Winter isn't over yet. We're just pushing the calendar to mid February. But likely Mother Nature still has a lot to say on the subject. With the current dreariness of the outdoors, what plants can you look for that hold their own for late winter to early spring and then explode with color?

Here are 5 tried and true faves.

Helleborus Early Spring Blooming Perennials

You may have heard them called Lenten Rose or Christmas Rose, but these low growing evergreen perennials are lovely come late February through March. Available in bloom colors of black, golden, pink, white, coral and mixed, enjoy dappled, lightly shaded spaces. They begin as shy blooms looking to the ground. Then as they open the blooms look further upwards with confidence. Clip the open blooms and enjoy indoors in little bud vases. Grows in zones 4 to 9 in part to full shade.

Witch Hazel Yellow Flowering Shrub For Late Winter

If you've ever noticed yellow flowering shrubs in wooded areas during late February to March, likely it was Witch Hazel. This native grows beautifully in woodland settings, light shade, and northern facing gardens. The yellow flowers look like shreds or strings hanging from a ball. Interesting! The branches of the witch hazel shrubs are used for dowsing or divining rods, an art that is still around today. A popular medicinal plant, its dried leaves are commonly used to make teas and ointments for easing inflammation and calming skin irritations plus many other ailments. To learn more of Witch Hazel shrub medicinal properties, click here: Healthline

Winter Honeysuckle Flowering Shrub

Just as leaves begin to unfurl, creamy white flowers sprout open emitting this wondrous, sweet fragrance. Next to Sweetbay Magnolia, the winter honeysuckle has the most unique smell. It reminds me of what perfume may have been like centuries ago. With it wide growing range, this shrub grows well in zones 3 to 9 in full sun to partly sunny spaces. This is a shrub honeysuckle - not an invasive honeysuckle vine. Although we do have the Lonicera Scentsation which is a non-invasive honeysuckle vine that flowers in spring to summer. 

Years...many years ago when I managed our shipping deparment, in March plants would be coming in from the fields. Every spring, there would be this one day when the winter honeysuckle would be brought in. The blooms, just beginning to open, would fill up the area with the sweetest, most captivating fragrance. Plant this shrub near your outdoor sitting areas to enjoy the allure yourself.

Okame Cherry Blossom Tree

The Okame is the first flowering cherry blossom tree of late winter or early spring, depending on your location. White to pink blooms adorn the striking branch structure of the trees. Grows in zones 5b to 8. Since the Okame is an earlier bloomer than the Kwanzan or Yoshino, the blooms are not quite as susceptible to late winter temperatures changes. Plant in full sun with good air circulation and drainage to keep your tree living a long life.

Golden Forsythia Shrub

One of the most recognizable shrubs in March is the Golden Forsythia. Tiny yellow flower cover the long weeping branches for weeks in late February or early March depending on your local temperatures. Forsythia grows best in zones 5 to 9 in partial to full sun. Limiting pruning only to damaged branches allows the shrubs to form the weeping shape. Good choice for shrub hedges and foundation plantings. Clip flowering branches to enjoy indoors in tall weighted vases.