Winter Interest Shrubs

Winter doesn’t mean your garden has to sleep. At Garden Goods Direct, our Winter Interest Shrubs Collection brings life and color to the coldest months with evergreens, berried hollies, and red-twig dogwoods that stand out against snow. These shrubs are nursery-grown for strength and beauty, offering fragrance, texture, and form when most landscapes go bare. Whether you’re brightening a front entry or creating structure in a winter garden, our selection delivers dependable performance — all backed by our "We Grow Together Promise".

Shrubs That Bring Life, Color, and Structure to Winter Gardens

When temperatures drop, these winter-interest shrubs take center stage. Glossy evergreen foliage, colorful bark, berries, and even winter blooms ensure your garden remains engaging year-round. Hollies, boxwoods, mahonias, and camellias maintain structure through frost, while red-twig dogwoods and witch hazels provide bursts of color and fragrance when few other plants are active.
Each shrub in our collection has been carefully selected for its ability to thrive in cold conditions while offering visual contrast — whether it’s bright stems against snow or blooms that brighten a gray day.

Evergreen Structure and Cold-Season Performance

Winter-interest shrubs do more than survive the cold — they thrive in it. Evergreen varieties, such as hollies, boxwoods, and pieris, retain their lush foliage through freezing temperatures, while deciduous selections, like red-twig dogwood and fothergilla, reveal their striking bark and architectural form once the leaves drop.
These shrubs provide reliable texture, shelter for wildlife, and garden depth that keeps your landscape beautiful long after perennials fade. Mixed together, they create a layered, four-season display that feels intentional and inviting.

Landscape Benefits — Color, Contrast, and Year-Round Value

Winter-interest shrubs transform dull off-seasons into showpieces. Their vibrant stems, glossy leaves, and berries provide instant curb appeal, complementing evergreen trees or ornamental grasses. Use them to frame entryways, line driveways, or anchor foundation beds.
Many species, such as hollies and viburnums, produce berries that feed songbirds in winter, bringing life and movement to quiet gardens. When combined with spring-blooming companions, these shrubs provide seamless color transitions throughout all four seasons.

Low-Maintenance Beauty and Long-Lasting Durability

Once established, winter-interest shrubs require little care. Most tolerate a wide range of soils and resist pests, cold, and drought. Light annual pruning and seasonal feeding are all that’s needed to maintain healthy growth and shape.
Garden Goods Direct’s nursery-grown shrubs arrive strong, well-rooted, and acclimated to North American climates. With proper planting and minimal upkeep, they’ll deliver lasting beauty and structure through snow, frost, and beyond.

Featured Winter-Interest Shrubs for Color and Texture All Season Long

Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Baileyi’)

A true winter standout, Red Twig Dogwood is known for its striking scarlet stems that glow against snow and evergreens. This deciduous shrub provides year-round structure and color, with creamy spring flowers, white berries in summer, and fiery bark in winter. Deer-resistant and low-maintenance, it thrives in moist soils and full sun to part shade — perfect for borders, naturalized plantings, or mass displays.

Winterberry Holly ‘Red Sprite’ (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’)

Winterberry Holly ‘Red Sprite’ delivers brilliant clusters of red berries that persist long after leaves drop, feeding birds and adding vibrant winter contrast. This native deciduous holly thrives in full sun to partial shade and tolerates wet or clay soils. Perfect for foundation plantings or woodland edges, it pairs beautifully with evergreens for bold winter displays.

Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’

A four-season favorite, Mountain Fire Pieris dazzles with new scarlet-red growth each spring and cascades of white bell-shaped flowers that last into early summer. Even when temperatures dip, its evergreen foliage remains glossy and dense, creating structure and color in winter landscapes. Deer-resistant and shade-tolerant, it’s ideal for foundation plantings or woodland gardens.

Camellia ‘Kramer’s Supreme’

Camellia ‘Kramer’s Supreme’ brings rich red, rose-like blooms to winter and early spring gardens. Its glossy evergreen foliage remains attractive year-round, and its flowers open even when snow is on the ground. This Southern favorite thrives in partial shade and acidic soil, adding luxury and color when most plants are dormant.

Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’

With fern-like foliage and bright yellow winter blooms, Soft Caress Mahonia delivers texture and fragrance when other plants are bare. Its evergreen leaves stay lush through frost, while its flowers attract pollinators and brighten shady spaces. Compact and low-maintenance, this deer-resistant shrub thrives in partial shade, providing reliable winter interest for years to come.

Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ (Heavenly Bamboo)

Compact and colorful, Firepower Nandina adds fiery red foliage in winter that glows in the landscape. Its evergreen leaves shift from lime green to deep scarlet as temperatures cool, providing months of vibrant color. Perfect for borders, containers, and foundation plantings, it’s drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and thrives with little maintenance.

Holly ‘Drops of Gold’ (Ilex crenata)

This striking evergreen holly combines rich green foliage with golden-tipped new growth that shines even on gray days. Compact and dense, Drops of Gold Holly adds color and texture to winter gardens while resisting deer and cold. It’s perfect for borders, low hedges, or mixed evergreen displays where year-round color is key.

Fothergilla ‘Legend of the Fall®’

Known for its spectacular orange-red fall foliage that often lingers into early winter, Legend of the Fall® Fothergilla adds visual warmth to winter gardens. Its bottlebrush blooms appear in spring, followed by vibrant autumn color and textured branching through the colder months. Native, deer-resistant, and easy to grow, it’s a multi-season gem for any landscape.

Each of these winter-interest shrubs keeps your garden alive with structure, color, and texture long after the first frost. From bright berries and evergreen leaves to colorful bark and winter blooms, they prove that beauty doesn’t stop when the temperatures drop. Shop our complete Winter Interest Shrubs Collection to create a landscape that shines through every season — shipped directly from our nursery to your door.