7 Best Winter Plants for Your Balcony Garden

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++Winter Heath (Erica carnea)

This evergreen dwarf shrub grows up to about twelve inches tall and brings a much-needed pop of color to winter window boxes with its bell-shaped flowers in white, pink, or deep red. The blooms look stunning against the needle-like, dark green foliage. Winter heath loves sunny to partially shaded spots and does just fine in standard potting soil. Just a heads-up: these plants are sensitive to “wet feet,” so make sure your containers have excellent drainage. If you prune your winter heath back in the spring, it’ll reliably set new buds for the following fall.

++Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)

Creeping phlox is incredibly low-maintenance and works beautifully in balcony boxes. During the winter, its needle-like leaves stay on the plant, keeping your display looking fresh and green. Come April, you’ll be rewarded with a carpet of flowers in shades of white, pink, lavender, or crimson. Some varieties even feature “eyes” in contrasting colors. Just make sure to give it a large enough container so it has plenty of room to spread out.

++Evergreen Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)

This eye-catcher provides lush green foliage all year round. From April to May, it covers itself in snow-white blossoms that look like delicate little bows. This sun-loving plant prefers full sun, where it will form a dense mat and eventually spill over the edges of your pots for a lovely trailing effect. Even though it loves the warmth of the sun, candytuft is very winter-hardy.

++Coral Bells (Heuchera)

The smaller hybrid varieties of this plant family are perfect for pots and boxes. Since they are evergreen, they keep your balcony colorful even when it’s freezing out. Starting in May, these beauties send up tiny white, pink, or red bell-shaped flowers that seem to float like a cloud above the foliage. Coral bells prefer partial shade, so if your balcony is very sunny, you might want to provide them with a little afternoon shade.

++Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger)

Right when frost and snow have the rest of the garden in a chokehold, the Christmas Rose shows off its large, white blossoms. Depending on the spot, buds can open as early as January. For balcony boxes, look for compact varieties that stay under twelve inches tall. To make sure they come back every year, keep them on a shadier balcony or move them to a spot protected from direct summer sun during the hotter months.

++English Ivy (Hedera helix)

With leaves that range from solid green to variegated—and often turn a reddish tint in the fall—ivy is a classic year-round choice. It can be trained up a trellis for a dense privacy screen, but the trailing vines of English ivy also look fantastic mixed with other plants in a window box. Just be careful not to put it in a spot that’s too sunny; in long cold snaps, the leaves can actually dry out if the sun is too intense.

++Snowdrops (Galanthus)

With their slender leaves and iconic white, drooping bells, snowdrops are the ultimate symbols of early spring. They are super easy to grow on a balcony. You can tuck the bulbs into your containers in the fall, or buy pre-potted plants from the garden center starting in January. Keep them in partial to full shade, as these delicate spring flowers can dry out quickly in direct sun.

%%Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)

With its bright red berries and dark green leaves, winter-hardy wintergreen is the perfect antidote to gray winter days. It also produces pretty white or pink bell-shaped flowers from July to August. This hardy little shrub only grows about 8 inches tall, making it a perfect fit for balcony boxes. As a bog plant, it loves moist soil, so don’t forget to water it regularly even in winter. One quick tip: those bright berries are toxic, so make sure to keep the plant out of reach of curious kids who might be tempted to try them.