It sounds like you are OK with different parts of your garden having leaves and bloom, not the same plot, right?

I read that cyclamen bloom in winter or at least can handle the cold.

Other than evergreen bushes, my rain lilies, monkey grass, columbine, green onion continue to be green and alive during the winter. I prefer small bushes of rosemary, because I like the green needle leaves, rather than long bare branches of the older rosemary bushes.

Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) can do well in north Texas shade, though slow growing. Snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum), Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica), and various Narcissus bloom early and naturalize in many parts of the state. Flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica) provides one of the earliest shrub shows in our area.

Winter jasmine blooms in my neighborhood north of Fort Worth in late January, early February. It's a shrub with a shape like bridal veil (fountainish) with yellow blooms.

Once established, paperwhites bloom anywhere from Thanksgiving until February, as bostedo mentioned. My earliest bloomer is a groundcover, blue speedwell. The flowers are tiny but they do bloom in the February-March time frame.

Another early bulb I grew at a different house in the area was 'windflower' or anemone. They always surprised me in January and I grew them near the front door so I didn't miss their low blooms.

Thank you all. I'll put the bulbs on my fall to do list, and then early next spring I'll have a few blooms to enjoy. Now to find a spot for a couple more shrubs.

Michelle

You'll have to research if these will grow in your area but a couple more possibilities are dianthus, alyssum and calendula for winter color.