Winter Interest
Winter reveals a garden's true structure—and the plants that earn their place when everything else has retreated. These are the quiet heroes: the evergreens that stay green, the hellebores that dare to flower, the bark and stems that glow in low winter light.
Key Characteristics
- Provide interest when the garden is at its barest
- Many flower in winter when few others do
- Evergreen foliage maintains structure
- Coloured stems and bark catch winter light
- Seedheads and grasses offer frost-catching forms
Design Tips
Position winter-interest plants where you'll see them from windows—you won't spend much time in the garden itself. Group them for impact rather than scattering. Underplant deciduous shrubs with winter-flowering bulbs and hellebores.