UT Extension News – Winter Interest in the Garden

January 24, 2025

by Lucas Holman, UT Horticulture Extension Agent, Wilson County

Winter can be bleak at times with the threat of snow and frigid temperatures, but there can still be color in the garden during the winter. Many of the variegated or golden leaved evergreens can brighten up the garden. Leaves aren’t the only thing that can show interest in the garden, don’t forget to look at bark, berries, and branches.

When it comes to leaves that can pop in the wintertime, many of them are evergreen or conifers. These will generally hold their leaves majority of the winter and then flush out new growth in the spring time. There are many variegated or golden leaved hollies on the market today. One of my favorite pictures that I took a few weeks ago was of a golden leaved holly with snow on it. There are many excellent cultivars of gold leaved and variegated hollies on the market today. Be sure and shop around at different nurseries and garden centers to see which news ones are out. Hollies are also excellent berry producers and many times these berries last through the winter. ‘Foster’ holly is an excellent evergreen choice that usually has a heavy set of berries. Winterberry hollies are definitely growing in popularity because they’re deciduous. They will lose their leaves and just show the berries. It will pop in the landscape. When selecting winterberry hollies be sure and also purchase a male holly because only the females will set fruit. ‘Winter Red’ is the tried-and-true favorite of winterberry holly with ‘Southern Gentleman’ being its pollinator.

If you are looking to add some unique conifers that can be bright in winter, look for ‘Yellow Ribbon’ Arborvitae, ‘Gold Lace’ Juniper, and ‘Vintage Gold’ False Cypress. There are many excellent blue foliaged evergreens that can also be a great contract to the gold. One of the most popular is ‘Grey Owl’. Be sure and space these appropriately because I normally see them planted directly beside the foundation of a home. Many times, they will get much larger than the actual tag says.

As for winter interest in terms of branches, be sure and check out the colorful twig dogwoods. These dogwoods are deciduous and will lose their leaves but their brightly colored twigs remain all winter. Look for cultivars that are proven to grow well in Tennessee such as ‘Winter Flame’, ‘Arctic Sun’, and ‘Cayenne’. All of these plants mentioned above work well for cut container arrangements in the winter. After you pull out all of your warm season annuals, cut some red-twig dogwoods, winterberry hollies, and gold evergreens and design an arrangement that will pop.

As always, if you have any questions regarding any horticulture facet, feel free to contact Lucas Holman, UT Horticulture Extension Agent, Wilson County at 615-444-9584 or Lholman1@utk.edu.

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