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There is a wide variety of colorful winter shrubs you can grow to keep your yard vibrant in December, January, and February. Since flowering choices will be available only in warmer parts of the country, northerners should seek shrubs with other features that afford visual interest in winter.
Learn more about 20 colorful winter shrubs you should grow sporting either berries, interesting bark, or evergreen leaves.
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01
of 20Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)
Firethorn bears orange berries that birds love to eat and homeowners love to view during winter. At the southern end of its range, this thorny, broadleaf shrub will keep its green leaves throughout winter, adding all the more color to your yard.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; sandy, well-drained soil
- Zone: 6-9
- Size: 8-18 ft. tall, 8-20 ft. wide
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02
of 20Camellia (Camellia japonica)
If you live in an area that does not have too cold of winters, you are in luck: Growing this broadleaf evergreen gives you the option of having a shrub that bears flowers in winter!
- Growing Conditions: Partial sun; acidic and well-drained soil; keep ground evenly moist
- Zone: 7-9
- Size: 7-12 ft. tall, 5-10 ft. wide
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03
of 20Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra)
Hollies are broadleaf evergreen shrubs. Many types are available, offering a wide array of features. Inkberry stands out from some of the holly shrubs you may know because its berries are black.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 4-11
- Size: 5-10 ft. tall, 5-8 ft. wide
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04
of 20Blue Princess Holly (Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Princess’)
Blue Princess holly bears the more typical red holly berries and the prickly, blue-green foliage you probably associate with holly from seeing it in Christmas decorations.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 4-7
- Size: 10–15 ft. tall, 8–10 ft. wide
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05
of 20Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
Winterberry is another type of holly that comes with a twist: It is a deciduous plant rather than being an evergreen, but makes up for the lack of winter leaves with a heavier berry display. It also tolerates wet ground well. However, its berries do tend to shrivel when the weather gets really cold, so its best display is in the early part of winter.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 3-9
- Size: 3-15 ft. tall and wide
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06
of 20Sky Pencil Holly (Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’)
The twist offered by Sky Pencil is in its form: It is a columnar shrub. Leaning into its pillar-like appearance, many homeowners grow one on each side of a front entry.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 5b-9
- Size: 10 ft. tall, 2-3 ft. wide
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07
of 20Rockspray Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
Rockspray cotoneaster is a tall ground cover that bears red berries in fall that persist into the winter, adding color and visual interest to your outdoor space. The plant is also quite drought-tolerant once it has been established.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 5-7
- Size: 2-3 ft. tall, 6-8 ft. wide
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08
of 20Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
Another shrub that produces attractive berries is chokeberry. While the better-known red chokeberry has red berries, black chokeberry bears dark purple (almost black) berries. They stay on the bush well into the winter and are a good emergency food source for wild birds.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 3-8
- Size: 3–6 ft. tall and wide
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09
of 20Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Other shrubs offer visual interest in winter due to their interesting bark. Birch trees are noted for the attractive way their bark peels, and shrubs such as oakleaf hydrangea provide the same feature.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 5-9
- Size: 4-8 ft. tall and wide
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10
of 20Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba)
The bark of red twig dogwood is also valued in a bleak winter. But this bark doesn’t peel; what makes it special is its bright red color.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 3-8
- Size: 6–9 ft. tall, 8–12 ft. wide
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11
of 20Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’)
Yellow twig dogwood is grown for the same reason as red twig dogwood: To give the yard a pop of color in winter with its vibrant bark.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; acidic, moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 3-8
- Size: 5 ft. tall and wide
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12
of 20Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
Like oakleaf hydrangea, the ninebarks sport a peeling bark in winter. These shrubs come in a variety of sizes (some quite compact) and foliage colors–the most popular being purple and golden.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 2-8
- Size: 3-10 ft. tall, 3-8 ft. wide
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13
of 20Dwarf Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo)
The dwarf Mugo pine increases winter interest with its evergreen foliage and can easily serve as a ground cover. The only caveat is since it is a relatively short plant, its display value diminishes in areas that receive heavy snowfalls in winter.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 2-7
- Size: 2-5 ft. tall, 3-5 ft. wide
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14
of 20Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’)
Like Sky Pencil holly, dwarf Alberta spruce is often grown in pairs: one on each side of an entryway. This needled evergreen can also be decorated to function as an outdoor Christmas tree.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 3-6
- Size: 10-13 ft. tall, 7-10 ft. wide
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15
of 20Threadleaf False Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Gold Mop’)
Several evergreens give you the option of golden foliage rather than plain green, and gold mop is one of them. Its needle-like foliage retains good color through the winter.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 5-7
- Size: 3 ft. tall, 4 ft. wide
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16
of 20English Boxwood (Buxus spp.)
Boxwoods are broadleaf evergreens legendary for their delicate leaves. They are often planted in a line and sheared into hedges. The foliage sometimes becomes tinged with a bronze color in winter.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; slightly alkaline, moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 5-9
- Size: 2-8 ft. tall, 2-8 ft. wide
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17
of 20Moonshadow Euonymus (E. fortunei ‘Moonshadow’)
Euonymus is a broadleaf evergreen. The multi-colored types of Euonymus are most popular, including Moonshadow, whose leaves are edged in green, with a lighter color (ranging from golden to creamy-white) in the middle.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 4-9
- Size: 2-3 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide
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18
of 20Emerald and Gold Euonymus (E. fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’)
Emerald and Gold Euonymus is one of the most commonly grown types. Its multicolored leaf pattern is the opposite of Moonshadow’s: golden on the edges, green in the centers.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 4-9
- Size: 2-3 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide
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19
of 20Little Giant Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Little Giant’)
Arborvitaes give you flat sprays of glossy, bright evergreen needles. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. A number of them, like Little Giant, have rounded shapes. These shrubs can form perfect little globes of green, gold, or bronze (depending on the variety and time of the year) in the landscape.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 3-8
- Size: 4 ft. tall and wide
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20
of 20Emerald Green Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald Green’)
In contrast to the smaller globe-shaped arborvitae, Emerald Green is relatively tall. Because of this, it’s often grown in a row to form a privacy screen.
- Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
- Zone: 2-7
- Size: 12–20 ft. tall, 3–10 ft. wide
FAQ-
What shrubs will still flower in winter?
One shrub that will still flower in winter is witch hazel.
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What perennial plants grow well in the cold?
Perennials such as winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) and Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) grow well and can even bloom in the cold.
Read the full article here
