What Flowers Grow in Winter? This Season's Best Blooms
While our friends in the United States and Europe are all enjoying the beauty of peonies and dahlias right now, we in the great southern land won’t see the return of these stunning flowers until the weather starts to warm up again. That’s because these popular flowers, like many others, bloom only in the spring and summer.
But don’t despair! There’s still a huge array of flowers that grow in the southern hemisphere’s winter, including some of our own native flora.
So, exactly what flowers grow in the winter? Which blooms will you see starring in our bouquets over the cooler months? We’ve put together a handy little guide to the best winter flowers to help answer these questions.
Australian native flowers that grow in winter
Our natives are a hardy bunch, thriving in conditions in which more fragile flowers would wilt in seconds. Our Seasonal Natives bouquet never looks better than it does around June and July, because we’re able to fill it with a variety of Australian native flowers and foliage.
Many Australian natives grow year-round, so here’s a list of a few you’re likely to find in our bouquets this winter.
Banksia
The main flowering season of these iconic Aussie flowers is from February through to November, so you can pretty much find them all year round. There are lots of different varieties of banksia, ranging in colour from yellow to pink to orange to red to brown.
These big blooms make stunning hero pieces in a bouquet, and can be dried nicely afterwards as a way to preserve them—simply leave them in the vase without water.
Wattle
The wattle flower has a lot of special meaning to Australians. It’s our national floral emblem. Its green and gold colouring inspires the uniforms of our international sporting teams. Sprigs of wattle were sold during the first World War to raise money for wounded soldiers. September 1st, the first day of spring, is National Wattle Day.
These golden, fuzzy, tiny-tennis-ball like blooms that have so much meaning to us grow on acacia trees, adding some much-needed colour to the landscape during the cold winter months. Wattle flowers mainly from winter through to spring, though some varieties are known to flower all year long.
Kangaroo Paw
The floral emblem of Western Australia, kangaroo paw is, again, available most of the year. These unusual blooms feature plump, finger or paw-like projections (hence the name) covered in velvety hairs, and range in colour from red to yellow to pink. They make a striking addition to any bouquet and can last for up to two weeks in a vase.
Thryptomene
Belonging to the same family as eucalyptus and tea tree, thryptomene is available from late Autumn through to early Spring. The stems are covered in thousands of dainty pink and white flowers. You’ll find thryptomene as a supporting flower in many of our bouquets this season.
The best winter flowers
Ornamental Kale
Kale isn’t just for salads, you know. It also makes a stunning focal piece in a bouquet! The kale flowers have beautiful silver-green leaves with purple, pink or cream hearts. You’ll find kale in our Ellie Bouquet, pictured above.
Poppies
These wild and wiry blooms are some of our absolute favourites. With their multitude of colours—including orange, pink, red, yellow and white—and delicate, paper-like petals, these flowers have loads of personality.
Carnations
Sim and spray carnations bloom all year long, so you’ll find them in many of our bouquets throughout the year. They’re one of the most popular cut flowers in the world, second only to roses.
Carnations are said to represent a mother’s love, so are perfect for gifting from mother to daughter on a special occasion. They’re also the birth flower of those born in January.
With their stunning, folded petals and wide array of colours, carnations make a great alternative to roses and peonies. You might consider gifting someone you love a bouquet featuring carnations for Valentine’s Day or for an anniversary.
Carnations are also perfect for drying and pressing, meaning you’ll be able to preserve their beauty.
Freesias
“If I smell freesias, I will be very disappointed.” - Miranda Priestly
Who could be disappointed at seeing (or smelling) these pretty petals in the cold winter months? Freesias flower naturally in winter and early spring. With their wide array of colours, alluring fragrance and distinct, trumpet-shaped heads, freesias make lovely additions to larger bouquets, but can also be the star of their own posy.
Snapdragon
The owners of one of the coolest sounding names in the flower world, snapdragons bloom naturally from winter to spring. They get their name from the fact that when you squeeze them, the flower heads snap open and appear just like a dragon's head.
Available in just about every colour, snapdragons make beautiful additions to larger bouquets, but also look great on their own. They're said to be a symbol of strength, so if you're sending a bouquet to someone in a show of support or to cheer them up, snapdragons are a great bloom to look out for.
Sweet pea
Along with daisies, sweet pea is the birth flower of April. Similar to snapdragon, sweet pea flowers bloom naturally from winter to spring and come in a variety of stunning colours.
“Sweet pea” is often used as a term of endearment, so a bouquet or posy featuring sweet pea is perfect for gifting to someone you adore!
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This is by no means a complete list of all flowers that are in season in winter. You’ll find plenty of other beautiful blooms around in the winter months, including alstroemeria, anthurium, lilies and gerberas.
To discover the best winter flowers, explore our current range of fresh floral arrangements, and send joy to someone you care about this season.