20 Winter-Friendly Plants for Your Outdoor Space

Don’t settle for a gray, barren landscape outside your door. Potted plants can brighten your space and keep the color coming all winter long.

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By: Leanne Potts

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Add Cold-Season Color With Outdoor Winter Plants

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you have to settle for a barren, gray landscape outside your door. Putting cold-hardy potted plants outdoors on your porch or patio is the secret to a cheery outdoor space. Keep in mind, plants in pots are more susceptible to freezing than they are when they’re in the ground, so pick outdoor winter plants that can survive a climate one or two zones colder than where you live, says Georgia Clay, new plants manager at Monrovia Plants. “If you live in Zone 6, pick plants for containers that are marked zone 4,” Clay says. Here’s a selection of outdoor winter plants that can thrive in containers and some expert tips for keeping them healthy.

Japanese Yew

Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) is a good choice for an outdoor winter plant because it's an evergreen that keeps its leaves on its branches all winter long. It's drought-tolerant and thrives in both full and partial sun. Hardy to Zone 4, Japanese yews can survive harsh winters. You can also shape yews into topiary if you're so inclined.
Pro Tip: The bigger the container, the better off the plant will be, because more soil means more insulation for the plant's roots from winter's cold.

Golden Duke Eastern Hemlock

Evergreens are the go-to plant for winter color, but this one is unusual because it has glowing yellow foliage that lights up a dull winter landscape. Golden Duke (Tsuga canadensis ‘Monjers’) can tolerate more sun than other golden hemlocks, so this variety is a good pick for containers that get full sun. It’s hardy to Zone 4, so it can withstand extremely cold temperatures.
Pro Tip: Pump up the color in your winter containers by combining several types of cold-hardy plants. Here, Golden Duke Eastern Hemlock shares a pot with heuchera and FloralBerry.

Compact Oregon Grape

This small shrub’s foliage turns a lovely purple-red in the winter, providing a welcome shot of color in the season of gray. Compact Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium ‘Compacta’) only gets 2 to 3 feet tall, so it won’t outgrow a large container. It produces showy yellow flowers in the spring, so you’ll get year-round color from this hardy plant. Compact Oregon Grape can thrive in partial shade and is hardy to Zone 5, so it can survive below-zero temperatures.
Pro Tip: Plants need a lot less water during the winter than they do during their growing season. Keep the soil lightly moist and beware of overwatering.

Cast Iron Plant

Cast iron plants (Aspidistra elatior) are as tough as their name. These Asian natives look like tropical plants but are hardy to Zone 6, so they can withstand temperatures as low as 10 degrees. Cast iron plants can also stand up to drought and heat, so they’ll look just as good at the height of a hot, dry summer as they do in the middle of a cold, dreary winter. They like shade, so they’re a good pick for a covered patio or porch.
Pro Tip: Don’t fertilize your potted plants over the winter. They’re dormant, so they don’t need to be fed.

Learn More: Cast Iron Plant: How to Grow and Use This Houseplant and Garden Evergreen

Colorado Blue Spruce

The Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) is an iconic evergreen that's commonly used as a Christmas tree. But put a smaller one in a container and it's a great choice for an outdoor winter plant beyond the holidays. That's because it's super tough, native to the Rocky Mountains and cold hardy to Zone 3. It stays green no matter how cold it gets.
Pro Tip: Add insulation to your outdoor container plants by mulching the soil with straw or shredded leaves.

Learn More: How to Plant and Grow a Colorado Blue Spruce Tree

Velvet Viking Japanese Maple

Dwarf maples are a classic choice for cold-season color because their deep red leaves stay on the tree till early winter in harsh climates and all winter in milder ones. Even after their leaves fall off, they look like sculptures. Velvet Viking Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Monfrick’) has a low, spreading shape that looks lovely in a container. It’s hardy to Zone 4, so it’s super tough.
Pro Tip: Give your container plants a deep drench at the end of the season, and then water them sparingly — every few weeks — during the winter.

Learn More: Japanese Maples: A Guide to Planting and Care

Green Mountain Boxwood

Green Mountain Boxwood (Buxus x "Green Mountain") is a good pick as a potted plant outdoors because it's evergreen, hardy to Zone 5 and it forms a naturallly rounded shape with little pruning. It needs partial sun, so don't put it under a covered patio or porch.
Pro Tip: Insulate your plants by setting the container with the potted plant into a larger container. The extra layer will protect the roots from freezing.

Double Shot Grape Azalea

Azaleas used to be a spring thing, but new varieties like Double Shot Azalea bloom twice in the late summer/early fall and the spring. It’s evergreen, so once the purple blooms are gone, you’ll have green leaves all winter. Hardy to Zone 6, this compact variety looks great in a container. It likes filtered light to partial sun, so it’s a good pick for a covered porch or patio.
Pro Tip: If you get an unseasonably cold night, protect your outdoor container plants by wrapping them in several layers of blankets or burlap for an extra layer of protection.

Learn More: The Cold, Hard Facts on Protecting Potted Plants

Ivory Tower Yucca

The sword-like leaves of Ivory Tower Yucca (Yucca filamentosa ‘Ivory Tower’) add color and sculptural form to your outdoor spaces. A pair of these plants look great in sleek pots on the porch of a midcentury mod house. Hardy to Zone 4, Ivory Tower Yucca is extremely cold hardy and can also thrive in hot, dry conditions in the summer. It blooms in the spring, growing a spike of showy blooms. So you get flowers when the weather’s warm and colorful leaves when it’s cold.
Pro Tip: Terra cotta and clay pots can crack during freeze/thaw cycles, so containers made of wood, metal or a composite material are the best choice for extremely cold climates.

Learn More: How to Prevent Cracks in Terra Cotta Pots

Double Shot Watermelon Azalea

Here’s another azalea that will bloom twice a year, giving you spring and fall flowers as well as deep green leaves all winter. This Double Shot has deep pink flowers on a compact shrub, so it’s perfect for making colorful containers that give your outdoor space year-round color. Hardy to Zone 6.
Pro Tip: If you get an extra cold night, group your container plants together with the least hardy plants in the middle. The tougher plants will protect the more tender ones from the wind and cold.

Spanish Dagger

Bring spiky color to your outdoor spaces with Spanish Dagger (Yucca gloriosa ‘Variegata’), a yucca that looks like it belongs in the hot deserts of the Southwest but can withstand freezing temperatures. Hardy to Zone 6, it likes a lot of sun and very little water.
Pro Tip: Place your container plants in a place where they are sheltered from winter winds. Wind can cause the soil in the pot to lose heat retained from the sun, allowing the roots to freeze.

Thread-Branch Cypress

Thread-Branch Cypress, also known as Japanese false cypress, has green-gold foliage that adds color and texture to an outdoor space during the winter. Hardy to Zone 4, this sun-loving evergreen can stand up to tough winters.
Pro Tip: Choose a container that will allow a plant to grow for two to three years before it needs to be repotted. The right size pot for a slow-grower like threaded cypress is 6 inches wider than the root ball.

Learn More: How to Choose the Right Container

Hens-and-Chicks

Succulents are mostly known as warm weather plants, but there are varieties native to Siberia that can stand up to as much cold as winter can dish out. Hens-and-chicks are one of these super-tough succulents that will be colorful all winter long. Here, ‘Pacific Shadows’ Hens-and-Chicks (Sempervivum ‘Pacific Shadows’) shares a pot with another cold-hardy succulent, Golden Japanese Stonecrop (Sedum makinoi ‘Ogon’).
Pro Tip: Depending on the variety, hens-and-chicks range in hardiness from Zone 3 to 8. Pick a type that can stand up to your area’s winter.

Learn More: Hen and Chicks: All About These Popular Succulents

Brown's Yew

When mature, Brown's Yew (Taxus x media 'Brownii') has a natural globe-like shape that makes it look lovely in a container. It's a slow-growing, sun-loving plant that's hardy to Zone 4.
Pro Tip: The leaves and berries of yews are toxic if ingested, so this may not be a good choice if you have pets or small children.

‘Lime Twister’ SunSparkler Sedum

This tough succulent has variegated leaves splashed with cream and green that stay on the plant all winter long in Zone 6 and higher. It's a good pick for containers in sunny spots. This sedum only gets 4 to 8 inches tall, so it looks best trailing out of short, wide containers or paired with a taller plant.
Pro Tip: Pair with hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum) or Spanish Dagger for a striking mixed container that can withstand the worst winter can dish out.

Winter Gem Boxwood

This evergreen shrub is one of the most cold-hardy boxwoods around, so it is a good choice for a potted plant outdoors in the winter. Winter Gem boxwood's leaves get a golden bronze hue in the winter, then change back to bright green in the spring. Winter Gem boxwood thrives in both partial and full sun and is hardy to Zone 5.
Pro Tip: Boxwoods are the classic English garden plants, so they look great in a container on the porch of Tudor or other formal style homes.

Learn More: What Is an English Garden?

FloralBerry St. John’s Wort

FloralBerry is a type of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum) that grows showy, colorful berries, so it’s a great pick for winter color in a container even though it loses its leaves in the winter. Clusters of pink-hued berries will stay on this shrub’s shapely stems all winter long. You can also cut some of those stems of berries and bring them indoors in a winter flower arrangement. Hardy to Zone 5, FloralBerry is tolerant of a range of light conditions from full sun to partial shade, so you can put it under a covered porch or on an open deck.
Pro Tip: Prune St. John's Wort in late winter to early spring before new growth appears. Leave the berries for the birds (and visual interest) through the winter.

Cypress Topiary

There's a slew of cypress varieties, and many of them look great sculpted into topiary. Cypress is hardy to Zone 5, depending on the variety, and it's an evergreen so it's a good pick for an outdoor winter plant. Some of the best cypresses for topiary are Italian cypress and lemon cypress.
Pro Tip: Don't prune topiary in the winter. It's dormant, so it's not growing. And cutting it while it's essentially asleep can stress it.

Ligustrum

Ligustrum, also known as common privet, is an easy-to-grow evergreen that's hardy to Zone 7, so this isn't a good pick for areas with harsh winters. This is a good outdoor winter plant for the mid-South and Southwest. Atlanta, this plant's for you. It's drought-tolerant and can be pruned into eye-pleasing shapes.
Pro Tip: Ligustrum is an invasive plant in much of the US, so don't let it escape the container and spread to nearby wooded areas.

Variegated English Boxwood

You can't make a list of plants for outdoor winter containers without including a lot of boxwoods. They're a go-to plant for potted winter greeery. Variegated English boxwood brings a shot of yellow, green and white to a winter porch. Hardy to Zone 5, it's easily pruned into topiary shapes.
Pro Tip: This plant's a slow-grower, so buy a big plant if you want immediate impact.

20 Winter-Friendly Plants for Your Outdoor Space

Related To:

Shop This Look

Add Cold-Season Color With Outdoor Winter Plants

Japanese Yew

Golden Duke Eastern Hemlock

Compact Oregon Grape

Cast Iron Plant

Colorado Blue Spruce

Velvet Viking Japanese Maple

Green Mountain Boxwood

Double Shot Grape Azalea

Ivory Tower Yucca

Double Shot Watermelon Azalea

Spanish Dagger

Thread-Branch Cypress

Hens-and-Chicks

Brown's Yew

‘Lime Twister’ SunSparkler Sedum

Winter Gem Boxwood

FloralBerry St. John’s Wort

Cypress Topiary

Ligustrum

Variegated English Boxwood

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