Even as the palette changes, the view from a winter landscape does not have to be dull or uninspiring. There’s beauty to be seen in outdoor surroundings at a time when many plantings are dormant.

Take winter shrubs, for example. Really – take them, plant them and enjoy the many ways that they provide color, texture, shape and even fragrance to gardens and yards this time of year.

As plant “parents” at the nursery, we love all of our shrubs, of course. But when it comes to winter interest, we have a soft spot for these hardy varieties:

A close up at our ARONIA arbut Brilliantissima chokeberry.

The ARONIA arbut Brilliantissima chokeberry teems with glossy red fruits in winter. It’s a multi-season bloomer, with white flowers in spring and brilliant fall color, too. It thrives in Zone 3 and does well in a range of soil types.

CORNUS Baileyi, like other dogwood shrubs, offers bright red stems in winter that are especially pretty against a snowy backdrop. In warmer months, this deciduous shrub is a good choice for privacy, with dark green foliage and a mature height of 8 feet.

One of our blooming HYDRANGEA mac BloomStruck plants.

There’s a reason hydrangeas are among the most popular shrub: even though flowers are dried and faded in winter, their rounded tops are charming when dusted with snow or even waving in a stiff winter wind. You can’t go wrong with a variety like HYDRANGEA mac BloomStruck, with its reddish stems and ample blooms that are blue and pink in summer depending on the soil.

Garden sprites are real – at least in the case of ILEX verticillata Red Sprite. This deciduous shrub, which pops to about four feet in both height and width, keeps on producing red berries throughout winter when pollinated by a male plant like Jim Dandy Winterberry.

VIBURNUM dilatatum Cardinal Candy® from Proven Winners.

You might say that VIBURNUM dilatatum Cardinal Candy® likes to show off, including in the cold-weather season. The compact shrub features clusters of bright red berries that persist in the winter and also provide a food source for visiting birds while also being resistant to deer and rabbits.

Speaking of rabbits, you can go down a veritable rabbit hole of ideas for shrubs with year-round interest by browsing our catalog. After all, part of the fun is in the discovery!

Learn More About Plants From Us!

Our staff members are experts in the field! We love helping people learn and understand more about healthy plants that perform well in Midwest landscapes. Feel free to email us at sales@lomavistanursery.com or call us at (785) 229-7200 to get help with your plant-related questions.