Hardy Perennials and Flowers for the Winter Garden

By Rose Rodriguez Published October 21, 2017 Updated June 21, 2022

Hardy is defined as being able to withstand the cold of winter in the open air, in terms of plants. Hardy perennials are those plants that withstand exposure to winter cold and come back every year. This is actually a broad group, many of which are undervalued as garden and nursery plants. At Plant Delights Nursery we aim to broaden what many gardeners consider hardy perennials and useful garden and nursery plants.

Orchids do not usually come to mind when thinking of hardy perennials. Orchids are more associated with words such as exotic, rare, beautiful, and temperamental. The Lady slipper orchids, or cypripedium, are definitely all of these things but are also hardy, with some tolerating extremes as cold as zone 2a. That’s extremes of - 50 degrees Fahrenheit… so if it will survive that, it has to be called a hardy perennial. Orchids are still temperamental, though. If you want a hardy orchid that's also really easy to grow, try our Bletilla varieties or our Spiranthes. They make truly magnificent garden and nursery plants for orchid lovers of any level.

Another group of hardy perennials that don't get enough attention are the hostas. Some can tolerate cold temperatures to zone 3a and they come in a massive assortment of shapes, leaf colors, sizes, and variegation. Because of their cold tolerance and variety, hostas make wonderful design plants in the garden. Plant Delights breeds many of their own hostas, increasing the varieties available to gardeners and offers a huge assortment of nursery plants available.

Plant Delights is always trialing and researching plants to find the next hardy perennial. Our diversity and number of perennials makes us stand out. The hardy nursery plants we sell will make you rethink what comes to mind as hardy. Be sure to check out our online plant catalog to think about hardy plants in a new way and to purchase them.

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