how deep is the border ...

a shrub that gets to 6 feet... probably needs to be in a bed that is at least 10 feet deep ... as it will probably end up as wide as it is tall ...

and if your beds not that deep.... then you will probably want something you can prune back hard ... but it might be hard to get to 6 feet every season ...

all of which might lead me to buddeliah??? .. which were borderline z5 here in MI .... before i gave up on them ...

boy a pic might really help ...

ken

I don't have a pic since I'm not home but the border runs the length of my entire backyard and is about 15 ft deep so plenty of space, I could always move some stuff around as well. I have two buddleia in the border already - really looking for something that will have something for the winter - berries or pretty bark or something. Everything looks so blah and bare out there right now

Ha true! I can't help it, the warm weekend gave me a taste of spring and tulips and resurrection lilies have poked through the ground and though we're due to get 6 inches of snow tomorrow - I have officially gotten spring fever. Curable only by getting my hands in the dirt

Red- or gold-twig dogwood (Cornus) shrubs would add winter interest, and there are several selections which are smaller than the usual type.

If your soil is neutral to acid, you could look at some of the midsized Rhododendrons or mountain laurels (Kalmia). There is quite a range in size for both genera, so you should be able to find something that works for size, but neither likes alkaline soil. Leaf size, color and shininess vary, and the rhodie leaves curl in the coldest temps, changing the plant's texture.

There are some selections of winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) such as Red Sprite or Berry Poppins that have been chosen for smaller size, and even some where the male and female plants are in the same pot and grow together. The male doesn't have to be in the same bed, so alternatively you could find another spot in your yard to tuck in the male. Winterberry is deciduous, so the berries really brighten up the plant until the birds come to strip the berries.

There are always evergreen conifers, though they may or may not be what you are looking for. They will provide shelter for birds.

Planting some hard prune (type3) clematis on ornamental trellises is another strategy since once you prune back the clematis after winter starts, the trellis will provide interest.

A frost-free birdbath with a heater can bring a lot of life to a winter garden, especially if there are nearby shrubs the birds can use coming and going.

You could also consider a small tree which would reach up above some of your smaller plants as well. Without a photo, I don't know that this would work, but there are a fair number of smaller trees that have interesting winter form such as dogwoods, hawthorns, and Japanese maples.

Based on what you've written, the best bet for winter interest will be a dwarf conifer. You could do a dwarf blue spruce like 'Zafiro' or 'Sester's Dwarf', a dwarf white spruce like 'Yukon Blue' which is a darker blue with small needles, or any number of pines or other spruces. The bright blue color would look great against the many green leaved plants already in the bed. Depending on your overall space and budget you could repeat using a few of the same or different dwarf conifers in the bed so you have several plants with winter interest.