Some plants are attractive all year but really shine in the winter. Of course, you must think beyond just evergreens. Some trees and shrubs have beautiful bark and spectacular winter color like the Red Osier Dogwood ‘Baileys Red’. Ornamental grasses provide movement and are luminescent against the snow and go great with evergreen shrubs. Consider Miscanthus or Calamagrostis grass. Create lots of variety!

Consider perennials with seed heads like Rudbeckia, Black Eyed Susan’s or Echinacea, Coneflowers

Many shrubs have berries like Winterberry, Inkberry, Hollies, Viburnum and some have beautiful foliage like the Witch Hazels.

Witch Hazel – Hamamelis

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’

Viburnum

You are looking for trees and shrubs that attract attention in winter but still provide interest throughout the rest of the growing season. Interest can be provided with berries, exfoliating bark, early blossoms or gorgeous architectural branching.  Here are some examples:

Aronia – Black Chokeberry – lovely berries

Heptacodium – has wonderful exfoliating bark

Exfoliating bark on Acer griseum and Betula nigra- River Birch

Ilex verticillata – Winterberry Holly- berries in winter

Winterberry

Callicarpa dichotoma – Beautyberry – ‘Early amethyst’