Plants for the Winter

Winter is not traditionally a time of year associated with plants, as most flowering plants and trees become dormant and bare. For the avid gardener, however, winter gardens can be just as lovely as their spring counterparts. The challenge is creating variety with berries, colored stems, seed pods and evergreen plants, as well as placing dormant plants strategically to ensure they complement a winter garden's overall texture and shape.

Holly

American Holly, Ilex opaca, is a classic American winter plant. Associated with Christmas due to its green leaves and red berries, American Holly can truly be the centerpiece of a winter garden. While a slow grower, American Holly eventually reaches heights between 15 and 30 feet tall and between 8 to 15 feet in diameter. Best of all, American Holly's leaves and stems can be boiled in a tea to chase away a winter cough.

Purpleleaf Wintercreeper

Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus' or Purpleleaf Wintercreeper provides unexpected and much needed color to a dreary winter garden. This thick ground cover flourishes in full sunlight and changes its leaves from green to deep purple in wintertime. This ground cover grows very quickly and can be pervasive in a garden if not properly maintained, so be sure to consistently trim back this winter wonder.

Cypress

Both the Sawara False Cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera, and the Alaska False Cypress, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, provide excellent color and texture to a winter garden. Providing the landscape with thread-like foliage, distinct seed pods, and for those places with snow, lovely drooping snow filled branches. These varieties of conifer tend to grow to an average height of 60 feet, and keep their green foliage year-round.