You can find plenty of flowers in December in your garden and your home. Hellebore, camellia, pansy, and mahonia bloom outside for you. You can also force bulbs inside for December blooming flowers on your table. Both indoor and outdoor options give you holiday garden flowers all month long.
When I first had friends over last December, they couldn't believe my front beds still had color in them. My pansies were going strong and my hellebores had just started opening. Inside I had three amaryllis bulbs at different stages on my dining table. Paperwhites filled the room with their sweet scent. I tested this indoor-outdoor approach for the first time that year and it made the whole house feel alive during the darkest month.
December sits at a crossover point between fall and true winter. Your best flowers in December come from both groups at once. Pansies and violas that you planted in October keep blooming in zones 6-10. At the same time, early winter flowers begin their peak season. Hellebores start opening in late December, which is why people call them the Christmas rose. Winter jasmine sprays its yellow flowers across bare stems right around the solstice. You get overlap from both groups that keeps your whole garden looking full and colorful.
Your indoor options give you the most control over timing. Put your amaryllis bulbs in pots in early November. They'll produce huge trumpet flowers by mid-December for your holiday table. Start paperwhite bulbs 4-6 weeks before you want them to bloom. You don't even need soil for paperwhites. Just set the bulbs in a dish of pebbles with water and put them in a bright window. In my experience, they open right on schedule every single time. Florist cyclamen from your local garden center give you instant indoor color in pink, red, and white.
Planning your December garden takes some layering to get a full look. Use evergreen shrubs like boxwood or holly as your base structure plants. Tuck hellebores and cyclamen underneath them in the shade they prefer. Plant pansies along the front of every bed in bold colors like deep purple and bright yellow. Add ornamental kale and cabbage between your flowers for texture. These frilly plants handle frost without flinching and their purple and white leaves look great next to your blooms. You can pick up six-packs of pansies and kale at most garden centers for under ten dollars total. Swap them out in the spring when your warm-season plants are ready to go in.
You should also consider adding winter jasmine to your December garden. This tough plant sends out bright yellow flowers along its bare green stems. It grows fast and handles zones 6-9 without much care from you. Train it up a trellis or let it cascade over a wall for a waterfall of yellow blooms. Pair it with red-berried holly nearby and you have a classic holiday color scheme right in your yard.
Bring a few potted cyclamen inside for windowsill color that lasts through the whole month. Keep them in a cool room between 50-60°F (10-15°C) and water from the bottom to avoid rotting the crown. You can pick up fresh plants every few weeks at your garden center for about five to eight dollars each. Place them in your kitchen, bathroom, or any room that stays cool at night. Between your outdoor beds and your indoor forced bulbs, you can keep flowers going all through December. Your holiday season looks so much better with fresh flowers in December all around you both inside your home and out in your yard.
Read the full article: Best Winter Flowers for Your Garden
