Newsletter Articles
Winter Flowers for Pollinators in Southern California
Written by David S.
Short answer: The best winter flowers for Southern California gardens are calendula, sweet alyssum, and pansies. All three bloom through the cool season, shrug off the light frosts typical of our mild winters, and feed bees and other pollinators when little else is in flower. Plant them in fall for color from winter into early spring.
Winter is a hard time for pollinators. While many overwinter, some, like many species of bees, keep looking for nectar and pollen on warm days. This post covers some of the plants that bloom in winter in Southern California, with a few tips on caring for them. Planting flowers that bloom in winter is just one of the many ways you can help pollinators survive their most challenging season.
What Flowers Bloom in Winter in Southern California?
In Southern California, calendula, sweet alyssum, and pansies all bloom through winter and keep feeding pollinators long after the summer flowers are gone. This guide zeroes in on the easiest pollinator-friendly picks; for a wider range of cool-season color, see our guide to winter-blooming flowers for a Southern California garden. Violas and Johnny jump ups, close cousins of the pansy, add even more cool-season color. Most of coastal and inland Southern California sits in USDA zones 9 through 11, so these cool-season annuals bloom outdoors right through the winter here, when they would be frozen out in colder regions. If you want more year-round pollinator habitat, pair them with California native plants.
| Winter flower | Bloom season in SoCal | Sun | Spacing | Pollinators it feeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendula | Fall into winter | Full sun to part shade | About 5 inches apart | Bees and butterflies |
| Sweet alyssum | Spring, fall, and winter (nearly year-round in zone 10) | Full sun | 3 to 4 inches apart | Bees, hoverflies, and beneficial insects |
| Pansy and viola | Fall, winter, and early spring | Full sun to part shade | 6 to 10 inches apart | Early emerging bees |
How to plant winter flowers in Southern California:
- Plant in fall, about six weeks before your average first frost, so the roots establish before the coldest weather.
- Space them by type: calendula about 5 inches apart, sweet alyssum 3 to 4 inches apart, and pansies 6 to 10 inches apart.
- Give them full sun to part shade and rich, well-draining soil.
- Keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy through the cool season.
Calendula: Bright Color from Fall into Winter
Calendula is a lovely cool-season bloomer that keeps flowering through the mild frosts of a Southern California winter. It comes in a variety of colors, with yellow and orange being the most common, and it can be a bright spot on a gloomy day. Calendula is a cool-season annual, so it does its best work in the mild months when summer flowers fade, and its daisy-like blooms draw bees and butterflies, according to NC State Extension.
Plant Care for Calendula
Sun: Full sun to partial shade. Calendula tends to do poorly in hot weather, which is one of the reasons it is so wonderful in fall and winter in Southern California.
Soil: It will grow in most soil types but will thrive in rich, loamy soil with plenty of organic matter.
Planting: Calendula is best grown in clumps or borders. It will be fine as a single plant, but for that dramatic burst of color you want to plant in groups. The larger the group, the more drama and color. Plant seeds or seedlings about five inches apart.
Calendula is excellent in pots, as a border plant along a walkway, or in clumps on the edge of your flower beds. The vivid color attracts pollinators and adds a lovely burst of color to your yard. As a bonus, calendula is an excellent plant for deterring pests.
Sweet Alyssum: Spring, Fall, and Winter
In zone 10 you can enjoy sweet alyssum almost year-round. Its tiny blooms are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. If you are new to growing sweet alyssum, these are small plants that may reach only six inches in height, but they are lovely in pots and come in a mix of white, purple, and even yellow. Clemson Cooperative Extension notes that this cool-season annual attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, along with beneficial insects such as hoverflies and parasitoid wasps that help control garden pests.
Sun: Full sun is best. Alyssum can get a stem rot disease if the plants do not dry out, which is a problem in the shade. In the hot Southern California summers, shaded areas are okay for alyssum.
Soil: Alyssum needs well-draining soil. If you are planting in a pot, add a few cups of aggregate (sand, vermiculite, perlite, or coconut coir) to organic compost. A simple approach is a 50:50 mixture of potting soil and a soil mix that is 75% compost and 25% aggregate. Healthy, well-draining soil starts with good soil building.
Planting: Plant sweet alyssum 3 to 4 inches apart. It will spread as it grows and fill in the gaps between plants. Sweet alyssum is a beautiful plant for small pots or along the edge in mixed containers. It also grows well as a border plant along sidewalks and pathways, and it has a lovely habit of spilling over an edge, which makes it ideal for places where low-growing plants are a plus. If you love to design spilled containers, alyssum is an excellent choice for those dramatic flowerpot designs.
Pansy: A Bright Face in Winter
Pansy plants love a little cold weather and do well in zones 9, 10, and even zone 11 during the winter months. When few other plants are blooming, pansies are reliable, and they come in a fantastic variety of bright colors that shine on gloomy days. Pansies and their smaller cousins, violas and Johnny jump ups, are cool-season favorites. In mild-winter areas like ours, UC IPM recommends setting out nursery plants in fall for bloom through winter and into spring, and those early flowers give emerging bees a welcome source of nectar.
Sun: Full sun is what pansies love, especially in fall, winter, and early spring. Plant pansies about six weeks before your first frost date so the roots can become established. The plants may die back during freezing weather and then emerge again with blooms.
Soil: Pansies grow best in rich, loamy soil that offers plenty of nutrients but also drains well. A good goal is to keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy. Aggregates are a vital ingredient in helping soil shed excess water.
Planting: Space pansy plants about 6 to 10 inches apart so they have room to fill in. Pansies make a great show because of the vast variety of colorful blooms, especially when placed in large clusters. Their small stature makes them excellent in rock gardens, small cluster plantings, and borders, and perfect for front-row seating in flower beds or for filling small gaps in containers.
Winter Flowers for Pollinators: Common Questions
What flowers grow in winter in Southern California?
Calendula, sweet alyssum, and pansies are the easiest winter flowers to grow in Southern California, and violas add even more color. All of them bloom through the cool season and feed bees and other pollinators when summer flowers are finished.
Are pansies good for bees?
Yes. Pansies and violas bloom in the cool season when few other flowers are open, so they give early emerging bees a source of nectar and pollen. Plant them in fall for winter and early spring color.
Do bees like sweet alyssum?
Yes. Sweet alyssum is one of the most bee-friendly cool-season flowers. Its tiny, fragrant blooms draw honey bees and native bees, along with beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitoid wasps.
When should I plant winter flowers in Southern California?
Plant cool-season flowers in fall, about six weeks before your average first frost, so the roots establish before the coldest weather. In most of Southern California you can keep planting through winter.
Are winter flowers frost tolerant?
Calendula, sweet alyssum, and pansies all handle the light frosts typical of a Southern California winter. Pansies are the toughest of the three; they may die back in a hard freeze and then rebound with new blooms.
Two Products that Help Winter Flowers Thrive
Aggregates are a group of materials that are essential for building well-draining soil. The group includes gravel, sand, vermiculite, perlite, coconut coir, and other materials. An excellent product for increasing soil drainage in garden beds, flower beds, and containers is FoxFarm Cultivation Nation, a blend of 70% perlite and 30% coconut coir. With it you gain a stable mix of ingredients that absorb water and help excess water drain away from plant roots. Over time the coconut coir decomposes and adds nutrients to the soil. Healthy soil is light, airy, and full of nutrients, and adding this kind of amendment to dense soil lets the microbes increase their activity, which supports better nutrient development and aeration. You can also use a plain aggregate such as perlite, sand, or vermiculite on its own.
Mulch is a top-layer amendment for soil. In winter, mulch helps slow weed growth and provides a little insulation for plants and plant roots. The natural decomposition of mulch returns some nutrients to the soil as it breaks down. At Green Thumb Nursery we stock a variety of mulches and decorative mulches, so stop in and explore your options. Other products you might love include liquid fertilizers. Compost teas are an easy way to keep fertilizer on hand and let you mix up small batches, and because they are liquid they are immediately available to plants. You can pair them with time-release fertilizers too.
As you get ready to winterize your yard, consider adding flowering plants that attract pollinators. We encourage you to stop by any of our five Southern California locations and browse the range of winter-blooming flowers and the products that support them. Be sure to chat with our plant experts, as they can help point you to flowers that fit your project and products that support winter-blooming plants.
Sources:
- Clemson Cooperative Extension: Sweet Alyssum
- NC State Extension: Calendula officinalis
- UC IPM: Pansy and Violet
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