Plants That Look Good in the Winter

Winterberry Sparkleberry

• The branches of the winterberry (Ilex verticillata) hybrid called Sparkleberry -- full of bright red berries -- are so ornamental that you have the option of removing some for decorative use indoors during winter, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. This shrub grows between 6 and 10 feet and is designed to produce extraordinary amounts of red berries and bred to retain them into the cold months. Sparkleberry is a shrub suitable for group plantings, foundations, hedges or planting along woodland borders. It handles partly shady sites and wet conditions.

Coral Bark Willow Britzensis

• Take advantage of the colorful new growth of the coral bark willow (Salix alba subsc. vitellina) cultivar known as Britzensis by cutting the plant back as winter ends. By doing so, you promote the rapid development of new stems, which take on a red to orange hue in winter, making the plant attractive. Coral bark willow thrives in a wet soil in full sunshine; it flowers in April and May. The shrub will attain tree size without pruning, with some specimens growing to heights of 80 feet when left unchecked.

Persian Ironwood

• While the changing colors of the foliage on a Persian ironwood tree (Parrotia persica) look good from spring through autumn, the exfoliating bark of the mature individual garners attention in winter. Persian ironwood grows about 10 feet in its first seven to eight years, with maximum heights of from 20 to 40 feet. Persian ironwood's bark peels away, showing the green, brown, gray and white layers underneath it, notes the Ohio State University Extension. Persian ironwood works as a shade tree or small lawn tree.

Anglojap Yew Hicksii

• Select a female plant when looking for a Hicksii cultivar of Anglojap yew (Taxia x media) with winter color and interest, since only the females produce fruit. This evergreen shrub, attaining sizes from 12 to 20 feet when not pruned down, has shiny, dark green needles, according to the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Hicksii is suitable for use in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7. Hicksii grows in many soils, as long as the ground drains fairly well. Prune Hicksii during the early weeks of spring before any new growth emerges.