Bring your garden to life this winter with Hillier Nurseries’ expert planting tips

Winter may often be associated with images of bare branches, muted tones, and dormant landscapes - but it doesn’t have to mean a lifeless garden. With thoughtful planting and design, outdoor spaces can be full of colour, texture, and visual interest throughout the colder months. Here, the experts at Hillier Garden Centres share their top recommendations for creating a garden that shines even in winter.

Designing a vibrant winter garden

By combining evergreen shrubs, winter-flowering plants, and trees with brightly coloured stems, gardeners can keep their outdoor spaces engaging and dynamic. Bold-stemmed plants introduce striking reds, yellows, and oranges that pop against winter’s neutral tones, while evergreens provide structure, form, and year-round greenery. Fragrant, winter-flowering shrubs also bring a sensory element to the garden, offering both colour and scent when most plants are resting.

Hillier’s top picks for winter colour

• Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) – Produces vibrant red, orange, or yellow flowers on bare branches in late winter, adding an uplifting focal point when little else is in bloom.
• Mahonia japonica – With its evergreen leaves, fragrant yellow flowers, and purple berries, this plant delivers colour, scent, and structure in shaded or sheltered spots.
• Sarcococca confusa (Christmas Box) – Low-growing with glossy leaves and highly scented white flowers, perfect for borders, entrances, or containers in smaller spaces.
• Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’ (Japanese Maple) – Known for its striking coral-red stems, this tree adds architectural drama and vibrant winter colour.
• Helleborus ‘Ice n Roses Benotta’ (and similar varieties) – Hardy perennials that flower from winter into spring, providing early nectar for pollinators and long-lasting garden colour.
• Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ (Red Twig Dogwood) – Brilliant red stems that glow against snow or a pale backdrop; prune older growth to encourage vivid new stems each year.
• Erica carnea (Winter Heath) – Low-growing and long-flowering, with delicate pink or white blooms that bring continuous colour from late winter to early spring.

Quick wins for winter interest

Creating a garden that looks alive in winter isn’t just about flowers - it’s about contrast, texture, and structure. Combine plants with glossy, spiky, or finely divided foliage and mix smooth bark with bold, coloured stems for visual depth.

Try these design tips from the Hillier experts:

1. Contrast form and texture – Pair bold-stemmed plants with finer evergreen foliage for depth and balance.
2. Use containers – Small spaces, patios, or balconies can burst with life through flexible, portable winter planting (just make sure they’re frost resistant!)
3. Layer interest – Combine plants for bark colour, berries, leaf form, and winter flowers for evolving displays.
4. Position with purpose – Place fragrant winter shrubs near entrances or pathways to make the most of their scent and colour.
5. Maintain structure – Pruning, mulching, and watering during dry spells help preserve form and vigour through the season – though not all plants will appreciate a prune so check before you snip!

With these simple steps from Hillier Garden Centre, the winter garden can become a wonderland to be enjoyed rather than shut off until spring.

For more expert advice, inspiration, and seasonal guides, visit your local Hillier Garden Centre or join the Hillier Gardening Club and get it delivered directly to your inbox at: www.hillier.co.uk/gardening-club.

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Editors notes

“To inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future” Hillier is one of the leading names in the horticultural industry, with 160 years of growing and retail experience.

Founded in 1864 by Edwin Hillier, the company remains a family-run nursery with the fifth generation now actively involved in the family business as it continues to grow.

Not only is Hillier the largest producer of semi-mature trees in Europe and grower of over one million plants at its Hampshire nursery, but it also employs over 750 staff across its nursery, amenity trees and 22 garden centre divisions and is a flourishing multi-million pound company. It proudly holds the world record for the most consecutive gold medals awards at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with 74 wins.

As one of the leading growers in the UK, Hillier is involved in many peat-free initiatives, including the RHS Peat-Free Fellowship, the largest peat-free collaborative research project globally. The company was amongst the first nurseries to become 100% peat-free across both its production nursery and retail garden centres, and all Hillier plants are grown in peat-free compost.

Recent successes for the company include the launch of its online shop, the substantial redevelopment of Hillier Garden Centre Newbury and the acquisition of the Rosebourne Garden Centre Group in November 2022, as well as sponsorship of BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, and the incredibly popular free ‘Hillier Gardening Club’ loyalty program which now has over half a million members.

Renowned for being a leading breeder of plants in the UK at its 100% peat-free nursery in Hampshire, each year Hillier introduces amazing new varieties. Many of these have become essentials in British gardens and the company continues with the tradition of innovation and the introduction of new garden plants in the present day.