Best Shrubs and Plants for Winter Landscapes

The winter landscape may be stark in many parts of the U.S, but that doesn't mean it can't be beautiful as well. When choosing plants for winter landscapes, look for the following:

1. Evergreen shrubs.

2. Plants and shrubs that produce winter berries, both for the splash of color they add to an otherwise bleak panorama and because they attract birds.

3. Perennials, such as tall grasses or autumn joy, with a natural ornamental beauty throughout the winter.

4. Shrubs and trees that lose their leaves but have delicate, graceful or complex branch patterns, which are beautiful unadorned or with a coating of snow.

5. Trees and shrubs with colored bark.

These 5 shrubs and plants will add natural beauty to your yard during the coldest months of the year.

Ornamental grasses. While tall ornamental grasses are not evergreen, they do retain their grace and natural beauty when the growing season is past, making them a welcome addition to any winter garden. Cut them back to ground level in the spring in preparation for the new growing season.

Holly with Red Berries. Holly is an ideal choice for your winter landscape, not only for its lovely evergreen foliage and bright red berries that will bring cheer to you and to the birds they attract, but also for its decorative cut stems during the Christmas season. There are many kinds of holly, all of them evergreens. Holly leaves usually are glossy, often are spiny, may be plain or edged in white or cream, and, depending on the variety, may range in color from blue green to bright green to dark green. Holly may be a tree or a shrub. Depending on the variety, holly berries may be red, black, white, orange or yellow. Varieties with red berries that are stunning in a winter garden include American holly, possum haw holly, and blue holly.

Red Osier (or redosier) Dogwood. Red osier dogwood is a spreading shrub whose young branches are a bright red, making it a dramatic addition to the winter garden. Red osier dogwood produces white flowers in the spring and green foliage through the summer. It can be cut back to the ground periodically so that the red bark of the new growth shows.

Sedum Autumn Joy. Uncut autumn joy will retain its dead flower heads, which are so beautiful when in full bloom in the fall, through the winter. They make a lovely, interesting addition to the winter garden landscape, especially in the snow.

American Cranberry Bush Viburnum. The American cranberry bush is an evergreen shrub that produces masses of bright red berries that often survive through the winter. This shrub is beautiful year round, producing white flowers in the spring, followed by red berries and, in the fall, red or purple foliage.

Sources:

David Beaulieu, landscaping.about.com, Winter Landscape Ideas

www.finegardening.com, Genus Ile (Holly) - Fine Gardening Plant Guide

www.arborday.org, Dogwood, Redosier - Trees for sale at arborday.org

www.perennials.com, Perennial.com::Plant Details (Sedum Autumn Joy)