31 Plants That Provide Beautiful Winter Interest

If you are anything like me, you spend your summer days in the garden and your winter days dreaming about next summer’s garden plans! Winters can be dark and dreary, but they don’t need to be. Plants that bring winter interest can transform a boring landscape. 

While planning our gardens, we often think of the blooming season. Many plants on the market have a great blooming period that leads into a winter of bright, colorful berries. Many perennials are tough enough to resist the cold and hold their shape throughout the snowy seasons. 

If you want to add plants with a pop of color or life to your winter gardens, check out this list of 31 plants perfect for giving your garden winter flair!  

American Beautyberry

	botanical name Callicarpa americana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-6 feet
	hardiness zones 6-11

American beautyberry is a year-round beauty. The shape of this shrub is elegant, with long arching branches. These shrubs will be covered in green leaves through the summer and will produce small, indiscreet flowers.

The show truly begins in the fall. In place of the flowers, bright purple berry clusters will wrap around the branches. Lasting throughout the winter, these berries will be the only thing present on the shrub. 

American beautyberry makes a great specimen shrub but is also nice when added to foundation gardens. Prune these shrubs back to one foot from the ground in late spring or early winter. They bloom on new wood. 

American Holly 

	botanical name Ilex opaca
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15-30 feet
	hardiness zones 5-10

If you are a fan of hollies and you have the space in your yard, an American holly will make quite the statement. Growing up to 30 feet tall, this large conical-shaped holly just screams Christmas!  With the classic, glossy evergreen leaves and bright red berries, American holly is what winter garden dreams are made of.

This is a large plant. You truly need to have the room for it. The good news is that it is slow-growing. Plant American hollies as a lovely evergreen hedge for privacy and beauty. 

Blue Fescue ‘Elijah Blue’

	botanical name Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 8 inches to 1 foot
	hardiness zones 4-11

Blue fescue is a sweet, small, ornamental grass with beautiful bluish-silver foliage. These short tufts of grass produce tall, tan flowers during summer. The foliage will remain year-round, adding a nice texture to your otherwise bare perennial beds. 

Blue fescue loves full sun and tolerates even the poorest soils. Divide your blue fescue every few years to encourage new growth and keep the plants healthy. 

Blue Lilyturf

	botanical name Liriope muscari
	sun requirements Partial sun to full shade
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 5-10

Blue lilyturf is an evergreen perennial grown just as much for its foliage as it is for its flowers. Resembling an ornamental grass, the foliage on blue lily turf is dark green and grows in a lovely arching shape. The clumps of foliage create a perfect bed for the spiked flowers, which bloom from summer into fall.

Blue lilyturf makes the most impact when planted in a grouping or a swath. Use this perennial as a low-growing hedge along a walkway or a front border plant for your flower beds. 

Buttercup Winterhazel

	botanical name Corylopsis pauciflora
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-6 feet
	hardiness zones 6-9

The buttercup winter hazel is a great garden shrub if you are looking for fall and late winter colors. Throughout the spring and summer, the leaves are not very notable. In autumn, the leaves will turn a fiery orange before dropping.

In late winter, red flower buds will appear on the branches and soon open to buttery yellow flowers. These flowers are long-lasting, blooming for many weeks to months!

Buttercup winterhazel is a nice specimen plant, grown mostly for its wintertime show. Add this slow-growing shrub to a woodland garden or a shrub garden in your yard. 

Camellia 

	botanical name Camellia spp.
	sun requirements Partial sun to full shade
	height 2-20 feet
	hardiness zones 6-9

Camellias are quite possibly the most popular of the winter-blooming flowering shrubs. These shrubs have glossy evergreen foliage, which creates a perfect backdrop for the stunning flowers.

Blooming in widely varied colors, from white to pink and red, there is a camellia for every garden style.  Depending on where you live, these flowers can bloom from October until May. 

Camellias grow best in partial shade. The morning sun will help protect any flowers from being scorched by afternoon sunshine. Add these shrubs to a foundation planting or woodland edge. 

Chinese Witch Hazel 

	botanical name Hamamelis mollis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-15 feet
	hardiness zones 5-8

Chinese witch hazel is a medium-sized tree known for its late winter blossoms. Throughout the growing season, Chinese witch hazel produces beautiful ovate leaves.

In late winter, Chinese witch hazel produces interesting and fragrant yellow flowers all along its bare branches. The yellow flowers are spider-like in appearance and open when the days are warm and sunny, and curl back up when it gets colder again.

Adding Chinese witch hazel to a border of shrubs makes a fun textural impact. The yellow flowers are welcome in any barren winter garden and amidst evergreen shrubs. 

Coral bark Maple ‘Winter Flame’

	botanical name Acer palmatum ‘Winter Flame’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10 feet
	hardiness zones 5-8

If you have never encountered a coral bark maple, I urge you to check this tree out. As the name states, the tree’s bark is a striking shade of coral.

The foliage will be a mid-shade of green throughout the spring and summer. When fall rolls around, the leaves turn golden-orange before falling to the ground, fully exposing the decorative bark. 

 A relative of the Japanese maple, the coralbark maple is shorter and makes for a great specimen plant in a sitting area. Due to the smaller size of this tree, it will rarely need to be pruned. 

Cornelian Cherry 

	botanical name Cornus mas
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15-25 feet
	hardiness zones 5-8

The cornelian cherry is a specimen tree that provides year-round interest. Throughout the growing season, the leaves are light green and lush.

The magic of this tree begins during late winter when small yellow clusters of flowers appear. Once these flowers fade, they will transform into bright red berries in midsummer. 

Grown typically as an ornamental shrub or tree, plant cornelian cherry trees as a specimen plant, or add it to a shrub border. 

Curly Willow

	botanical name Salix ‘Golden Curls’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 20-30 feet
	hardiness zones 5-9

The curly willow is a quick-growing willow that will spread nicely. The golden yellow branches are curly and twisty as they reach for the ground, adding drama to your winter gardens. In the springtime, these curly branches will be covered in narrow, medium-green leaves. 

Plant your willow in a wet part of your yard. They love wet soil. Plant them in a mass for a swirly display!

Early Stachyurus

	botanical name Stachyurus praecox
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-10 feet
	hardiness zones 7-9

If you have room for a large shrub, early stachyurus is one of the most glamorous late winter blooming plants. Towards the end of winter, this shrub will produce four-inch-long racemes of flowers that are said to resemble pearls. 

This shrub can get quite large, but it is well renowned and loved as a winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Plant this tree as a stunning specimen in your yard. 

Firethorn

	botanical name Pyracantha coccinea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12 feet
	hardiness zones 6-9

Firethorn is a semi-evergreen shrub that remains evergreen in mild climates. The deep green leaves create a dense screen. In the summertime, this shrub will be covered in small white flowers. Once the flowers have faded, scarlet red berries will appear and last through much of the winter. 

Firethorn is a useful shrub in many landscape instances. Plant firethorn as a dense and beautiful privacy screen. 

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick 

	botanical name Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10 feet
	hardiness zones 4-8

Harry Lauder’s walking stick is a uniquely fun shrub. Not only does it have twisted branches that beautify your garden year-round, but the flowers that bloom in the late winter will bring some much-needed color to your flower beds. These flowers are pale yellow and grow in catkins. 

Plant the walking stick as a central part of any garden. No matter the season, this shrub will attract a lot of attention, but it will add immense interest in the wintertime. Remove suckers as soon as possible to maintain a pleasing shape and keep the shrub from getting unruly. 

Heath

	botanical name Erica spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 4-8

Heaths and their cousin plants in the heather group are evergreen perennials well-loved for their winter interest. These perennials are compact and grow in mounds covered in needle-like foliage.

These perennials will bloom from late winter into the spring. The flowers are often found in shades of pink or white.

Heath loves sandy soil and full shining sun. These plants make excellent border plants or additions to rock gardens and containers. 

Hellebore 

	botanical name Helleborus spp.
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

Hellebores, commonly called Lenten roses or Christmas roses, are tough perennials that bring joyful winter color into our stark gardens. Hellebores have large leathery leaves, which are sometimes evergreen.

The show’s star, however, is the gorgeous cup-shaped blossoms that emerge anywhere from the middle of the winter into the spring. These flowers bloom in a variety of colors, from white to black. 

Hellebores are shade-loving perennials and make great additions to a foundation garden and a flower bed. Spruce up your spring containers by adding a few hellebores and then adding them to your garden once the blooming period has ended. 

Hydrangea

	botanical name Hydrangea spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-20 feet, varies significantly between species
	hardiness zones 3-8

You may not think to add these summer beauties into your garden if you are searching for winter interest, but the truth is hydrangeas can beautify your yard any time of the year. Hydrangeas come in all shapes and sizes, from smaller shrubs to climbing vines.

Yes, these shrubs are deciduous, but if you choose not to deadhead your hydrangeas, they will last nicely through most of the winter, collecting frost and snow elegantly. 

Most hydrangeas prefer to grow in the shady parts of your garden. However, panicle hydrangeas love the sun. These hydrangeas don’t need to be pruned, but if you choose to prune, it should be done in the late winter. This pruning schedule will give you lots of time to enjoy those dried hydrangea blossoms you worked so hard on all season. 

Inkberry

	botanical name Ilex glabra
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-10 feet, varies significantly between variety
	hardiness zones 4-9

Inkberry is a very versatile shrub. You will see it in many different styles of gardens due to its deep evergreen leaves and natural rounded shape.

In the springtime, inkberry shrubs will produce small white or light green flowers, which are not notable. However, these flowers will develop into deep blue, nearly black berries in the fall that will persist through the winter. 

These shrubs are low maintenance and will not require pruning unless you are trying to maintain a certain size or shape. As with other hollies, inkberry grows best in acidic soil.

Japanese Barberry ‘Rosy Rocket’

	botanical name Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Rosy Rocket’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-4 feet
	hardiness zones 4-8

Gardeners have loved Japanese barberry for quite some time due to its dependability and its deep red foliage. ‘Rosy Rocket’ adds an extra pop of color to the mix. In the springtime, new growth is light pink, aging to red as the season progresses. During fall, the variegation in the leaves becomes more pronounced, and bright red berries appear. The berries will remain through the winter, even after the leaves drop. Beware of the thorns!

Japanese barberry has become invasive in many regions of the United States. Check with your local extension office before planting.

Japanese Stewartia

	botanical name Stewartia pseudocamellia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-40 feet
	hardiness zones 5-8

Japanese stewartia is a stunning tree to add to your landscape. Another year-round beauty, the bark is the star of this show in the winter. The exfoliating bark is multi-colored and remains attractive throughout the year.

The fall foliage is quite notable. The ovate leaves are a crisp green all summer and turn to a fiery orange or deep red in the autumn. The white cup-shaped flowers begin to bloom in the early summer and are long-lasting. 

The Japanese stewartia won the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society. This tree makes a stunning specimen plant and a great addition to flower beds or your woodland gardens. 

Northern Sea Oats

	botanical name Chasmanthium latifolium
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-5 feet
	hardiness zones 5-9

As with most other ornamental grasses, northern sea oats add great winter interest if you do not cut them back until the spring. Northern sea oats grow quickly and produce lovely ornamental leaf blades. The seed heads this grass produces look like small oat flowers, adding a touch of coastal whimsy to your garden. 

Northern sea oats will spread a bit, so make sure you have room for this grass. In the late winter or early spring, cut these grasses back to about six inches to one foot from the ground. 

Paperbark Maple

	botanical name Acer griseum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 20-30 feet
	hardiness zones 4-8

Paperbark maple is a great option for those who love the look of a birch tree’s exfoliating and peeling bark. Birches can have health issues, while this maple is dependable and tough. The bark on this maple tree will continue to peel, with each peel revealing more cinnamon-red bark beneath it. 

Plant this tree as a specimen tree, or add it to a foundation garden or large flower bed that needs an anchor. 

Paperbush

	botanical name Edgeworthia chrysantha
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-6 feet
	hardiness zones 7-10

Paperbush is a year-round beauty! Throughout the growing season, this beautifully shaped shrub will be covered in blue-green leaves.

In the summer, you will notice silver flower buds beginning to appear. These flower buds will hang on until late winter when clusters of white flowers will begin to appear. The clusters can have up to 40 small flowers, creating a snowball-type show!

Add paperbush to your shrub border or use it as a specimen plant around your yard. 

Red Chokeberry 

	botanical name Aronia arbutifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-10 feet
	hardiness zones 4-9

Red chokeberry is another beautiful four-season shrub. In the winter, this shrub will be covered in red jewel-toned berries. These berries will form after a season-long bloom of white or light pink flowers.  In the fall, the leaves will turn a brilliant red before dropping. Red chokeberry is semi-evergreen in warmer climates. 

Red chokeberry is native to North America, making it a tough and dependable garden shrub. Plant this shrub to attract pollinators as well as wildlife to your yard. 

Red Twig Dogwood

	botanical name Cornus sericea ‘Cardinal’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-9 feet
	hardiness zones 3-8

Red twig dogwood is probably one of the more popular shrubs grown for winter interest, and it is easy to see why. Not only is it easy to grow and very tolerant of many different growing conditions, but it sports the most stunning red stems that contrast so nicely against winter snow. During the warmer months, the red twig dogwood will be covered in medium green, ovate leaves that turn a fiery orange in winter. 

The red twig dogwood will make a statement no matter how you plant it in your yard. However, a hedge of this shrub makes for a beautiful year-round addition to your landscape. 

Sea Holly

	botanical name Eryngium spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3 feet
	hardiness zones 4-8

This lovely herbaceous perennial produces interesting spiky flowers. It is the flowers that can provide winter interest in your gardens. They are long-lasting and will last throughout the winter if you do not deadhead them. They look especially lovely with a dusting of snow. 

Start your sea holly from seeds, or purchase mature plants from your garden center. Sea holly loves to grow in poor soil and full sun. This perennial makes a great addition to your flower beds and your cutting gardens. 

Snowberry

	botanical name Symphoricarpos albus
	sun requirements Partial sun to full shade
	height 3-6 feet
	hardiness zones 3-7

Snowberry should be a requirement for gardens that are seeking winter interest. This shrub is notable for its white berries that remain on the shrub all winter long. In the summer, the shrubs have lush green leaves and discreet flowers that attract many pollinators. When the flowers fade, the berries appear, helping to bring beauty to your yard while feeding animals throughout the winter. 

Snowberry is a very low-maintenance plant. Grow this shrub along a woodland edge or a less manicured part of your garden for the best results. 

Stonecrop ‘Autumn Joy’

	botanical name Sedum telephium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop is a four-season perennial if you allow it to be. Growing as a light green succulent throughout the summer, this variety of stonecrop will produce beautiful red flowers toward the end of summer that last well into the fall. If the flowers remain and age on the plant, they will stay intact through the winter. 

Sedum grows very nicely in sandy soil and full blazing sun. This perennial does not require much in the way of water or fertilizer. Pair your ‘autumn joy’ with ornamental grasses, and add them to your raised beds. 

Viburnum

	botanical name Viburnum spp.
	sun requirements Partial sun to full shade
	height 2-30 feet
	hardiness zones 2-10

When selecting a variety of viburnum for your yard, you pretty much have the world at your fingertips. This genus of shrubs is full of four-season beauties. From clusters of blossoms in the spring and summer to brightly colored berries in the fall and winter, you really can’t go wrong.

Viburnums make great hedges, as well as specimen plants in foundation beds. These shrubs tolerate many different growing conditions and are very low maintenance. 

Winter Aconite

	botanical name Eranthis hyemalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-6 inches
	hardiness zones 4-9

If you want a ground cover to brighten your winter garden, look no further than winter aconite. This low-growing perennial will emerge from the ground in the late winter before crocuses emerge. The bright yellow cup-shaped flowers bloom on top of deeply cut green bracts.

This perennial will go dormant by the end of the spring and would make a perfect addition to flower beds that are full of color in the summer but could use some help in the cooler months. 

Winter Daphne

	botanical name Daphne odora
	sun requirements Partial sun
	height 3-4 feet
	hardiness zones 7-9

To know a Daphne is to love Daphne. This beautiful shrub is a smaller size, which makes it versatile and easy to add to your landscape. The evergreen leaves remain elegant and deep green year-round. In early to mid-spring, the flower show begins. After the flowers fade, they will be replaced with bright red berries. 

Daphne makes the perfect addition to a pollinator garden. Plant this shrub somewhere you can enjoy its aroma, such as a patio or walkway. 

Winterberry

	botanical name Ilex verticillata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-10 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

This wintertime stunner is a member of the vast holly family. These shrubs are known for their glossy evergreen leaves and red berries. Winterberry, on the other hand, is a deciduous shrub. Its stems will become wrapped in red berries for most of the winter or until a critter eats them!

Winterberry makes a great addition to a border garden. Prune in the spring before any new growth appears to encourage blooms.

Final Thoughts

When deciding which plants to add to your garden for winter interest, it’s a good idea to look at the bigger picture of your yard overall. Where do you need color? Do you want berries or flowers, or will lush, glossy, evergreen leaves do the trick? Each garden is unique, and your plant list should be uniquely yours. 

If you want to start small, add one or two smaller perennials to a flower bed. If you are searching for your perfect hedge, reach for hollies or another evergreen option. Get creative, and choose something you love!