Although winters in Palm Beach Gardens don’t get quite as cold as the blustery winters further north, plants in our growing zone still experience seasonal changes in temperature, weather, and daylight. This means some of the most-loved winter plants up north are our favorite plants for winter in Palm Beach Gardens, too! Our florists at Flower Kingdom put together a list of our top-five favorite plants that bloom during the coldest months everywhere.
Delightful Amaryllis
1. Amaryllis
These beautiful plants bloom with clusters or large, bright-red flowers that are perfect for the holiday season. Once planted, amaryllis bulbs will generally bloom within six to eight weeks, which makes it easy to time their cultivation for a flowery holiday season.
A cousin of the lily family, amaryllis plants do contain toxins. Although they’re not as poisonous as lilies, they can harm people, cats, and dogs who accidentally ingest them. It’s important to keep your winter amaryllis plants out of the reach of small children and your household pets.
Kalanchoe
2. Kalanchoe
These lovely succulents bloom with bright, cheerful colors like red, pink, yellow, orange, and white for months on end with flowers that start in the fall and can last until spring.
Since kalanchoe succulents are native to the desert, they prefer environments with relatively low humidity, which means they fare best as indoor, air-conditioned plants in southern Florida. To enjoy your kalanchoe plant for years to come, provide it with lots of sunlight, a well-draining soil, and water it sparingly.
Phalaenopsis Orchid
3. Orchids
Orchids are one of the most beautiful types of flowers, and there are actually almost 30,000 different orchid species growing around the world, which makes them most of the diverse types of flowers, too. We love orchids for their interestingly shaped and colored petals. They’re also perfect for winter, as they respond temperature. As it grows colder, orchids begin to bloom.
Large Red Poinsettia
4. Poinsettia
Poinsettia plants are a winter and holiday favorite. They begin to bloom when the days grow short enough. Although many people think poinsettia flowers are their brightly colored leaves (bracts), the plant’s flowers are actually the small, yellow clusters found at the center of the bracts. You’re likely most familiar with red and white variations of poinsettias, but they’re also available in orange, yellow, and pink!
Potted poinsettias in any color make perfectly festive tabletop decorations for celebrating Christmas and the New Year. To keep it healthy through the season make sure it has plenty of indirect sunlight and soil which is kept moist, but never soggy.
Christmas Cactus
5. Christmas Cactus
The Christmas cactus is another popular winter plant. These cacti, which are native to humid forests of Brazil, do not tolerate drought as well as their cactus and succulent cousins from the desert. Christmas cactuses will actually thrive in Florida’s humidity. Just in time for the holidays, Christmas cacti bloom in delicate, tubular flowers in a variety of fun colors for the holidays like red, pink, magenta, orange, and white.
If you notice your “Christmas” cactus blooming at odd times closer to Thanksgiving or Easter, then odds are your cactus is actually a Thanksgiving cactus or Easter cactus. There are subtle physical differences between these varieties, but it’s easiest to tell them apart by when they bloom.
Winter Growing in USDA Hardiness Zone 10
Yes, the days are shorter during winter, but right now is the best time for plants in hot Florida. Lots of different species of flowering and non-flowering plants thrive in Palm Beach Gardens warm, sunny, and humid weather. In the USDA’s hardiness zone 10, light-sensitive and temperature-sensitive plants like amaryllis, poinsettia, and orchids start to bloom and produce color once the temperatures dip and the daylight shortens.
Whether you’re tending an outdoor garden or looking for winter blooming plants to decorate indoors, we welcome you to contact our florists at Flower Kingdom for personalized advice and winter plant recommendations.
