Plants with Winter Interest

Bergenia

Bold rubbery leaves provide year-round structure and turn burgundy in winter. Early pink flowers arrive with the hellebores.

Big Bluestem

The signature grass of the tallgrass prairie, turning copper-bronze in fall with distinctive turkey-foot seed heads.

Camellia

Glossy evergreen with rose-like blooms in the depths of winter.

Chinese Witch Hazel

Spidery yellow, sweetly scented flowers bloom on bare branches in late winter.

Dogwood

Iconic spring bloomer with fall berries and winter bark. Four-season beauty.

Elliott's Bluestar

Pale blue starry flowers in spring give way to feathery foliage that turns brilliant gold in fall. Two seasons of beauty for zero effort.

Fothergilla

Fragrant white bottlebrush flowers in spring give way to some of the best orange-red fall color of any small native shrub.

Fountain Grass

Arching, bottlebrush plumes that catch the light. Movement in the garden.

Giant Coneflower

Towering stems with dramatically elongated cones rise above huge blue-green paddle leaves. An architectural native that commands attention.

Hellebore

The Lenten Rose. Elegant nodding blooms that thrive in deep shade.

Husker Red Penstemon

Dramatic burgundy-red foliage all season with white tubular flowers in late spring. The most striking native penstemon for gardens.

Indian Grass

Golden-orange fall color and shimmering flower spikes make this tall prairie native one of autumn's best performers.

Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass

Strong vertical plumes emerge in early summer and persist as tawny stems through winter.

Kerria

Cheerful golden-yellow pompoms on bright green stems that stay vivid green all winter. One of the easiest shade-tolerant shrubs.

Little Bluestem

Upright clumps turn coppery orange in fall and stand well through winter.

Maiden Grass

Narrow arching foliage creates elegant vase shapes topped with coppery pink plumes in fall.

Miscanthus

Tall, graceful plumes that persist through winter. Living architecture.

Morning Light Miscanthus

Fine white-edged foliage shimmers in morning light, then silver plumes arch above in fall.

Native Witch Hazel

Spidery yellow flowers and intoxicating clove fragrance on bare branches in late fall. The last native shrub to bloom each year.

Ninebark

Peeling bark, burgundy foliage, and white puffs. A native multitasker.

Northern Sea Oats

Flat seed heads dangle from arching stems and dance in the slightest wind. The best native grass for shade.

Northwind Switchgrass

Stiffly upright blue-green foliage that never flops. The most architectural switchgrass available.

Paperbark Maple

Cinnamon-colored peeling bark and good fall color provide strong four-season interest.

Pink Muhly Grass

Billowing pink seed clouds float over fine foliage in autumn and remain attractive dried.

Prairie Dropseed

Fine-textured mounds send up airy fragrant flower sprays that persist into winter.

Prairie Sky Switchgrass

The bluest foliage of any switchgrass, with airy pink seed clouds drifting above in late summer.

Prairie Smoke

Nodding wine-red flowers transform into feathery pink seed plumes that persist into summer. Native prairie gem.

Red Flowering Currant

Among the first shrubs to bloom in Pacific Northwest gardens, dripping with rosy-pink racemes that hummingbirds arrive for before anything else has opened.

Red Twig Dogwood

Flat clusters of white flowers and berries give way to vivid red stems that shine in winter.

Sedum

Succulent leaves, tough as nails. Ages to deep crimson in autumn.

Shenandoah Switchgrass

Compact selection that turns vivid burgundy-red in late summer earlier than any other switchgrass.

Snowdrop

Delicate nodding bells that bloom fearlessly in late winter cold.

Spicebush

Clusters of tiny yellow flowers appear on bare branches in early spring on a fragrant native shrub with blazing yellow fall color.

Switchgrass

Upright native grass with airy seed heads. Gold and red fall color.

Virginia Sweetspire

Fragrant white bottlebrush flowers followed by brilliant orange-red fall color on a shade-tolerant, deer-resistant native.

Winter Aconite

Buttercup-yellow blooms that push through frozen ground before the crocuses.

Winterberry

Inconspicuous blooms, but covered in brilliant red berries all winter long.

Wintersweet

Highly fragrant waxy yellow flowers open on bare stems in midwinter.

Witch Hazel

Spidery, fragrant blooms on bare branches when nothing else dares.

Zebra Grass

Horizontal yellow bands cross the blades in a pattern unique among ornamental grasses. Bold and architectural.