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Annuals for the Winter Season
Pansy and Ornamental Kale
It may seem odd at first, but some of the most colorful plants grown in winter landscapes are annuals. The two most common plants are the pansy with its cheerful blooms and ornamental kale with its brightly colored leaves.
:Kale (and ornamental cabbage) come with ruffled leaves in a variety of colors--purple, red, white, and pink. Ornamental kale is really just a variety of the garden plant.
Kale will not tolerate summer heat but is extremely cold tolerant. It will survive temperatures down to five degrees Fahrenheit, providing it has time to acclimate. Moderate frosts will intensify the coloring, though a sudden drop in temperature can damage or kill kale.
The plants are usually purchased from a garden center in the fall as temperatures are cooling. Planting close to or after the first fall frost reduces the chance of pests such as cabbage loopers to become established.
The strongest colors appear as temperatures drop and the plant undergoes several frosts. Kale does best when planted in full sun in a moist rich soil. With some luck, ornament kale will survive the cold, snow, sleet, or anything else your local winter conditions will throw at it. By March, your kale will be ready to surrender its landscaping duties to the spring bulbs, crocus, daffodils, and tulips.
Johnny-Jump-Up
A compact annual or short-lived perennial the johnny jump up grows to about 10 inches. A native of the Spanish Pyrenees, it is a close relative of the pansy and its flowers are quite similar though smaller. This flower has been used extensively in gardens and has escaped from cultivation to roadsides and fields throughout much of the United States.
The vibrant blooms are deep purple and yellow, creating a solid carpet of color for weeks. Often the veins of the blooms are of a contrasting color. Plant in the fall and grow in partial shade to full sun in rich, well-drained soil. Like pansies, johnny jump up sometimes reseeds itself for new plants the following year.
Other Plants for Winter
If you want plants that are beautiful in winter months, your best bet is to plant evergreen shrubs and grouncovers. Holly is not only for decking the halls, its dark green leaves and berries that turn from green to red ive some cheer to the browns and whites of winter.
Red leaf shrubs such as nandina and barberry are easy to grow shrubs that become more colorful in cold weather.
Late winter flowering bulbs crocus and snowdrops herald the coming of spring.
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The strongest colors appear as temperatures drop and the plant undergoes several frosts. Kale does best when planted in full sun in a moist rich soil. With some luck, ornament kale will survive the cold, snow, sleet, or anything else your local winter conditions will throw at it. By March, your kale will be ready to surrender its landscaping duties to the 
A compact annual or short-lived perennial the johnny jump up grows to about 10 inches. A native of the Spanish Pyrenees, it is a close relative of the pansy and its flowers are quite similar though smaller. This flower has been used extensively in gardens and has escaped from cultivation to roadsides and fields throughout much of the United States.