Winter Plants We Love: Camellias, Azaleas & Crape Myrtles
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | The Greenery, Inc.
Winter in the southeast doesn’t look like winter everywhere else and a big reason for that is the plants we build our landscapes around. While much of the country turns dormant and grey for almost half the year, our landscapes can hold color and life well into the coldest months. Three plants, in particular, earn a permanent place on our list of winter favorites for our area: camellias, azaleas, and crape myrtles.
Camellias: The Queen of the Winter Garden
If you’ve ever driven past a yard in January and noticed vibrant color, chances are you were looking at a camellia.
Camellias bloom when almost nothing else dares to. Depending on the variety, you’ll see flowers from October all the way through March, with blooms ranging from pure white and soft blush to deep crimson and candy-stripe. Camellia japonica tends to peak mid-winter, while Camellia sasanqua gets going earlier in the fall and carries you through into the new year.
Beyond the flowers, camellias are serious landscape workhorses. Their dense, glossy evergreen foliage provides year-round structure and privacy. They prefer a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, and they’re happiest in slightly acidic, well-draining soil.
Camellias are generally hearty plants that can last for decades. In fact, some of the camellias growing in Lowcountry gardens today were planted by previous generations.
Azaleas: Spring’s Most Dramatic Entrance
Azaleas enjoy their “moment” each spring during the Masters golf tournament. They add a dash of color among the lush fairways and breathtaking landscape of Augusta. Viewers from around the country long to have the same beauty in their own landscapes because few things in the gardening world compare to a mature azalea in full bloom. One week you have a tidy green shrub, and the next it’s smothered in flowers so dense you can barely see the foliage. For a few weeks each spring, azaleas transform entire neighborhoods.
Azaleas thrive in our climate, particularly the Southern Indian hybrid varieties that have been staples here for over a century. They like dappled shade (think under the canopy of a live oak or longleaf pine), acidic soil, and good drainage.
One thing worth knowing: azaleas don’t need much fuss, but timing your pruning matters. If you cut them back in summer or fall, you’ll remove the buds that are already forming for next spring’s bloom. It’s best to prune right after they finish flowering.
Over the years, we’ve come to appreciate azaleas not just for their bloom but for what they do the other eleven months of the year. A well-placed azalea anchors a planting bed, softens a foundation, and brings pollinators in when little else is blooming.
Crape Myrtles: Summer Bloomers with Year-Round Character
Crape myrtles bloom in the heat of summer, when most plants are just trying to survive producing flowers in white, red, and every shade in between. But their appeal doesn’t end when the flowers do. In fall, the foliage turns rich shades of orange, red, and gold. In winter, they can become the focal point in the garden.
They’re drought-tolerant once established, love full sun, and are perfectly suited to our hot, humid summers. Plant them where they have room to grow into their natural form and they’ll be very successful.
And we strongly discourage “crape murder” (as it’s called in the horticulture world). This incorrect pruning leaves crape myrtles with ugly stubs that weaken the tree’s structure producing spindly growth that’s more susceptible to disease. If your crape myrtle is getting too large for its space, the right answer is to select a smaller variety not to haphazardly chop off all its limbs.
These three plants have stood the test of time among Southern landscapes for good reasons – their reliability and beauty year after year. They’re the foundation of a landscape that looks intentional and alive no matter the time of year.
