Five favourites: Trees and shrubs for Winter interest
Winter can feel a little bleak in the garden, compared to the abundance of flowers in Spring or the colourful leaves of Autumn. But if you look a little closer, past the bare branches and muddy ground, there is still plenty to see and enjoy.
Some of our favourite winter trees and shrubs look especially good at this time of year because they’re not covered in leaves. Whether they’re showing off colourful bark, delicate scented flowers, or long tassels of catkins, each of these five plants really come into their own in the winter months.
So if you’re looking to add some Winter interest to your garden, these are some of our favourites.
White Himalayan birch
(Betula utilis var. jacquemontii)
Of course, we had to start with this, one of our favourite trees at any time of year, the gorgeous white stemmed birch tree is particularly beautiful in Winter, when its trunk really shines out in the gloom of grey days.
Betula utilis var. jacquemontii (to give it its full name) is such an elegant tree, and we use it often in the gardens we design.
It’s a staple plant in many public winter-focused gardens, where the horticulturists often wash down the trunks of the tree in order to keep them looking sparkling and white! Perhaps a step too far in our own gardens, but whether you’re washing it or not, the white trunks of these trees are a perfect backdrop in Winter months.
See our plant guide for all you need to know to grow this gorgeous tree: White Himalayan birch guide.
Our multi-stem Betula growing in a pot with ferns. This looks good all year round.
The small, pink, highly fragranced flowers of Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’
2. Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’
The small, pink flowers of this viburnum have a glorious fragrance that belies their size. Appearing on the bare branches in the winter months, when little else is in bloom, the branches fill with tight clusters of the flowers. Though they’re so tiny that you have to get up close to them to really see their delicate beauty, the scent will fill the air, especially on a sunny day.
Flowering from November all the way through to March, this little shrub really earns a place in the garden.
It likes a spot in full to part shade and is perfect for the middle of a border.
3. Hazel
(Corylus avellana)
There is something really cheering about spotting the first catkins of the year and some of the first to be seen are the fluffy, yellow catkins of the hazel tree (Corylus avellana).
They appear on the bare winter branches, first tightly packed together, and then unfurling into a yellow fuzz, which release clouds of pollen when they mature.
The catkins themselves are good looking enough, but for maximum Winter impact, take a look at the corkscrew hazel tree (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) with its distinctive twisted branches. These spiralling branches look especially good at this time of year, when the leaves have all fallen and the bare branches can be seen to full effect, studded with the drooping catkins. The branches can also be cut to add to flower displays, or just put in a jug on their own, where their distinctive shape makes an architectural statement.
Hazels do well in a spot with full sun to part shade, and appreciate a mulch in Autumn.
The fluffy, yellow catkins of a hazel tree
A robin perches in the red Winter stems of a dogwood
4. Dogwood
(Cornus species)
A fast growing shrub, that is covered in a tight array of leaves the rest of the year, many types of dogwood have stunning colourful stems that really glow in the gloomy grey of the Winter months.
Our favourite types are the red or yellow-coloured stems, which form an important backdrop at some famous Winter gardens, such as Anglesea Abbey and the winter walkway at RHS Wisley.
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ is one of the best red stemmed dogwoods, with flaming coloured branches in orange and red.
Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ is a beautiful, bright yellow-stemmed variety.
All dogwoods need to be regularly pruned hard in order to keep the brightest colours, which can be seen on the youngest branches.
5. Garrya elliptica
Its leaves can look a bit scrappy the rest of the year, but the winter months are the time for Garrya elliptica to really shine…
The evergreen shrub is covered in long silvery catkins, that can reach up to 35cm long and will dangle down over the entire plant.
It’s a shrub that can grow very large over time, so a mature plant makes a real statement with the catkins covering it completely. The perfect shrub to grow up against a sheltered wall, where it can be admired in the Winter months and blend into the background during the Summer, providing a green backdrop for other plants to stand out against.
Grey catkins of Garrya elliptica
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Five favourite: late flowering plants
