All shrubs look great in spring when new leaves or blossoms
cover the branches. Some can add interest to a garden in winter as well. Shrubs
for winter don’t have to be evergreens
to be ornamental in the colder months. Some shrubs with winter interest have
brightly colored stems or fruit that remain on the branches as autumn turns
into winter. For more information about winter shrubs, read on.
Choosing Shrubs for Winter
Fall can bring brilliant and fiery displays as leaves turn
different reds and yellows. Eventually, the colors fade and winter gray
blankets all. If you choose your backyard shrubs carefully, however, they can
add color and interest to the garden.
Which plants make good winter shrubs? It is important to
pick cold hardy shrubs that thrive in your hardiness zone. In addition, look
for shrubs that offer ornamental qualities when their leaves are gone.
Fruiting Shrubs to Grow in Winter
When winter arrives, you’ll be glad to have shrubs with
winter interest in your backyard. Trees that hold onto fruit into the winter
months are often very ornamental.
Winterberry
hollies (Ilex verticillata) are popular choices for shrubs to grow
in winter. These native shrubs lose their leaves in winter, but the red holly berries
stay on the branches almost until spring. Wild birds feed on the fruit.
There are many other shrubs that hold onto fruit throughout
winter. These cold hardy shrubs include:
- American cranberry bush viburnum (Viburnum trilobum)
- Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)
- Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
- Possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudum)
Winter Shrubs with Beautiful Bark
If a deciduous shrub has beautiful
or unusual bark, it can become a focal
point in winter. The Redosier dogwood shrub (Cornus sericea), a type
of red-twig
dogwood, displays brilliant red stems once autumn leaves fall. This makes
it a great winter shrub to have.
Coral bark willows (Salix alba ‘Britzensis’) also stand out as a winter shrub. Their pale orange bark adds color to the garden.
Shrubs with exfoliating bark are especially lovely shrubs
for winter. Consider planting a paperbark maple (Acer griseum). When its
leaves fall, you can admire the cinnamon-hued peeling bark that is the texture
of paper.
Another you could select is the Japanese stewartia (Stewartia
pseudocamellia). Its bark peels back to expose hues of brown, silver, and
gold.
All shrubs look great in spring when new leaves or blossoms
cover the branches. Some can add interest to a garden in winter as well. Shrubs
for winter don’t have to be evergreens
to be ornamental in the colder months. Some shrubs with winter interest have
brightly colored stems or fruit that remain on the branches as autumn turns
into winter. For more information about winter shrubs, read on.
Choosing Shrubs for Winter
Fall can bring brilliant and fiery displays as leaves turn
different reds and yellows. Eventually, the colors fade and winter gray
blankets all. If you choose your backyard shrubs carefully, however, they can
add color and interest to the garden.
Which plants make good winter shrubs? It is important to
pick cold hardy shrubs that thrive in your hardiness zone. In addition, look
for shrubs that offer ornamental qualities when their leaves are gone.
Fruiting Shrubs to Grow in Winter
When winter arrives, you’ll be glad to have shrubs with
winter interest in your backyard. Trees that hold onto fruit into the winter
months are often very ornamental.
Winterberry
hollies (Ilex verticillata) are popular choices for shrubs to grow
in winter. These native shrubs lose their leaves in winter, but the red holly berries
stay on the branches almost until spring. Wild birds feed on the fruit.
There are many other shrubs that hold onto fruit throughout
winter. These cold hardy shrubs include:
- American cranberry bush viburnum (Viburnum trilobum)
- Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)
- Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
- Possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudum)
Winter Shrubs with Beautiful Bark
If a deciduous shrub has beautiful
or unusual bark, it can become a focal
point in winter. The Redosier dogwood shrub (Cornus sericea), a type
of red-twig
dogwood, displays brilliant red stems once autumn leaves fall. This makes
it a great winter shrub to have.
Coral bark willows (Salix alba ‘Britzensis’) also stand out as a winter shrub. Their pale orange bark adds color to the garden.
Shrubs with exfoliating bark are especially lovely shrubs
for winter. Consider planting a paperbark maple (Acer griseum). When its
leaves fall, you can admire the cinnamon-hued peeling bark that is the texture
of paper.
Another you could select is the Japanese stewartia (Stewartia
pseudocamellia). Its bark peels back to expose hues of brown, silver, and
gold.