Hardy Winter Plants

Lenten Rose

• The Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) is a perennial that is evergreen from USDA zones 6 to 9, meaning that even in areas where the annual average lows reach minus 10 F, the Lenten rose retain its dark green leaves. This flowering perennial will grow in weather as cold as Zone 4 and -30 Fahrenheit, but will lose its evergreen qualities.

  The plant's compound leaves can be up to 18 inches long, and the plant itself can be up to 20 inches tall. It flowers in the winter, beginning as early as February. Most have white flowers with a pink or purple hue, but there are varieties that are solid pink or purple. Flowers emerge even through a covering of snow, and even if the ground freezes the plant will easily weather the chill without losing leaves; in fact, it will bloom when the ground begins to thaw.

Wintergreen

• The wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is a broadleaf evergreen rated for USDA Zones 3 through 8. This short ground-cover plant has distinctive dark green and white mottled leaves that remain throughout the winter months. A member of the heath family, it is a woodland plant native to northern states such as Minnesota and areas up into Canada.

  Remaining green through winter lows of minus 40 F, wintergreen leaves take on a purple hue in the autumn that persists through the winter. They flower in the summer months, developing small white flowers. Once the flowers drop, the plant develops red berries that last through the winter.

  Wintergreen plants are the source for wintergreen flavoring, as well as once being used for tea and in the preparation of poultices. Berries are edible by humans and wildlife; they attract birds to the garden and can also be picked and used on salads or even eaten raw.

Christmas Fern

• The Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) gets its name because of its evergreen qualities, and its inclusion in Christmas decorations. Fronds can reach a length of up to 3 feet, but are a narrow 4 inches. There are two different types of fronds; those that are sterile are smaller than their spore-producing counterparts.

  Christmas ferns are native to the north and northeastern sections of North America, through Canada and reaching into North Carolina. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map shows annual average lows well into the negatives, yet the Christmas fern remains green throughout the cold months. They typically grow in clumps, and can provide not just fresh green decorations for the home, but much-needed shelter for ground-nesting birds and other small wildlife throughout the winter snows.