way to add color to pots and borders in the garden.

Cyclamen

I recently started seeing cyclamens sold at the local Home Depot, due to their popularity and preference for growing in the winter. These winter flowering plants grow well as houseplants, but can also thrive outdoors during Southern California winters.

The plant grow beautiful leaves and colorful flowers in white, fuchsia, red, pink, and lavender. They make a great ground cover. Cyclamens enjoy the winter sun, but the shade of the summer.

Speaking of winter gardening tips, some of the best winter flowers are iceberg roses. Make sure to add some to your winter garden!

Calendula

Calendula is a brightly-colored flower that looks like it would grow best in spring or summer, but that is not the case. In Southern California, this yellow-orange flower can also thrive during the colder months.

Calendula can add color to your winter garden. It is also be used with meals, as a companion plant, and for medicinal purposes

Stock

Stock flowers are similar to snapdragons, in which they grow several flowers on one tall stalk at a time. These flowers smell great and are edible.

They come in two types: column and spray. If you are not sure which type of stock to grow, buy both and see which you like more to grow that one next winter.

Nasturtium

Nasturtium flowers are colorful flowers that grow well with vegetables. They also come in several types.

The popular spreading ones are great to use as a ground cover. Some nasturtium types can also grow like a bush.

These flowers are great to grow with vegetables when you want to attract critters away from your edible plants. Speaking of edible plants, you can also east nasturtium flowers.

Hummingbird Sage

Hummingbirds usually fly south to warmer climates for the winter, but not if they have a reason to stay. Hummingbird sage, commonly known as salvia, will keep these colorful birds in your garden throughout the winter. .

The bush is a partial evergreen that grows flowers in bright pink and red throughout the summer and winter.

Camellias

Camellias are evergreen shrubs that grow gorgeous flowers that look similar to roses. These winter flowers bloom in red, pink, and white throughout the fall and winter months.

Pinks

Pink are part of the Dianthus species of flowers. Even though many types bloom pink flowers, that is not where their name comes from. These flowers were named for the jagged leaves that look like they were cut with pinking shears.

Pinks grow well in full or part sun and the flowers smell like cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg.

Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssum bloom tiny white and lavender flowers in 12 inch mounds. They look great along paths or along the border of beds. I’ve grown some from seed in pots where they looked great as well.

Sweet alyssum enjoy cooler weather with plenty of drainage in full sun or part shade. If it gets too hot, they will go dormant.

Winter Gardening Tips

Although these winter gardening tips just covered these flowers, there are many more plants that grow well in Southern California during the winter months. What flowers do you enjoy growing in your garden during the winter? Let me know in the comments section below!