Shrubs With Winter Color

Winter Daphne

• Winter daphne (Daphne odora) is a shrub well suited for adding winter color to the garden with its evergreen foliage and winter blooming flowers. Winter daphne is also known as fragrant daphne and achieves a 3- to 4-foot mature height with a 2- to 4-foot spread. The shrub grows at a slow to moderate speed and blossoms with purple buds and pink flowers during winter and spring. The leathery, alternate foliage is dark green and 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches long. Plant the shrub in areas of sun to partial shade in a very well-drained, moist soil. Winter daphne is hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 to 9.

Polar Ice Camellia

• Polar ice camellia (Camellia x 'Polar Ice') is an upright shrub with a spreading growth and a full height of 6 to 8 feet. The evergreen shrub with leathery, dark green, alternate foliage lends color to the winter landscape and blooms with 3- to 3 ½-inch, white, fragrant flowers from fall and well into winter. Polar ice camellia is hardy in zones 6 to 9 and prefers to grow in a well-drained, moist soil. Place the shrub in areas of light shade for optimal growth.

Common Wintercreeper

• Common wintercreeper (Euonymus fortune var. radicans) is an evergreen shrub hardy in zones 5 to 9. Common wintercreeper is grown for its leathery, glossy, 1 ½- to 2-inch-long foliage that adds a splash of color to winter gardens. The shrub grows to a full height of about 5 feet and is often used for hedges with its fine and medium texture. Plant common wintercreeper in areas receiving full sun or partial shade for optimal growth. The shrub adapts well to a range of soil types. Common wintercreeper develops a mounded, spreading mature form.