Our favourite February plants

Find more February inspiration:

• Plants for beautiful February pots
• Five cut flowers for February
• Perennials for February

Loropetalum

Chosen by Nick Bailey, Gardeners' World presenter

For fabulously cheery burgundy winter foliage, splashed with pink and white on varieties like 'Jazz Hands', you can’t beat this 1.5m tall shrub. It’s a great container specimen and has the bonus of eye-catching deep pink witch hazel-like blooms in the depths of winter.

• How to grow loropetalum

Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'

Chosen by Sue Kent, Gardeners' World presenter

I’ve always wanted a Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' and finally I bought one last year and put it in a pot by the front door. Its beautiful, highly scented pink flowers excite the senses ready for spring

• How to grow daphnes

Rhododendron dauricum

Chosen by Errol Reuben Fernandes, The Great Garden Revolution presenter

I love the deciduous rhododendrons, for me, they offer much more dynamic change through the season, are easier to combine with other plants and are often more tolerant of alkaline soils, such as mine in London, than the evergreens. The foliage of this medium sized shrub is small and aromatic when brushed against and in mid-winter it is covered in small purple flowers borne on silver branches. When frosted, the shrub appears to be sprinkled with candied violets.

• How to grow rhododendrons

Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum

Chosen by Gynelle Leon, Prick Ltd founder

The tree philodendron adds so much tropical drama to a room. I enjoy running my hands over the large, glossy foliage every time I walk past, which grounds me and provides a quick connection with nature.

• House plants with large leaves

Crocus tommasinianus

Chosen by Emma Crawforth, horticultural editor

Crocus tommasinianus forms huge mauve carpets that look spectacular and attract early pollinators like bumblebees. All crocuses are such welcome signs of spring, but this reliable, early-flowering variety is the best for naturalising in lawns.

• How to grow crocuses

Forsythia

Chosen by Catherine Mansley, digital editor

Forsythia gets a bad press – gardeners dismiss it as municipal and boring because it is ubiquitous. But the reason for its ubiquity is that it's reliable and easy to grow. Its vibrant (yes, maybe slightly garish) yellow flowers are like tiny rays of sun on cold, gloomy days.

• How to grow forsythia

Phlomis russeliana

Chosen by Oliver Parsons, horticultural sub-editor

This is a classic summer plant but I love it for its weird seedheads in winter. They have a fantastic silhouette in low, winter light, and are held in a way that I can only liken as follows: perfectly spaced mushrooms on a kebab stick. I did say they were weird!

• How to grow phlomis

Snowdrops

Chosen by Miranda Janatka, senior content creator

There are so many wonderful snowdrops to enjoy, but you are likely to spot Galanthus ‘Nivalis’ popping up in gardens and woodlands, or even rural roadsides. The plants either self-seed or are planted around by those who really adore them. The delicate flowers have pretty green markings and are best viewed from the ground up.

• How to grow snowdrops

Hazel

Chosen by Lily Middleton, content creator

Hazel has to be my February pick, mainly due to it's wonderful catkins which I've only recently started to admire. These long, yellow, flower clusters are lovely sight before our gardens burst into the spring.