For those of us living in cooler climates the fall and winter months are just around the corner. While winter may mean the end of fresh summer fruit and seemingly endless hours of sunshine, it need not mean the end of your bright and beautiful garden. While your rose bushes may not make it through the winter months, there are plenty of hardy, yet lovely, plants and flowers that will. With a little planning and some TLC, you can enjoy a bountiful garden all year round.

Preparing your Plot

For the best winter garden, choose a south-facing plot of land to take advantage of the most sunshine possible during the shorter winter days or a bed beneath a group of deciduous trees, which will shelter plants from the harsher elements of winter. Winter gardens also need the best drainage possible, so prepare the soil with sand or organic compost to lighten its density and aid with water runoff.

 Picking the Proper Plants

 While there are few plants that will survive very harsh winters, there are an abundance of plants perfect for those living in slightly more temperate areas. Some plants, like bright and cheery pansies or delicate camellia, actually thrive in cooler temperatures and less sunshine, making them perfect candidates for a winter garden. Other excellent choices include hellebores, (also called winter roses,) for their pretty foliage and climate-proof flowers, snowdrops for their small but bright white flowers, and some varieties of rhododendrons, which bloom all year round in bright shades of yellow, cream and orange. Hibiscus, with their lacy blossoms and weather-toughness, also make an excellent addition, as well as white forsythia, which blooms beautifully along walls.

 Don’t forget about the wealth of flowering shrubs and plants with colored stems or berries. A stalk of rich, red berries against a bank of snow makes for a breathtaking sight. Sibirica is one plant that offers pretty foliage in the summer and bright red stalks in the winter. For golden stems, try Salix alba vitellina. Dogwood is another nice addition, with stems ranging in color from yellow to bright corral. Remember, the key to enjoying colored stems in the winter is to arrange the plants where they will catch or reflect light at different times of day. A word to the wise: you may either want to choose or avoid berry bearing plants if you live in an area with an abundance of birds. While birds add color, cheer and song to a gloomy winter day, they may strip the stems of berried plants before winter even arrives.

 Another nice addition to any winter garden is a scented plant. Any of the family of witch hazel plants will not only add a dash of color to your garden, but a delicate scent reminiscent of spring. Daphnes possess a more potent perfume, especially the upright evergreen Daphne, which will fill your garden with a heady aroma all winter long. Winter honeysuckle (also called “sweet-breath-of-spring”) has unassuming cream-colored blossoms, but a wonderful fragrance. Wintersweet emits a delicious fragrance on a cold morning, and sweet olive rounds out the bouquet with its spicy aroma and blossoms.

 Another way to choose the plants for your garden is to take a cue from nature. Look around. What flowers, plants, and shrubs seem to survive winter in your area the best? They’ll most likely thrive in your garden too. Still unsure of which winter plants to pick? Head to your local greenhouse or garden shop for additional expert advice on which buds to buy, and always investigate the specific sun and water needs of each plant before you purchase.