Winter shrubs masterclass: best expert content

Last Updated on October 14, 2025 by Thompson & Morgan Horticultural Team

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.

Choose yellow flowers for winter cheer

“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

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.

Create winter magic with cornus

“A phoenix rising,” is how award-winning garden photographer @clivenichols describes this beautiful Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’. Clive particularly admires the “clever pairing of dogwoods with a backdrop of feathery pampas grass.” For stunning images of gardens looking magical in every season, this is the Instagram account to follow.

Combine bright stems with evergreen grass

Tony Kirkham, retired Head of Arboretum, Gardens & Horticultural Services at RBG Kew, is a font of knowledge when it comes to showstopping planting combinations. He recommends planting Cornus sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ with Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ for a stunning winter display. Follow him at @tony_kirkham_trees for more inspiration.

Prune cornus in March for a fiery winter display

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

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

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.

Fill winter containers with texture as well as colour

Over at @theplantedterrace, Yvonne’s beautifully planted container showcases hellebores, hebes, heucheras, skimmias and euphorbias. Including lots of interesting textures, Yvonne has carefully chosen plants and shrubs that deliver “long-lasting colour during winter’s darkest days.” If you’re trying to create your own ‘little piece of paradise’, this is one of the gardeners to follow.

Add scented sarcococca to winter borders

Sarcococca is the scent ‘must-have’ for garden designer Bel at @belgrierson_gardendesign. For her, this evergreen shrub is a real winner, with “glossy dark green leaves year round, joined by clusters of very fragrant white flowers emerging from pink tinged buds in mid-late winter.” Some even have purple stems! Follow this experienced plantswoman for images of breathtaking gardens and beautifully executed landscaping projects.

Fill shady corners with Sarcococca confusa

According to JB from @bs9garden, Sarcococca confusa has many strengths. Not only does it bear very sweetly-scented, creamy-white flowers in winter followed by glossy black berries – it’s also very tolerant of deep shade. “Bonus!” If you’re trying to design a garden from scratch, JB is a great person to follow. After moving house in July 2025, he’s in the process of transforming a blank canvas into the mature garden of his dreams.

Use Sarcococca as part of a winter tapestry

“Planting isn’t all about the flowers,” says Caroline from @farmhouse.gardener. “Tapestries of green, especially in late winter, can be just as captivating.” This garden and planting designer from Suffolk recommends growing sarcococca with shrubs like Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’ and Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’. In addition to wonderful scent and lots of textural interest, this winning combination is a great way to brighten up a dry, shady spot under a tree. See Caroline’s full post for the complete planting list.

Train winter-flowering climbing shrubs up vertical supports

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

“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

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 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.