Gardening Landscaping

20 Colorful Winter Shrubs You Should Grow Now That Thrive in Cold Weather

By
David Beaulieu
David Beaulieu David Beaulieu
David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience.

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Published on 10/17/24
winter shrubs winter shrubs
David Beaulieu

There is a wide variety of colorful winter shrubs you can grow to keep your yard vibrant in December, January, and February. Since flowering choices will be available only in warmer parts of the country, northerners should seek shrubs with other features that afford visual interest in winter.

Learn more about 20 colorful winter shrubs you should grow sporting either berries, interesting bark, or evergreen leaves.

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  • 01 of 20

    Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)

    Firethorn shrub

     

    easy13 / Getty Images

    Firethorn bears orange berries that birds love to eat and homeowners love to view during winter. At the southern end of its range, this thorny, broadleaf shrub will keep its green leaves throughout winter, adding all the more color to your yard.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; sandy, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 6-9
    • Size: 8-18 ft. tall, 8-20 ft. wide
  • 02 of 20

    Camellia (Camellia japonica)

    Camellia Camellia

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

    If you live in an area that does not have too cold of winters, you are in luck: Growing this broadleaf evergreen gives you the option of having a shrub that bears flowers in winter!

    • Growing Conditions: Partial sun; acidic and well-drained soil; keep ground evenly moist
    • Zone: 7-9
    • Size: 7-12 ft. tall, 5-10 ft. wide
  • 03 of 20

    Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra)

    Inkberry holly shrub growing in front of a fence. Inkberry holly shrub growing in front of a fence.
    David Beaulieu

    Hollies are broadleaf evergreen shrubs. Many types are available, offering a wide array of features. Inkberry stands out from some of the holly shrubs you may know because its berries are black.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 4-11
    • Size: 5-10 ft. tall, 5-8 ft. wide
  • 04 of 20

    Blue Princess Holly (Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princess')

    Blue Princess holly with berries Blue Princess holly with berries
    David Beaulieu

    Blue Princess holly bears the more typical red holly berries and the prickly, blue-green foliage you probably associate with holly from seeing it in Christmas decorations.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 4-7
    • Size: 10–15 ft. tall, 8–10 ft. wide
    Continue to 5 of 20 below
  • 05 of 20

    Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)

    Winterberry holly shrub branches with bright red berries and rounded leaves in sunlight Winterberry holly shrub branches with bright red berries and rounded leaves in sunlight

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Winterberry is another type of holly that comes with a twist: It is a deciduous plant rather than being an evergreen, but makes up for the lack of winter leaves with a heavier berry display. It also tolerates wet ground well. However, its berries do tend to shrivel when the weather gets really cold, so its best display is in the early part of winter.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 3-9
    • Size: 3-15 ft. tall and wide
  • 06 of 20

    Sky Pencil Holly (Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil')

    Sky Pencil holly with its proportionately thin form. Sky Pencil holly with its proportionately thin form.
    David Beaulieu

    The twist offered by Sky Pencil is in its form: It is a columnar shrub. Leaning into its pillar-like appearance, many homeowners grow one on each side of a front entry.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 5b-9
    • Size: 10 ft. tall, 2-3 ft. wide
  • 07 of 20

    Rockspray Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)

    Berries of Cotoneaster x suecicus 'Coral-Beauty.' Berries of Cotoneaster x suecicus 'Coral-Beauty.'

    Gillian Plummer / Getty Images

    Rockspray cotoneaster is a tall ground cover that bears red berries in fall that persist into the winter, adding color and visual interest to your outdoor space. The plant is also quite drought-tolerant once it has been established.

    • Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 5-7
    • Size: 2-3 ft. tall, 6-8 ft. wide
  • 08 of 20

    Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

    Black chokeberry with berries. Black chokeberry with berries.

    aga7ta / Getty Images

    Another shrub that produces attractive berries is chokeberry. While the better-known red chokeberry has red berries, black chokeberry bears dark purple (almost black) berries. They stay on the bush well into the winter and are a good emergency food source for wild birds.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 3-8
    • Size: 3–6 ft. tall and wide
    Continue to 9 of 20 below
  • 09 of 20

    Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

    Oakleaf Hydrangea in the Fall Oakleaf Hydrangea in the Fall

     

    HenryPhotos / Getty Images

    Other shrubs offer visual interest in winter due to their interesting bark. Birch trees are noted for the attractive way their bark peels, and shrubs such as oakleaf hydrangea provide the same feature.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 5-9
    • Size: 4-8 ft. tall and wide
  • 10 of 20

    Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba)

    Red-twig dogwood with other plants in background. Red-twig dogwood with other plants in background.

     Paul Hart / Getty Images

    The bark of red twig dogwood is also valued in a bleak winter. But this bark doesn't peel; what makes it special is its bright red color.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 3-8
    • Size: 6–9 ft. tall, 8–12 ft. wide
  • 11 of 20

    Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera 'Flaviramea')

    Yellow-twig dogwood shrub with thin yellow stems and small buds Yellow-twig dogwood shrub with thin yellow stems and small buds

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Yellow twig dogwood is grown for the same reason as red twig dogwood: To give the yard a pop of color in winter with its vibrant bark.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; acidic, moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 3-8
    • Size: 5 ft. tall and wide
  • 12 of 20

    Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

    Common ninebark shrub Common ninebark shrub

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Like oakleaf hydrangea, the ninebarks sport a peeling bark in winter. These shrubs come in a variety of sizes (some quite compact) and foliage colors–the most popular being purple and golden.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 2-8
    • Size: 3-10 ft. tall, 3-8 ft. wide
    Continue to 13 of 20 below
  • 13 of 20

    Dwarf Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo)

    mugo pine mugo pine

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    The dwarf Mugo pine increases winter interest with its evergreen foliage and can easily serve as a ground cover. The only caveat is since it is a relatively short plant, its display value diminishes in areas that receive heavy snowfalls in winter.

    • Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 2-7
    • Size: 2-5 ft. tall, 3-5 ft. wide
  • 14 of 20

    Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica')

    Two dwarf Alberta spruce trees in garden with other plants. Two dwarf Alberta spruce trees in garden with other plants.

    mtreasure / Getty Images 

    Like Sky Pencil holly, dwarf Alberta spruce is often grown in pairs: one on each side of an entryway. This needled evergreen can also be decorated to function as an outdoor Christmas tree.

    • Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 3-6
    • Size: 10-13 ft. tall, 7-10 ft. wide
  • 15 of 20

    Threadleaf False Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Mop')

    King's Gold false cypress with its golden foliage. King's Gold false cypress with its golden foliage.
    David Beaulieu

    Several evergreens give you the option of golden foliage rather than plain green, and gold mop is one of them. Its needle-like foliage retains good color through the winter.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 5-7
    • Size: 3 ft. tall, 4 ft. wide
  • 16 of 20

    English Boxwood (Buxus spp.)

    Green mountain boxwood leaves Green mountain boxwood leaves

    Akchamczuk / Getty Images

    Boxwoods are broadleaf evergreens legendary for their delicate leaves. They are often planted in a line and sheared into hedges. The foliage sometimes becomes tinged with a bronze color in winter.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; slightly alkaline, moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 5-9
    • Size: 2-8 ft. tall, 2-8 ft. wide
    Continue to 17 of 20 below
  • 17 of 20

    Moonshadow Euonymus (E. fortunei 'Moonshadow')

    Moonshadow euonymus used as groundcover. Moonshadow euonymus used as groundcover.
    David Beaulieu

    Euonymus is a broadleaf evergreen. The multi-colored types of Euonymus are most popular, including Moonshadow, whose leaves are edged in green, with a lighter color (ranging from golden to creamy-white) in the middle.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 4-9
    • Size: 2-3 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide
  • 18 of 20

    Emerald and Gold Euonymus (E. fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold')

    emerald n gold euonymus emerald n gold euonymus

    The Spruce / Autumn Wood

    Emerald and Gold Euonymus is one of the most commonly grown types. Its multicolored leaf pattern is the opposite of Moonshadow's: golden on the edges, green in the centers.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 4-9
    • Size: 2-3 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide
  • 19 of 20

    Little Giant Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Little Giant’)

    Four Little Giant Dwarf Arborvitae in the garden with other plants Four Little Giant Dwarf Arborvitae in the garden with other plants

    Courtesy of Gertens.com

    Arborvitaes give you flat sprays of glossy, bright evergreen needles. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. A number of them, like Little Giant, have rounded shapes. These shrubs can form perfect little globes of green, gold, or bronze (depending on the variety and time of the year) in the landscape.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 3-8
    • Size: 4 ft. tall and wide
  • 20 of 20

    Emerald Green Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald Green')

    Emerald Green arborvitae shrubs growing in a loose hedge. Emerald Green arborvitae shrubs growing in a loose hedge.

    DEA/RANDOM / Getty Images

    In contrast to the smaller globe-shaped arborvitae, Emerald Green is relatively tall. Because of this, it's often grown in a row to form a privacy screen.

    • Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil
    • Zone: 2-7
    • Size: 12–20 ft. tall, 3–10 ft. wide
    FAQ
    • What shrubs will still flower in winter?

      One shrub that will still flower in winter is witch hazel.

    • What perennial plants grow well in the cold?

      Perennials such as winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) and Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) grow well and can even bloom in the cold.