Winter shrubs masterclass: best expert content

Winter shrubs like Hamamelis flower happily in cold temperatures
Image: Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Böhlje’s Feuerzauber’ from Thompson & Morgan

Is your garden short of winter colour? Take inspiration from these expert independent gardeners and find out how to enjoy heady floral scent, garlands of berries, colourful stems and interesting foliage throughout the coldest and darkest months of the year. 

If you’re planning a new scheme with wildlife in mind, browse our online collection of shrubs with winter berries. Our winter flowering shrubs brighten the gloomiest of days, and for a powerful, structural statement, take a look at our fiery range of cornus shrubs.

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 30th July 2024.

Choose yellow flowers for winter cheer

Mahonia flowers bring sunshine yellow to the winter garden
Image: Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ from Thompson & Morgan

“There’s nothing like a splash of bright yellow to cheer up a wintry day,” say the horticultural experts at Thompson & Morgan’s blog. Their favourite top winter shrubs with bright yellow flowers include Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca ‘Citrina’, Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ and Mahonia x media. Read the full article to find out which other flowers, climbers, grasses and shrubs made their shortlist.

Support wildlife with winter-flowering mahonias

Vibrant yellow mahonia flowers 
Image: Nettles and Petals

Are you looking for an evergreen shrub that sustains birds and pollinators over the colder months? If so, mahonia is the perfect choice, according to Jamie from nettlesandpetals. Birds and pollinators love “its spiny colourful leaves, impressive clusters of bright yellow winter flowers and purple berries.” If you’ve never looked at a mahonia flower up close before, watch Jamie’s short video to see how this incredibly clever winter-flowering shrub ensures pollination.

Plant bright stems alongside darker evergreens

Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ stems are a vibrant red
Image: @sarahpajwani at St Timotee

“Cornus shrubs and Salix, depending on the variety chosen, provide bark in tones from bright yellow, through all manner of oranges, to deep red,” says top garden designer Richard Schmidt over at @greengenus. Plant cornus (dogwood) alongside darker evergreens for a striking contrast that really shows them off. Check out his Instagram page for stunning photos and clever garden design advice.

Prune cornus in March for a fiery winter display

Lee keeps his cornus shrubs looking their best with careful pruning
Image: Garden Ninja

To make sure you get fiery stems each winter, you’ll need to give your cornus plants a hard prune in March, explains Lee over at Garden Ninja. Just make sure you leave the whippy young growth alone for three years after planting to allow it to establish itself, he says. Check out Lee’s fantastic pruning guide to see where you need to cut.

Don’t forget to include winter shrubs in small gardens

Enjoy berries and blushing leaf colour from Viburnum opulus in winter
Image: The Middlesized Garden

Small garden? You can still grow winter shrubs, says Alexandra over at The Middlesized Garden. Choose specially bred varieties that are smaller at maturity than their larger counterparts, like Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’. Check out Alexandra’s article to see which six winter shrubs head gardener Tom Coward of Gravetye Manor recommends for late season interest.

Plant skimmia japonica if you have acid soil

Winter shrubs look even better with a delicate coating of frost
Image: @mrsblake2020

Skimmia japonica shrubs do better in gardens with acidic soil, says Instagrammer @mrsblake2020. Her male skimmia bears attractive flower buds throughout the colder months, and looks especially fabulous with a light dusting of frost! Head to her full post to learn more fascinating facts about this lovely addition to any winter garden.

Add scented sarcococca to winter borders

Sarcococca thrives in a container
Image: Sarcococca hookeriana ‘Winter Gem’ from Thompson & Morgan (© Plantipp/Visions BV, Netherlands)

Sarcococca is the scent ‘must-have’ for garden designer Bel Grierson. “I like to grow this in containers so I can move the plants nearer to the house in winter to benefit from the heady fragrance,” she says. Read this expert plantswoman’s full article about evergreen shrubs for winter interest to find a list of the other specimens she recommends for “colour, texture, flowers and a fresh look during the grey winter months”.

Train winter-flowering climbing shrubs up vertical supports

The flower petals of Hamamelis are reminiscent of fresh lemon peel
Image: @dawns_gardening

A winter scent essential in Dawn’s enviable Leicestershire garden is Hamamelis or witch hazel. “When we get a frosty morning I’ll cup my hands around the spidery flowers and breathe in the fragrance,” she says. Another winter-flowering shrub she loves is honeysuckle – check out her gorgeous image of Lonicera purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’. “It has sweet fragrant small creamy white flowers on bare stems,” she explains. Dawn’s garden is carefully planted to have plenty of winter interest – follow her over at @dawns_gardening to see more.

Include winter berries for festive cheer

Winter berries make the garden look extra festive in time for Christmas
Image: @getplantinghort

“Plant your garden for Christmas using shrubs that have attractive berries,” says BBC Beechgrove presenter Kirsty Wilson. She recommends Cotoneaster shrubs for their festive bright red berries and dark glossy leaves. The berries provide a welcome food source for winter wildlife too! Scroll through Kirsty’s Instagram page over at @getplantinghort to find lots more top gardening tips.

Provide bird-friendly berries through the coldest months

The bright red berries of this viburnum mature to deep black
Image: Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Kilimanjaro Sunrise’ from Thompson & Morgan

For a hardworking shrub that delivers many seasons of interest, try Viburnum ‘Kilimanjaro Sunrise’ says @davetheplantman. This triangular-shaped shrub is “reminiscent of a mountain” he says, with elegant pink-tinged flowers in late spring that turn snow-white through summer. In autumn, the heart-shaped foliage changes to burnt orange, and then glossy red berries appear in winter, ripening to black. Dave says that this low-maintenance, upright shrub keeps birds happy through the coldest months. Watch his friendly TikTok video for more information.

Plant a pollination partner for holly

Holly ‘Argentea Marginata’ has glossy variegated leaves
Image: Holly ‘Argentea Marginata’ from Thompson & Morgan

Holly is a fantastic winter option, and not just for Christmas, says Carol Bartlett at The Sunday Gardener. “An evergreen, slow growing shrub, with bright variegated leaves and colourful berries”, holly is a great choice for difficult areas. It’s also highly versatile, making an interesting addition to borders, an elegant standard or a wind-resistant hedge. Just make sure your female shrub has a male pollination partner to get plenty of berries, she advises. Read her full article on growing hollies for top tips and growing advice.

We hope our collection of winter shrubs content has given you plenty of food for thought. You’ll find even more inspiration at our shrubs advice hub page. Don’t hesitate to get in touch or share your own favourite winter shrubs – tag us on social media using #YourTMGarden.

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