Perennial Planting For A Beautiful Winter Garden

Coronilla valentina subsp. Glauca

Many gardens do not look their best in the winter months. But with a bit of careful design you can enjoy a beautiful garden all year round. Choosing the right plants can mean that you can have a beautiful winter garden. Here are some of the best plant choices for interest over the coldest months of the year:


Mahonia x mediaShrubs for Winter Interest


  • Mahonia x media 'Winter Sun' – This medium sized shrub has fragrant yellow flowers in the winter, as well as glossy green foliage. Flower spikes are followed by berries in the spring.
  • Hamamelis x intermedia – several different cultivars produce beautiful yellow/ orange flowers between December and March.
  • Sweet Box (Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna) – These small evergreen shrubs have simple, leathery foliage and produce fragrant, creamy-white flowers in the late winter/ early spring.
  • ViburnumEvergreen Viburnums – There are various evergreen viburnums that look lovely in the winter – bursting into flower towards the tail end of the season or the very early spring.
  • Coronilla valentina subsp. Glauca – This attractive, twiggy evergreen can be in flower at almost any time of the year but is often at its peak in late winter and early spring. Yellow-pea flowers look lovely and have a nice fragrance during the day too.


Herbaceous Perennials For Winter Interest


  • BergeniaBergenia – several different species/ cultivars provide interest in the form of pink or white flowers between January and March each year.
  • Helleborus niger – this perennial produces white flowers between November and March.
  • Iris unguicularus – This plant produces lovely lilac flowers between October and March.


These are of course just some of many options that can add winter interest to your garden. All of these examples add interest through their blooms, some also add interest with their foliage. Of course plenty of other options will add interest with winter berries, or with a variety of evergreen foliage.


Remember, having year round interest in your garden and creating a beautiful winter garden is not only about you. It can also help encourage a range of wildlife, and early blooms will be a boon to pollinators, and other insects that help us in our gardens. It is important to have flowers in bloom for as much of the year as possible, as this will help to halt the decline in insect species and keep the natural diversity we need for success in our gardens.