Unexpected Winter Color Palettes – Plant Experts Reveal 9 Inspired Ways To Add Emerald, Terracotta and Midnight Blue in the Garden
It's time to move things on from the red and green plants traditionally associated with the winter garden
The winter garden is not a place that is traditionally associated with color, yet it's rich with potential if you learn how to use unexpected winter color palettes to breathe life and vitality into your planting. Now is the time to celebrate small joys by choosing plants that add a vibrant moment to lighten the darkest days of the year.
It's also an opportunity to step away from the classic red and dark green planting combinations that tend to dominate winter garden ideas – think holly berries and pine branches on repeat. Instead push the boundaries with planting choices that are a little more inspirational and move things in a new direction.
9 plants to give bold and unexpected winter color
'In winter, as at other times, plants are at the heart of a garden,' says Naomi Slade, gardening expert, award-winning designer, TV presenter, and author of The Winter Garden: Celebrating the Season, available from Amazon. 'They provide color, movement and interest, and can be combined to exquisite effect, holding the frame of the space and creating a picture that gradually evolves.'
Naomi suggests using contrasting colors for impact, such as orange stems popping up next to purple flowers.
This suggestion ties in perfectly with our idea of using unexpected winter color palettes to add definition and drama. You can use just one of these new color ideas or all of them, as they complement each other perfectly. Either way, this offers an interesting dimension to design ideas for winter gardens.
Naomi Slade has written a number of popular gardening books with English and American editions. She is also an award-winning designer of show gardens. As a biologist and naturalist with an interest in both the environment and the cultivated landscape, Naomi has expertise in areas including wildflower meadows, woodland, naturalistic landscapes, traditional and modern orchards, sustainability, and wilding.
1. Green-flowering hellebores
Helleborus viridis
There are several hellebores with emerald green flowers that will add a wonderful zingy note to unexpected winter color palettes.
Also known as Christmas rose and Lenten rose, these hardy perennial flowers prefer a rich and moisture-retentive soil, and thrive in low-light such as woodland gardens or shady borders in zones 4-9. Once established, they bloom reliably from late winter through early spring.
'Double Ellen Green' brings a refreshing twist with its double, emerald green flowers coming into bloom when most plants are still dormant.
The intricate layers of green petals add an elegant touch. Look out also for FrostKiss™ Moondance® Lenten Rose, available at Nature Hills, which has white flowers that age to emerald green and is sought after because of its exceptionally early blooming period.
2. Boxwood 'Green Velvet'
Emerald green brings calm and clarity to winter landscapes. Instead of the dark and uniform tones of evergreen shrubs, emerald feels fresh, modern, and restorative, plus it pairs with nearly everything.
'Boxwood 'Green Velvet' has a classic structure, and a very modern color,' says gardening expert Kelly Funk, president of Jackson & Perkins nursery. 'The rich emerald foliage holds strongly through winter and provides crisp architectural form. If you're looking to create looser, playful plantings in this color palette use boxwood 'Green Velvet' to ground your design.'
Thriving in zones 5-8, this lovely, light-colored evergreen beauty prefers a sheltered spot, and well-drained soil. It's a versatile accompaniment to planting designs in beds, borders and container gardens. It works both tightly clipped into compact shapes or left to grow in a more loose fashion.
Make this one of your go-to choices for bright emerald-green foliage that lasts through the seasons. You can find Boxwood 'Green Velvet' at Jackson & Perkins, and try it also as a low hedge.
Kelly is the president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins, a renowned online nursery with roots dating back to 1872 and a storied reputation for cultivating exceptional roses. A passionate gardener herself, Kelly brings hands-on knowledge and a deep appreciation for plants to her leadership. Under her guidance, Jackson & Perkins continues to thrive as a trusted name for gardeners who value beauty, quality, and the joy of growing
3. Galanthus 'Jacquenetta'
Galanthus 'Jacquenetta'
Snowdrops are superstars of the winter garden, pushing up through frozen soil and snow to entrance us with their delicate beauty.
The skirt-like petals of the Galanthus 'Jaquenetta' variety are splashed with stunning emerald green marking on the outsides, making them a great choice for unexpected winter color palettes.
Group them together in the border or in containers in full sun or partial shade in zones 3-7. They like well-drained, light and moist soil. They are strongly fragranced too if you're looking for the best winter flowers for scent.
It's a great choice for naturalizing in lawns too, where you can plant them in large drifts for a deconstructed look.
4. Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'
'Terracotta is the bridge between warm and cool. It's soft, earthy, and grounding,' says Kelly Funk. 'In winter landscapes, it adds a sense of comfort and coziness without relying on traditional holiday reds.'
The crinkly stems of Hamamelis (also known as witch hazel) feature fringed tassels in a rich shade of terracotta that are beautifully fragrant too.
One of the more usual ways to include this shrub in the winter garden is by lining pathways with it so you enjoy the fragrance close up as you walk by. Alternatively arrange stems in terracotta pots for the patio table to scent the air around it when you sit there.
Blooming for a couple of months in the depths of winter in zones 3-9, Hamamelis thrives in full or partial sun, and moist but well-drained soil. This particular cultivar makes it onto our list of the best witch hazel varieties too.
It really is a great addition to winter landscapes and you can buy a lovely coppery-toned Hamamelis 'Jelena' here at Amazon. There is also a pale yellow variety available called Hamamelis vernalis.
5. Erysimum cheiri 'Fire King'
Erysimum cheiri 'Fire King'
The colors of Erysimum cheiri (known commonly as wallflowers) come in a range of earthy terracotta shades, including brick red, orange, rust, and gold.
These biennial beauties are perennial in some climates, and thrive in ones 5-8. They will add a warm touch to create unexpected winter color palettes in mild climates.
'Wallflowers are easy, colorful plants,' says flower expert Jenny Rose Carey, author of The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Guide, available from Amazon. 'They are a classic plant of cottage gardens, and their four-petalled flowers are sweetly fragrant. They grow in well-drained locations and, even as the name suggests, in dry-laid walls.' Jenny also recommends Erysimum cheiri for cool season container plants.
Either buy plants at the nursery now or sow Erysimum cheiri seeds, available here at Amazon, from March to May to grow in the garden next winter.
Jenny Rose Carey is a renowned gardener, educator, historian, and author of The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Guide. She is a former senior director at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Meadowbrook Farm. Previously Jenny Rose worked at Temple University for over a decade, first as an adjunct professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, then as director of the Ambler Arboretum.
6. Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)
Autumn fern has outstanding seasonal foliage in terracotta hues that can become the star of unexpected winter color palettes. For this reason it's also known as the copper shield fern. It's really tough and easy to grow in zones 5-9, and provides a year-round beautiful display of foliage that adds a bold presence in the garden.
'The young fronds of Dryopteris erythrosora emerge coppery-bronze and hold those terracotta undertones even as they mature,' says Kelly Funk. 'In milder zones, it’s evergreen; in colder zones, the dried fronds still provide sculptural winter texture.'
The emerging coppery fronts are spectacular, and offer dramatic definition at a time when the rest of the garden is pretty bare. It's one of the best ferns for designs featuring unexpected winter color palettes.
'Winter color shouldn’t be limited to holly red and evergreen,' says Kelly. 'Ideas that lean into emerald, terracotta, and midnight blue really work as an alternative.'
7. Pansy 'Blue Blotch'
'Midnight blue is atmospheric and unexpected, evoking starry skies, deep shadow, and winter twilight,' says Kelly Funk. 'Midnight blue plants make winter landscapes feel rich and cinematic rather than dormant.'
The colorful blooms of pansies are a go-to choice for filling winter planters as they're so long flowering. You may have to search a little harder for the blue varieties, such as these lovely blue 'Frizzle Sizzle' blue pansy seeds from Amazon. It will be so worth it though, as winter-flowering pansy varieties are a knockout.
For a real midnight blue favorite, the large flowered 'Blue Blotch' variety has dark, inky blue petals, a striking yellow dot centre, and an attractive contrasting central dark blotch. Also in their favor, they remain squat and rounded, rather than growing leggy, to offer a long-lasting, beautiful display.
8. Black Scallop Bugleweed
'With its dark, glossy, deeply scalloped leaves, 'Black Scallop' bugleweed (Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop') pushes the midnight palette into dramatic territory,' says Kelly Funk. 'In mild climates, it’s an evergreen groundcover, creating a low, inky carpet that holds its color through winter. Add it to the base of shrubs, along pathways, or in winter containers where designers often struggle for bold color.'
If you're looking for something really different for the winter garden 'Black Scallop' also has dark spikes of midnight-blue flowers that are loved by pollinators and add a beautiful extra detail to these hardy perennial plants.
Growing and spreading throughout planting Zones 4 to 9, this ornamental plant is an easy way to add a beautiful note to the winter landscape.
Find 'Black Scallop bugleweed here at Nature Hills to introduce some drama to your planting in flowerbeds and borders.
9. Viburnum Davidii
The benefits of including viburnum in your winter garden planting scheme are many but the main reason we love to include the variety Viburnum davidii in unexpected winter color palettes is the metallic, midnight-blue berries that adorn this evergreen shrub.
Only the female plants have these so it's a good idea to plant in groups to ensure berry production.
The berries are held on stunning red stems, which adds another dimension to the winter interest angle. They are also a great choice for wildlife garden ideas as birds love to snack on the berries.
This ornamental plant can be used to anchor winter planting schemes in Zones 7-9, then will easily step up to center stage once the berries appear. They rarely need pruning as they have a naturally compact shape.
That's our take on unexpected winter color palettes for US gardens. You could also think about how to use sculpture in a winter garden to bring even more personality into your outdoor space, and add an extra touch of drama to your emerald, terracotta and midnight blue planting palette.
