12 Plants to Add to Your Garden Right Now That’ll Look Gorgeous All Winter
Here’s what to plant so you aren’t staring at nothing out your window all winter.
Do you like looking out on your dead, drab garden all winter? We didn’t think so. If you don’t want to stare at crispy leaves and a bunch of brown sticks in your landscape, plant for winter interest. Many perennials, shrubs and trees offer interest and subtle color to brighten up your yard, even during the coldest months of the year.
Gardens aren’t just about spring and summer flowers; texture also plays a role, especially when contrasted against snow, evergreens or plants that shed their foliage. Many of these winter interest plants also help support local wildlife, providing food and shelter to birds and beneficial insects that are trying to get through the winter, just like the rest of us!
When shopping, make sure you choose plants that can survive winters in your USDA hardiness zone (find yours here). Then get them in the ground about 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes, which depends on where you live and varies from year to year. Basically, that’s when you expect to have about another month of decent weather with the days in the 40s to 60s in cold climates; in warm climates, you may be able to plant all winter long.
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Ahead, our favorite perennials, shrubs and trees to create winter interest in your garden:
Red Twig Dogwood
This multi-stemmed dogwood is grown primarily for its striking red stems that pop against the winter landscape, especially snowy scenes or when planted in front of a backdrop of evergreens. The color becomes even more vivid when the temperatures drop. Other varieties have lovely coral or golden twigs.
Read more: 11 Types of Dogwoods for Your Landscape
Panicle Hydrangea
This type of hydrangea is the easiest to grow. Plus, its large panicles, or flowers, mostly stay on the plant all winter long. They’re much more interesting to look at, especially when covered in ice or snow, than bare branches. The panicles provide texture and interest until spring, when you can snip them off or let them drop off naturally.
Read more: The 15 Most Beautiful Types of Hydrangeas to Grow
Winterberry Holly
Winterberry holly is a deciduous native species that birds adore. The gorgeous bright red berries put on a show all winter, even after the foliage drops. Make sure you plant both a male and female cultivar in order for pollination to occur and berries to form.
Read more: How to Grow and Care for a Holly Bush
Lily of the Valley Shrub
This evergreen shrub displays hundreds of lantern-like pink or white flowers, dangling from long stems in late winter to early spring. It’s a real showstopper in the landscape, just when you need color most. Plus, it’s deer resistant and tolerates shade better than many other flowering shrubs.
Read more: Pink-flowering Shrubs That Put on a Show
Coneflower
Leave your coneflower stems upright in the landscape to provide winter food for birds. The spiky, dramatic dried flowerheads are quite striking when contrasted against the rest of the garden bed or after a snow. Ditto for black-eyed Susan flowerheads.
Read more: 16 Gorgeous Coneflowers to Plant Right Now
Paperbark Maple
This slow-growing maple has stunning, peeling bark and gorgeous autumn foliage, making it a winner in any garden. It’s not as well-known or easy to find as some maples, but it’s worth seeking out for an accent in your landscape.
Daphne Shrub
Beautiful pink flowers appear on these shrubs in late winter to early spring. Even better? Their sweet, fruity fragrance reminds you that winter won’t last forever.
Read more: Here's How to Care for Daphne Plants
Ornamental Grasses
Both perennial and annual ornamental grasses provide attractive texture in the winter landscape. Leave grasses such as feather reed and fountain grass intact, and it will sway in the wind all winter long, adding movement and interest.
Read more: 11 Best Ornamental Grasses for Your Garden
Russian Sage
After the spikes of purple flowers fade in late summer, the delicate skeletons of Russian sage last well into winter. They retain their textural interest and silvery color, even after the first few frosts. They’re also rabbit and deer-resistant.
Read more: 27 Full-Sun Perennials for Years of Beauty in Your Garde
Pussy Willow
Pussy willow is a shrub that prefers wet areas, but it will adapt to almost any soil type. It’s bushy and can take over an area, so make sure you give it plenty of room, or cut it back every few years to the ground to keep it in check. Adorable, fuzzy catkins appear in early spring before the foliage emerges.
Heather
Heather has needle-like evergreen leaves that are green or grey, but they also turn yellow, orange, or bronze, depending on the variety. They grow about 1 to 2 feet tall and wide and make great additions when massed on slopes. Make sure to choose Erica carnea for winter blooms.
Read more: How to Grow Beautiful Heather Shrubs in Your Garden
Seven Son Flower Shrub
This deciduous shrub, which also can be pruned into more of a multi-stemmed tree shape as it matures, has year-round interest. Creamy flowers in late summer are followed by showy purplish fruits, accented by heart-shaped leaves and peeling bark that really stands out in the winter landscape.
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