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The Best Plants for Winter Color and Interest: A Guide to Cold-Weather Landscaping

When the cold weather sets in and the vibrant hues of fall fade, your landscape doesn’t have to be left looking dreary and dull. Winter can be a beautiful time to highlight your yard’s features with the right selection of plants that thrive in the chill and bring year-round appeal. In this post, you’ll learn the best plants for winter color and interest, and how you can design with texture and color to create a stunning winter landscape.

1. Evergreens: The Backbone of Winter Landscapes

Evergreens are the go-to choice for maintaining color and structure in winter. Whether you prefer the towering presence of a pine tree or the compact beauty of a juniper, these hardy plants retain their leaves all year round, providing a consistent backdrop of rich green.

Popular Evergreen Choices:

• Pines (Pinus spp.) – Known for their tall, statuesque form and long, needle-like leaves, pines provide vertical interest during the winter months.
• Spruces (Picea spp.) – With their dense foliage and silvery-blue needles, spruces offer both color and texture. The classic Colorado Blue Spruce is particularly striking in winter landscapes.
• Hollies (Ilex spp.) – Hollies are beloved for their glossy, spiny leaves and bright red berries, which bring festive flair to gardens during the colder months.
• Boxwoods (Buxus spp.) – Boxwoods are ideal for creating neat hedges or topiary. Their dense, rounded form provides a touch of sophistication and structure to your winter garden.

Design Tip:

Use evergreens to anchor the design of your garden. Plant them in clusters or as focal points around your yard. Pair different types, such as a dark green pine with a silver-blue spruce, to create a layered look full of texture.

2. Holly: A Classic Winter Beauty

Holly is a quintessential winter plant, renowned for its bright red berries and glossy, dark green leaves. It adds a pop of color to an otherwise muted landscape and can be used as an accent plant or hedging shrub. Holly also works well in containers or as part of a festive outdoor display.

Varieties to Consider:

• American Holly (Ilex opaca) – Known for its attractive evergreen leaves and bright red berries, this variety thrives in a variety of conditions.
• Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) – A smaller, more compact option, perfect for borders or foundation plantings, with dark green, small leaves.

Design Tip:

Plant holly in areas where it will get plenty of sunlight to ensure its berries reach their full potential. Consider mixing holly with evergreens and ornamental grasses for an added sense of texture and movement.

3. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata): Bold, Berry-Laden Beauty

Winterberry is a deciduous shrub that sheds its leaves in winter, but it offers striking seasonal interest thanks to its vibrant red or orange berries. While it’s not an evergreen, its intense berry display against a backdrop of snow or frost is breathtaking.

Winterberry shrubs are best planted in groups for maximum visual impact. The more berries they produce, the more dramatic the effect. A bonus: these berries attract birds during the colder months, providing a natural wildlife habitat.

Design Tip:

Plant winterberries in drifts or along a hedge to create bold splashes of color. Pair with evergreens or ornamental grasses for contrast. They also look stunning when placed near entryways or around outdoor seating areas where they can be admired throughout the winter.

4. Ornamental Grasses: Adding Texture and Movement

While ornamental grasses are often associated with summer, many varieties stand tall and look striking through the winter months. The wispy, feathery texture of ornamental grasses contrasts beautifully with the rigid form of evergreens and creates an elegant, windswept look when dusted with snow.

Best Grasses for Winter Interest:

• Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis) – This ornamental grass produces tall, feathery plumes that remain intact throughout the winter.
• Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) – Known for its airy, delicate texture, switchgrass adds soft movement to your landscape, especially when wind rustles through it.
• Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca) – A compact, blue-tinted grass that holds its form and color well, even in winter.

Design Tip:

Incorporate ornamental grasses along walkways or in garden beds as focal points or as a low-maintenance ground cover. Their graceful movement in the wind adds dynamic texture to a winter landscape.

5. Ornamental Trees: Adding Drama and Scale

Ornamental trees are a wonderful way to bring architectural interest to your winter landscape. While they may not have flowers or leaves in winter, many ornamental trees have striking bark, unique forms, or colorful fruits that stand out in the cold months.

Standout Ornamental Trees for Winter:

• Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) – While Japanese maples lose their leaves in winter, their sculptural branches and striking bark are wonderful focal points for winter gardens.
• Red-twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea) – This shrub/tree is known for its vibrant red stems, which contrast beautifully with a snowy backdrop. It’s perfect for adding a pop of color in a muted winter garden.
• Crabapple (Malus spp.) – Crabapples are known for their small fruits, which often persist into the winter, creating colorful pops of red or yellow against bare branches.

Design Tip:

Plant ornamental trees in areas where their unique bark or vibrant fruits can be seen from a distance. Position them near pathways, seating areas, or entryways to ensure they’re highlighted during the winter months.

6. Designing for Winter: Combining Color and Texture

When designing your winter garden, think about the combination of color and texture to create an engaging and vibrant landscape. Here are some key design tips for success:

• Contrast is Key: Pair plants with contrasting colors and textures. For example, match the bold red berries of winterberry with the deep green needles of an evergreen, or combine the fine texture of ornamental grasses with the dense foliage of hollies.
• Layer Heights and Forms: Use taller plants like pines and spruces as the backdrop, with mid-sized shrubs like hollies and winterberries in front. Add smaller ground covers or ornamental grasses to fill in gaps and add detail.
• Think About Color Year-Round: While evergreen plants offer year-round green, consider adding a variety of plants that offer seasonal color. Winterberry’s red berries, red-twig dogwood’s stems, and ornamental trees with colorful bark provide variety that stands out against the monochrome winter landscape.

Winter doesn’t have to mean a barren, lifeless landscape. With the right combination of evergreens, winterberry, ornamental grasses, and colorful ornamental trees, you can create a winter garden that’s full of life, color, and texture. By strategically designing with these hardy plants, you’ll ensure that your landscape remains visually captivating and welcoming throughout the cold months—bringing beauty to your yard long after the frost has settled in.

Ready to revamp your winter landscape? Contact us today to schedule a free estimate and get expert advice on selecting the best plants for your winter landscape.