Sweet Alyssum

It's too bad that sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) grows so low to the ground: The mounded masses of tiny white, pink, lavender, or violet blooms smell like honey. You can bring this groundcover closer to nose level by planting it in containers, window boxes, or hanging baskets.

Moonflower

The white morning-glory flowers of moonflower (Ipomoea alba) appear to glow at night when its luscious sweet scent attracts pollinators. The blooms of this annual vine open in the evening and close each morning. Grow in full sun.

Petunia

Grow old-fashioned varieties of petunias (Petunia selections) for a spicy, clove-like scent. The funnel-shaped flowers come in many sizes and color patterns.

Sweet Alyssum

Producing mounds of tiny, fragrant flowers in pink, white, or lavender, sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is a favorite cool-season flower for garden beds and containers. It's usually grown as an annual, but is a short-lived perennial in Zones 9 and warmer. It can withstand temperatures down to about 28° F if well established.

Calendula

The cheery yellow, cream, or orange blossoms of calendula (Calendula officinalis) light up a garden. Also known as pot marigold (though not related to marigolds), calendula flowers are edible. The peppery petals may be used as a garnish for salads or stirred into cream cheese or dips. For the best winter show, look for newer varieties that have better cold tolerance and a longer bloom time such as 'Winter Wonders Amber Arctic'.

Honeywort

This may be the most unusual-looking winter-blooming flower. Native to the Mediterranean, honeywort (Cerinthe major purpurascens) has silvery blue-green leaves and blue-purple tubular flowers and bracts. Honeywort is considered a hardy annual or short-lived perennial, depending on where it grown. It blooms in winter in Zones 9 and warmer. In Zones 7-8 it can be planted in fall for an early spring bloom. The plant can tolerate light frosts but a hard freeze will kill it.

Sweet Peas

Annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)  prefers cool temperatures to bloom, but won't survive hard freezes. Keep the flowers blooming in winter by mulching the plants well and covering them during frosts. Some varieties are earlier flowering, such as the Winter Sunshine and Winter Elegance series, both of which can bloom through winter in the warmest regions of Texas, California, and Florida.

Pansies

Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) are the reliable standbys for cool-weather blossoms. Their engaging "faces," or top petals, come in bold or pastel colors. Remove spent flowers to promote repeat blooming. Although they're technically perennials, pansies tend to be short-lived because they don't tolerate heat well (some varieties are more heat-tolerant than others). Pansies will bloom all winter in warmer climates.

Pinks

Pinks (Dianthus species and hybrids) are named not for their color—although many are pink—but for their serrated leaves, which look like someone cut them with pinking shears. The blooms often smell like an aromatic spice, such as nutmeg or cloves. Many types of these short-lived perennials, including China pinks (Dianthus chinensis), grow in 6- to 12-inch mounds of grasslike blue-green foliage. Sweet William (D. barbatus) reaches up to 2 feet. Cheddar pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) and maiden pinks (Dianthus deltoides) are also part of the family.

Winter Jasmine

You'll love the early burst of color from winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), a fast-growing evergreen shrubby plant that's native to Tibet and China. This cold-weather perennial offers an abundance of creamy-yellow flowers that bloom on bare stems in January or February. While it is the hardiest member of the jasmine family, it is not fragrant.

Sweet Alyssum

It's too bad that sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) grows so low to the ground: The mounded masses of tiny white, pink, lavender, or violet blooms smell like honey. You can bring this groundcover closer to nose level by planting it in containers, window boxes, or hanging baskets.

Moonflower

The white morning-glory flowers of moonflower (Ipomoea alba) appear to glow at night when its luscious sweet scent attracts pollinators. The blooms of this annual vine open in the evening and close each morning. Grow in full sun.

Petunia

Grow old-fashioned varieties of petunias (Petunia selections) for a spicy, clove-like scent. The funnel-shaped flowers come in many sizes and color patterns.

Sweet Alyssum

Producing mounds of tiny, fragrant flowers in pink, white, or lavender, sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is a favorite cool-season flower for garden beds and containers. It's usually grown as an annual, but is a short-lived perennial in Zones 9 and warmer. It can withstand temperatures down to about 28° F if well established.

Calendula

The cheery yellow, cream, or orange blossoms of calendula (Calendula officinalis) light up a garden. Also known as pot marigold (though not related to marigolds), calendula flowers are edible. The peppery petals may be used as a garnish for salads or stirred into cream cheese or dips. For the best winter show, look for newer varieties that have better cold tolerance and a longer bloom time such as 'Winter Wonders Amber Arctic'.

Honeywort

This may be the most unusual-looking winter-blooming flower. Native to the Mediterranean, honeywort (Cerinthe major purpurascens) has silvery blue-green leaves and blue-purple tubular flowers and bracts. Honeywort is considered a hardy annual or short-lived perennial, depending on where it grown. It blooms in winter in Zones 9 and warmer. In Zones 7-8 it can be planted in fall for an early spring bloom. The plant can tolerate light frosts but a hard freeze will kill it.

Sweet Peas

Annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)  prefers cool temperatures to bloom, but won't survive hard freezes. Keep the flowers blooming in winter by mulching the plants well and covering them during frosts. Some varieties are earlier flowering, such as the Winter Sunshine and Winter Elegance series, both of which can bloom through winter in the warmest regions of Texas, California, and Florida.

Pansies

Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) are the reliable standbys for cool-weather blossoms. Their engaging "faces," or top petals, come in bold or pastel colors. Remove spent flowers to promote repeat blooming. Although they're technically perennials, pansies tend to be short-lived because they don't tolerate heat well (some varieties are more heat-tolerant than others). Pansies will bloom all winter in warmer climates.

Pinks

Pinks (Dianthus species and hybrids) are named not for their color—although many are pink—but for their serrated leaves, which look like someone cut them with pinking shears. The blooms often smell like an aromatic spice, such as nutmeg or cloves. Many types of these short-lived perennials, including China pinks (Dianthus chinensis), grow in 6- to 12-inch mounds of grasslike blue-green foliage. Sweet William (D. barbatus) reaches up to 2 feet. Cheddar pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) and maiden pinks (Dianthus deltoides) are also part of the family.

Winter Jasmine

You'll love the early burst of color from winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), a fast-growing evergreen shrubby plant that's native to Tibet and China. This cold-weather perennial offers an abundance of creamy-yellow flowers that bloom on bare stems in January or February. While it is the hardiest member of the jasmine family, it is not fragrant.