Sometimes it can be harder to feel motivated when the temperatures drop and days are shorter in the fall. It is understandable why gardening may take a back seat, but it is not too late to make a positive difference, as these last-minute planting ideas before winter prove.
The good news for anyone who has procrastinated over a long fall gardening checklist is that there is still time. It is not too late to make additions to your garden for quick wins, like heart-warming, bright blooms to brighten up the cold days or quick harvests for winter meals.
Last-minute planting ideas before winter – expert suggestions
You need to plant the following before the first frosts, but when the feeling of winter truly arrives in your area will depend on your US hardiness zone. If your ground is still workable, then there is still time for these last-minute planting ideas.
1. Hellebores
There are hellebore varieties in a stunning array of colors, but the most synonymous with the festive period is Helleborus niger, also known as the Christmas rose. This winter-blooming perennial plant grows to 12 inches tall and produces white bowl-shaped flowers flushed with pink.
Emma Fell, head of horticulture at Hillier Garden Centres, calls the Christmas rose ‘perfect’ for any winter garden, as the plants bloom from late December onwards, which is a great reason to start growing hellebores.
‘These hardy perennials produce large, nodding flowers in shades of white, even in frosty conditions,’ continues Emma. ‘Plant them now in a sheltered, shady spot with well-drained soil to enjoy their elegant blooms right around Christmas.’
If you want to plant hellebores in your yard before winter, this live Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ plant at Amazon comes in a one-gallon pot and produces creamy white flowers.
Emma is the head of horticulture at Hillier Garden Centres and a respected expert in the world of plants and plant care. Throughout her career, Emma has been responsible for sourcing and selecting new plants, including the ones that feature in Hillier's illustrious show gardens such as at RHS Chelsea and BBC Gardeners' World, as well as championing the company's learning and development strategy.
2. Pansies
Pansies may be small, but they are mighty plants to provide pops of color throughout the colder months. Along with violas, which are smaller and have fewer petals but are equally vibrant, they make some of the prettiest winter flowers for pots.
‘Pansies and violas are great bedding plants to plant in November, as they'll continue blooming and providing pops of garden color through the winter,’ says Michael Clarke, landscape architect and horticulturalist.
There is a wide variety of winter pansies and violas to choose from, in dynamic colors including purple, blue, red, white, and orange. They can range from bright yellow to dark purple. Some violas and pansies come with bicolor combinations, or you can get mixes featuring blends of colors.
‘Plant them now, and these resilient flowers will continue blooming through winter, adding charm and colour throughout the Christmas season and beyond,’ adds Emma Fell.
Plant pansies into late fall, up until the first frosts, into containers or at the front of flower beds that get lots of seasonal sun. For an eclectic mix of plants, this six-pack of multicolored live pansy plants at Walmart can be planted up for a wonderful display of winter blooms.
Michael Clarke is the founder of Yardwork and Pulled, the online platforms for everything home and garden. He has a degree in landscape architecture and horticulture from the University of California Davis. He was previously the founder of a landscape development and maintenance company.
3. Cyclamen
These small perennials are perfect for providing a splash of color in winter, when little else is out. If you like the idea of small white, pink and purple flowers during the colder months, then varieties of Cyclamen coum are perfect for this.
There are 23 different species of cyclamen, including ones that flower in the fall and tender indoor cyclamen types suited for growing as indoor plants. But Cyclamen coum is a classic winter-flowering plant, with delicate flowers on tall stems atop rounded leaves.
‘Perfect for shaded areas, these plants thrive in cool conditions,' says Emma. ‘Plant them in pots or garden beds now, and they’ll bring a graceful touch of color to your garden or doorstep, just in time for Christmas.’
Plant cyclamen in part-shade areas of the yard, into fertile and well-draining soil types. These plants like an annual mulch with leaf mold, as it helps to mimic their natural woodland habitats.
You can get a hardy Cyclamen coum plant at Nature Hills to enjoy pink-purple flowers in variegated heart-shaped foliage in winter and spring.
4. Winter Jasmine
If you want a winter-flowering shrub to plant in the fall that can bring delight on gloomy, cold days, then winter jasmine may be one of the best you can pick. With bright yellow flowers blooming on bare stems, it is a unique frost-hardy winter climber to brighten even the bitterest winter days.
Emma Fell describes the standout blooms of winter jasmine as a ‘stunning contrast to the winter landscape’. She adds: ‘Plant now in a sunny or partially shaded location, and they will bloom early in winter, making them a perfect addition to any Christmas display.’
To grow winter jasmine successfully, plant it in a sunny, sheltered spot. It thrives in rich, well-draining soil, and adding organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure, before planting provides essential plant nutrients to get it off to a great start.
You can get a live Jasminum nudiflorum plant at Amazon suitable for growing in zones 5-10.
5. Cold-hardy greens
If you want last-minute planting ideas before winter for your vegetable garden, then cold-hardy greens are definitely the way to go. You can plant the likes of spinach, bok choy, mustards, or corn salad into vegetable beds, raised beds, or cold frames to provide tasty harvest through winter and into spring.
‘These are simple, low-effort choices that overwinter and ‘wake up’ in spring, giving you that confidence booster and food long before anything planted in spring catches up,’ claims Tiffany Rodriguez, the founder of Growing With Tiff. ‘I always mulch heavily with leaves or straw to lock in warmth and moisture, and I add a row cover as a winter blanket.’
For quick wins and earlier harvests, harvest the greens as a cut-and-come-again vegetable. This can start by snipping baby leaves, which can be as little as a month after sowing seeds outdoors or even less if you buy seedlings to transplant into your veg plot before winter.
Covering plants with frost cloth, as suggested by Tiffany, helps to get seeds and young plants off to a good start by protecting plants from frost. It also helps you to overwinter vegetables and keep the harvest coming. Alternatively, cover plants with cloches or portable cold frames to protect them from the worst of the winter cold.
Tiffany Rodriguez is the founder of Growing With Tiff and Tiff’s Haus, where she combines garden education, floral artistry and event design to create meaningful experiences that bridge nature, beauty and connection. Through her workshops, designs and mentorship, she’s inspired home gardeners and creators from New York to New Jersey, Texas, and beyond.
If you are looking for even more planting inspiration, we are here to help. These guides to vegetables to plant in November and flowers to sow in November contain lots of information and expert advice. The reward can be crops to harvest throughout the colder months and earlier blooms in spring.
For plants in containers, these winter pot covers protect roots from frost. They have a drawstring, making it easy to cover and uncover pots.
A row cover can protect outdoor plants from the cold. This one provides up to 28°F frost protection. Either put it over rows or individual plants.
Burlap is a breathable fabric to use for protecting plants from frost. This roll is 40 inches wide and 15 feet long; it can be cut to size for individual plants.
A pack of four floral-patterned gardening gloves to protect hands when planting. They are made of polyester and PVC and have reinforced fingertips.
These garden snips have fully hardened, precision-ground, multi-use stainless steel blades. They are ideal for snipping cut-and-come-again leafy greens in winter.
This portable cold frame is made of cedar wood and 3.5mm polycarbonate. It can be placed directly on the ground to protect plants in the winter.
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