Want more color? Brighten up your winter garden with 9 tough perennials

The onset of winter makes you slow down and appreciate the little things in a garden. On dark cold days, a lingering flower or brightly colored leaf is cause to celebrate. A recent gift from a gardening friend brought this home to me even more.

Just after Thanksgiving, my friend Karen gave me a heuchera (aka Coral Bells) all potted up and raring to go. I’ll be honest - I have had notoriously bad luck with them in my garden, but I wasn’t about to say no to this bright little beauty, Heuchera ‘Peach Flambe.’ I placed it by the front door so I could enjoy it before the onslaught of winter finished it off. To my surprise, this sweet little thing remained unfazed by freezing temps and a blanket of snow.

It made me think a little more about winter tolerant perennials I haven’t appreciated. As I walked around my garden, I noticed a smattering of a few I’d like to have more of.

Heuchera ‘Peach Flambe’

1. Euphorbia x Martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’

No two ways about it - this flashy perennial is guaranteed to brighten up a bleak December day. I have several by the front door and plan to add more. I recommend it if you have full sun and good drainage. Disclaimer - it isn’t always reliably hardy (I’m in zone 5-6), but I think it’s beauty makes it worth replacing if you have a hard winter.

Euphorbia x Martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’

2.Carex oshimensis ‘Ice Cream’

When summer was in full swing, I didn’t notice this perennial much, but now wish I had planted more of it. I’d like to see a big sweep of that perky little variegated grass about now. Great texture, and it’s a tough, tidy plant that’s happy in shade or partial sun.

Carex oshimensis ‘Ice Cream’

3.Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’

The green and lime striped foliaged Hakon grass, Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’ has had its day, but ‘All Gold’ is still a gleaming beacon. An accidental combination with the glossy green Holly leaves made my day. Patience is required with Hakon grasses - they take awhile to establish, but the beauteous foliage makes the wait worthwhile.

Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’

4. Helleborus

Everyone plants hellebores because they bloom early, but what about their stunning foliage? Helleborus foetidus (aka stinking hellebore) is even more outstanding as the thin serrated leaves morph from dark green to purplish black tones. This is what mine looked like a few weeks ago. I still stop to admire it.

Helleborus foetidus

Helleborus orientalis (Lenten Rose) has a wider leaf and you can count on its glossy green foliage til around the end of February. It takes snow gardening to another level. Don't you love that contrast?

I think it looks best planted in masses like this.

Helleborus orientalis

5. Geranium macrorrhizum (Big leaf geranium)

Groundcover make trees and shrubs look less lonely. This geranium retains its lush textured foliage all winter. It’s an aggressive but not unfriendly perennial that is easy to pull up if you need to thin it out.

Geranium macrorrhizum

6. Asarum europeum (European wild ginger) and Epimedium grandiflora (Barronwort)

These are both slower growing ground covers, but no less effective. Both keep their leaves until late winter and are happiest in some degree of shade.

left - Asarum europeum (European wild ginger) and right - Epimedium grandiflora (Barronwort)

7. Salvia rosmarinus (Rosemary)

I didn’t fully appreciate the longevity of herbs until recently. I usually bring Rosemary into the house, but this year I left it out because it still looked (and tasted) good. It’s very tolerant of December weather - I added the artificial berries as a holiday touch.

Salvia rosmarinus (Rosemary)

8. Sages

All sages have long lasting beauty. I use clippings from the gray foliaged variety below to enhance my cooking, the purple and variegated ones please my eyes.

Salvia officianalis (Sage)

Salvia dorrii (Purple Sage)

Salvia officianalis ‘Icterina’ (Golden variegated sage)

9.Lavendula augustifolia (Lavender)

Somehow you’d think that a mediterranean herb like Lavender would fold in the snow, but the grayish green leaves stay intact til late winter. I almost appreciate the contrast of the leaves against the snow more than I do when it flowers in July.

Lavendula augustifolia (Lavender)

I’m sure I could add more perennials to jazz up the garden for winter. I used to joke about snow gardening with a friend of mine, but I think it could get to be a thing. If any of you have some to recommend, please share!