Have you ever wondered if you could have colour in your gardens into the winter season?
Here are a few suggestions of perennials, shrubs, grasses, and evergreens to incorporate into your gardens to add a little colour long after those beautiful flowers are gone until next year. These plants are zone-friendly for our area, and even better, a few of these suggestions are deer resistant!
Some will provide protection for small wildlife, and some will provide seed capsules and berries to feed birds long into the winter. Some of these suggestions are native to our area, and some are also adaptable to unfavourable growing conditions and even drought tolerant!
1) Winterberry Shrub
Vibrant, dense clusters of red berries persist throughout the winter, providing both colour and food for birds. Because these shrubs are dioecious, you will need at least one male plant to pollinate 5–10 female berry-producing plants.
Thrives in Zones 3–9 and prefers full sun for maximum berry production. Winterberry shrubs are highly adaptable to wet, clay, or poor soils. An added bonus: they are generally considered deer resistant.
2) Dogwood Shrub
Renowned for providing four-season interest, Dogwood shrubs offer long-lasting spring blooms and summer berries in red or white clusters. Depending on the variety, branches may be red, orange, bronze, or gold in colour.
Typically growing 3–10 feet tall, they thrive in full sun to partial shade and are hardy in Zones 3–9. Dogwoods attract birds, bees, and butterflies throughout the season.
3) Coral Bells (Heuchera)
Coral Bells provide excellent winter interest with evergreen to semi-evergreen foliage in a wide range of colours, including deep purples, silver, amber, orange, and even black. They are ideal for year-round colour in the garden.
Depending on the variety, they prefer part sun to shade and are hardy in Zones 4–9. Their colourful foliage lasts through winter and can be cut back in spring to encourage fresh new growth.
4) Bergenia (Heartleaf)
Bergenia provides exceptional winter interest through its tough evergreen foliage, which shifts from green to shades of deep red, bronze, or maroon in cold weather. This perennial has leathery, almost cabbage-like leaves that form dense, low-maintenance clumps and bloom with magenta-pink flowers in early spring.
Hardy in Zones 3–9, this beautiful perennial is deer resistant and ideal for shaded borders, under trees, or used as edging.
5) Little Bunny ‘Dwarf’ Fountain Grass
Little Bunny Fountain Grass provides excellent winter interest by retaining its compact, buff-coloured foliage and fluffy cream-coloured plumes until spring. This grass grows 10–14 inches tall and is hardy in Zones 5–9, preferring full sun to part shade.
Its green summer foliage transitions to shades of golden tan, beige, and sometimes rusty red. The 1-inch “bunny tail” plumes persist throughout the winter.
6) Shrub Roses
Shrub roses feature rigid, rose-hip-bearing canes that provide colour and texture against the snow. Proper winterization involves mounding soil and mulch around the base and avoiding fall pruning.
Hardy in Zones 2–4, they display red and orange hips in late summer and autumn, which fade to yellow-brown and dark purple tones through winter.
7) New Jersey Tea
A hardy deciduous shrub suitable for Zones 4–8, New Jersey Tea thrives in full sun to part shade and is highly drought tolerant once established. It is ideal for rocky soils or native plant gardens and typically grows 3–4 feet tall.
Fragrant blooms appear in late spring in shades of light pink or white, attracting butterflies and other pollinators. In winter, the shrub provides good structure and shelter for small wildlife. Bright buttery-yellow stems stand out beautifully, and small seed capsules may persist into early winter, providing food for birds.
8) Juniper ‘Gin Fizz’
A pretty evergreen shrub with blue-green foliage and grey-blue berries that add colour and texture to the garden. It makes a lush-looking hedge and grows well in Zones 4–8.
An added bonus: it is deer resistant.
9) Fire Light Panicle Hydrangea
This hydrangea has strong stems that can withstand the weight of snow through long winters. Hardy in Zones 3–8, it prefers full sun to partial sun.
This beautiful and popular perennial produces large, long-lasting blooms that transition from creamy white to shades of pink, deepen to pomegranate red in autumn, and then fade to ivory and beige tones through the winter.
Written by WGC Employee Christa B.
