I've just started thinking about that too. In the past I used dwarf evergreen trees and holly. I've heard that hellebores grow in late winter, but so far they seem to be pretty expensive to buy as plants, and difficult to grow from seed. I've heard you can use something called a dogwood bush? I can't recall the name exactly, but it has red bark and gets brighter in wintertime. So when the leaves fall, it provides winter interest. I'd love to hear more on this myself.

Estelle

There isn't anything growing during the winter where i am, but it's definitely nice to have something to look at in between the snow and wind! I've only got a dwarf alberta growing right now (by way of evergreens), but it was a cheery welcome in the middle of winter. Red Twig Dogwood is the one you're thinking of lavendrfern - it grows wild around here. It can get kind of big. Anything with interesting bark or form should give your garden much more impact!

The dogwood mentioned is a red twig dogwood, and is lovely. I've attached a link below.

As for your question, I love winter interest. Almost all of my pots feature evergreens or at least plants that look interesting in the winter--a blue spruce, heavenly bamboo, grasses, evergreen jasmine. The weird thing, though, is that I forgot to put evergreen shrubs into my new garden beds... and I'm really regretting it. Definitely put in a nice framework of shrubs. I recommend Euonymus in particular, especially Emerald 'n' Gold (which can in my experience be kept small). It reddens in the fall and winter and looks fantastic!

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Twig Dogwood

My garden is basically made up of flowering and foliage shrubs and yes, I do take Winter interest into consideration. Fall interest as well. I'm getting to the point where I have 3 good seasons of interest in the garden - Summer I consider the dormant season here. I feel lucky when things survive Summer and look green :-) That's ok with me - Summer is really a time for the beach here and it's too hot to tend to the garden. Come Fall I resurface again, LOL!

I have a mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, all selected for either Fall or Winter interest. Some are: viburnums (opulus and tinus), New Zealand tea tree, oleander, grevilia, photinia, strawberry tea tree, dodonea, the above mentioned red twig dogwood (one of my latest additions), eleagnus, broom, lavenders (bloom year round), different types of hollies, nandina domestica, ferns, hebes, etc. Recently I have added an amelanchier. These are the mainstays of the garden. Roses sometimes bloom until Christmas here too.

Living in a warm climate with no snow cover, I consider Fall and Winter interest a must, as otherwise I would be staring at bare dirt for quite a few months during the year.

Eduarda

Peeling bark on certain maple trees, some Japanese maple trees have bright green bark that stays very green. There is also a yellow twig dogwood.

Consider if you get snow that leaving the heads on some wildflowers and grasses to let them catch the snow makes an eye catching landscape. You will also attract birds into your winter landscape.

Berrying plants are a gorgeous addition to the winter landscape. Native Holly, viburnums and beauty berry are lovely and surprisingly colorful!

GGG

For winter interest, I have sedum, grasses, pachysandra,
roses with good hips, vines, assorted evergreens, smaller
hydrangeas, a climbing hydrangea(which is very pretty in
the winter) plus the many obelisks/arches/etc for the
roses. I do have a viburnum(blue muffin)which usually
has very blue berries in the winter, but seems unlikely
this year, since something (i did see ants all over them)
ate most of the blooms this summer.
alida

Estelle, Hellebore are so easy from seed if you sow them at the right time. With the exception of 2, mine are all grown from seed.
The trick with these guys is if you delay planting them they can go into a prolonged dormancy and then they are very difficult to germinate.
I get my seed from England in August, One year I was under the weather and didn't get the seed planted for a month, I had a very poor germination rate that year.
The very day I get the seed I sow it in clay pots filled with a planter box mix. The seeds are placed on the surface and then covered with a course grit (chicken grit).
The pots are then watered, stuck in a wooden flat stuck in a shady spot and forgotten about more or less until December/February when the seedlings start poking through the grit. I deadheaded all of mine so no seed this year.
I have had Hellebore seedlings popping up in gravel paths from ones I didn't get around to deadheading.
Buying a Hellebore and saving your own seed might be the way to go. Trust me, they really are easy if you sow them as soon as the seed is ripe.

Annette

Annette - thanks for that! I'm going to try again 'cuz now I'm inspired! Now that I think of it, I don't think I let them sit long enough - it was probably about two months when I decided they weren't going to germinate. I got the seeds in a fall exchange, but didn't plant them until late Nov/early Dec. Then I let them sit for two months and gave up on them. My timing is all off!

Estelle, if the seed is not fresh enough and they go into prolonged dormancy, don't dump the pots for at least another year. Sometimes, not always, going through another complete cycle does the trick if you're lucky. The same goes for cyclamen seed.

Annette

Thank you all so much for your input. I am planning a cottage garden to put out next spring. You have given me many useful suggestions. My mind had been stuck in "flower" only mode.

Maybe this will give a couple of ideas. This was my garden back in November last year. I'm posting this as a link only so that dial-upers (is that a word?) can skip it if they want to.

A couple of things I forgot on my reply above were firethorn, beautyberry and the sweet gum tree. I think all can be seen in the photos below.

Eduarda

Here is a link that might be useful: My Fall garden

Thanks, Eduarda. That gives me some ideas.

Annette - too late...lol. I'll have to put some hellebore seeds on my wish list for the exchange. I'm guessing that the soil, seed and all are somewhere in the compost heap. lol