Do you miss the bright beauty of spring and summer and the dramatic glowing trees of fall as you go through the winter months? If you’re looking to add color to your winter garden, look no further than Missouri’s native trees and shrubs for spectacular beauty. And several of our native species also provide forage for birds in the late winter months.

Xenoscaping is the practice of landscaping with plants that are native to an area, which saves on watering, fertilizer and herbicide. These plants are already well adapted to our environment so they are much easier on the environment and much easier to care for. We recommend three plants to bring color to your winter Innsbrook landscape. All are Missouri natives and will do well in our area.

The first two are species of holly (Missouri has three species that grow native). These two deciduous varieties are beautiful when they drop their leaves, though their names are not glamorous.

Possumhaw

Jeff McMillian @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Possumhaw is an upright shrub in the holly family that typically grows 7’ to 15’ tall and prefers full sun to partial shade. Its leaves are two-to-three inches long and change from purple-green to yellow in the fall. Pollinated female plants bear orange-red berries that ripen in September and persist throughout the winter until mid-March when new growth begins. Birds, deer and small mammals are attracted to their fruit. As is the case with all hollies, you must have male and female plants to produce berries.

Winterberry

Photo (c)2007 Derek Ramsey

Winterberry is a native holly shrub whose brightly colored berries cling to its branches into the winter, providing food for a wide variety of mammals and birds. Winterberry drops its leaves to reveal thousands of bright red berries. An added bonus is the opportunity to cut sprigs off these hollies for holiday decoration. Avoid over-harvesting, though.

Photo by Steven G. Johnson

Ozark Witch Hazel

Photo Source

Ozark witch hazel will complement your winterberry display with its red and orange fragrant flowers that bloom from January to February. Witch hazel blooms best in full sun to light shade. It also produces bright yellow leaves in the fall. The shrub will grow from 6 to 10 feet tall and prefers clay soils. Perfect for Innsbrook!

Flowering Dogwood

Missouri Botanical Garden photo

Flowering dogwoods are generally a woodland favorite for their large white flowers in spring but are equally valuable for their bright red berries in late fall and throughout winter. Winter resident birds tend to wait until mid to late winter to begin eating the fruits of this dogwood species. The fruit attains its full color in October, coinciding with the dogwood’s beautiful red leaves. (Source)

Missouri Botanical Garden photo

If you’re looking to keep your garden limited to Missouri native plants, check out this database from the Missouri Prairie Foundation. See more winter-specific natives from The Gateway Gardener.

Have you planted anything this year to keep your landscaping alive in the wintertime?