Creating a Four-Season Garden: 13 Plants for Year-Round Interest

A four-season garden brings the best of flowers, fruits, foliage, and form. It features evergreen anchors among flowering shrubs and relies on perennials to punctuate the seasons. Annuals, too, provide seasonal highlights. With plants that bring something at varying times of year, there’s no shortage of visual interest. 

Incorporating plants with multiseason appeal ensures there’s always something interesting happening in the garden. Even in the quiet winter landscape, interesting branching and unique seedheads offer beauty. It also provides food for birds and wildlife, overwintering sites for pollinators, and shelter and nesting sites.

All the better if you find all-season interest in a single specimen. These valuable performers become staples in the border or foundation planting. They span the seasons with merits from dynamic blooms to subtle exfoliating bark and sweet fragrances.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

	botanical name Hydrangea quercifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-8’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Oakleaf hydrangeas have white bloom clusters with color-changing flowers, perfect for a four-season garden. They emerge creamy white and age to dusky pink and green as summer progresses. By late fall, they dry to light tan, remaining on the stem into winter.

In addition to their massive blooms, the upright stems offer great texture and color. Large, deeply lobed leaves show rich autumnal hues like crimson and burgundy-purple. When the leaves drop, winter interest remains in copper-brown stems with exfoliating bark.

Native to the southeastern U.S., oakleaf hydrangeas tolerate hot and humid summer conditions. They thrive in moist, well-drained soils with a layer of mulch, compost, or leaves to aid in retaining moisture and regulating soil temperatures.

Ninebark

	botanical name Physocarpus opulifolius
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-8’
	hardiness zones 2-8

Ninebark is a flowering shrub that is tough and easy to care for. Native to eastern North America, common ninebark is exceptionally cold-hardy, drought-tolerant, and withstands various soils from clay to rocky. With numerous varieties in colors like burgundy and gold, and from large to compact and dwarf, they fit a variety of garden sizes.

Ninebark’s ornamental features bridge four seasons in the garden. Pinkish-white flower clusters cover the shrubs in spring. New leaves emerge chartreuse and age to deeper green, turning yellow in late summer and fall. Drooping red berries develop post-bloom. In winter, peeling bark in shades of red, copper, and light brown extends the interest.

Ninebark is a favorite for pollinators and beneficial insects due to its numerous, nectar-rich blooms. Birds and small mammals forage on the fruits.

Rose

	botanical name Rosa spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-50’
	hardiness zones 4-11

Roses shine in the warm season with their flush of spring blooms that may repeat into fall, depending on the species and variety. A sweet perfume and the floral show are the draw, though roses aren’t limited to a single-season display in a four-season garden. Those with attractive foliage may show colorful new growth and lustrous leaves. Showy rose hips bring the visual appeal into fall and winter, as do unique canes.

Not all roses produce showy hips, but those that do may emerge in orange, yellow, red, and even purple. Species roses, old garden roses, and shrub roses often show good hip set due to their open and accessible pollen centers. Bees pollinate the roses on their travels, leading to fruit development (seed production).

To foster rosehips for winter interest and as forage for birds and wildlife, stop deadheading repeat bloomers by early September. This gives them time to set fruit.

Daphne

	botanical name Daphne odora
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-6’
	hardiness zones 7-9

Winter daphne is an evergreen shrub prime for a four-season garden. Deep purple-pink blossoms emerge in late winter and have an intensely sweet perfume that drifts through the air. Dark blue berries follow the blooms, and variegated foliage highlights the arrangement.

‘Aureomarginata’ has glossy green leaves with creamy yellow edges. Other striking variegated D. odora cultivars include ‘Maejima’, ‘Moonlight Parfait’, and ‘Banana Split.’ Leaves have wide margins in ivory-yellow tones, contrasting deep jade and green interiors.‘Alba’ features crisp white flowers.

Daphne prefers moist soils with good drainage. Roots are slow to establish and don’t respond well to disturbance once planted. Place near a walkway, entrance, or patio to experience the unexpected fragrance on cool days.

Dwarf False Cypress

	botanical name Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Nana’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-5’
	hardiness zones 5-8

False cypress provides an evergreen anchor with a diversity of forms and colors. From loosely pyramidal to compact rounds, thread-like, feathery foliage creates a dense, leafy specimen perfect for a four-season garden. Slow-growing, they remain tidy and bring color and texture year-round.

‘Filifera Nana’ takes a decade to reach its maximum height and has a dense, compact mound of blue-green fanning leaves. ‘Sungold’ has a dwarf, mounding form with gold-tipped foliage. ‘Vintage Gold’ in deep orange-gold tones lends a burnished look against green foliage.

False cypress can take on a purple-bronze hue in cold temperatures, while some species hold their color all year. ‘Soft Serve’ in rich green and ‘True Blue’ in frosty gray blue retain their hues.

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

	botanical name Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Harry Lauder’s walking stick has a distinctive form. Twisted, curled branches are on full display in the fall after the leaves drop. In late winter, yellow catkins hang from its branches to add to the spectacle.

Harry Lauder also has curled, hairy leaves that emerge in spring. The tree sometimes produces fruit, a nut that makes good food for wildlife.

‘Contorta’ prefers organically rich, moist, and well-drained soils, though it’s drought-tolerant once established. Situate it in a bed or container where its unusual winter interest is visible.

Pieris

	botanical name Pieris japonica
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-10’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Pieris is another shrub with all-season interest. Delicate white bell blooms begin as suspended pearly beads through fall and winter. Late in the season and into early spring, they open to resemble lily-of-the-valley blooms (pieris is also commonly called lily-of-the-valley shrub). The flowers carry a delicate fragrance and are a bumblebee favorite during the early season.

Peiris has evergreen leaves that form bushy rosettes along the stems and stand out with bronze and red new growth. Foliage matures to deep, glossy green. ‘Mountain Fire’ glows from near or far with fiery red new growth. ‘Interstella’ brings a burst of ruby-pink pearls to the bloom display and bright red new growth.

Pieris thrives in slightly acidic, well-drained soils. Feature pieris as a specimen in a mixed evergreen planting in a four-season garden or in a pot where it receives afternoon shade protection from intense sun.

Camellia

	botanical name Camellia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-14’
	hardiness zones 7-9

Camellias are attractive year-round. The evergreen shrubs are dark, glossy green. They bloom in fall, winter, and early spring, depending on the species, and brighten the cool-season garden at a time when little else is blooming. Flowers are single or double in a swirl of colors from pale pink to deep red.

Camellia sasanqua blooms throughout the fall and winter with a profusion of smaller flowers. Camellia japonica shows color slightly later, in late winter and early spring, and has big, ruffled, waxy blooms.

Camellias grow best in the warmth and humidity of the American South, where they tolerate coastal conditions and acidic soils.

Switchgrass

	botanical name Panicum virgatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Ornamental grasses add sway and movement in addition to texture and interest with unique seedheads and colorful blades. Switchgrass offers a strong form with great color and lasting appeal. The native North American prairie grass is durable, growing across soil types, moisture levels, and light exposures.

‘Northwind’ is an upright variety with fine green blades that turn yellow in the fall for lasting appeal. ‘Cheyenne Sky’ begins blue-green and transitions to wine red in early summer, with plumes to match.

Ornamental grasses soften formal evergreens and complement other perennials and flowering shrubs. Leave grasses standing in the fall rather than cutting them back. Their blades and dried seedheads are striking throughout winter, and the seedheads provide food for songbirds. They also provide shelter for overwintering garden inhabitants.

Creeping Phlox

	botanical name Phlox stolonifera
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-6”
	hardiness zones 2-8

Creeping phlox is a low-growing, spreading groundcover with dense foliage and fragrant, petite purple-blue blooms. The easy-care perennials are durable and grow from rock gardens to slopes with little tending.

Semi-evergreen, needle-like leaves create a loose carpet of spreading stems. In the spring, a blanket of petite flowers covers the low forms.

‘Sherwood Purple’ is a strong performer in a four-season garden with lilac flowers on short stems that rise above the foliage. It grows vigorously and uniformly for a full display in three to four seasons. ‘Fran’s Purple’ is slightly larger and boasts mildew resistance. ‘Home Fires,’ also disease-resistant, produces pink flowers.

Rosebud Cherry

	botanical name Prunus subhirtella
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 20-40’
	hardiness zones 5-8

Rosebud, or Higan cherry, is a specimen tree for vertical interest in the four-season garden. In late winter, magenta buds open to pinky-white blossoms against shiny, reddish-peeling bark. Weeping cultivars like ‘Pink Snow Showers ‘ and ‘Pendula’ feature downward arching branches and clear pink blossoms. ‘Autumnalis’ has abundant semi-double pink petals with a sparse rebloom in fall.

The adaptable tree tolerates various soil pH levels and periodic dry spells. It grows and flowers best in organically rich, evenly moist, well-draining situations.

In addition to the bark and blooms, there are red berries that develop and turn black later in the season. Pollinators appreciate the early pollen and nectar source from the blooms and birds, the fruits. In the fall, leaves turn from dark green to orange-red.

Hellebore

	botanical name Helleborus orientalis
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 18”
	hardiness zones 4-9

Hellebore develops beautiful blooms in late winter in shades from dark and broody to pale and sweet. Dark green leaves are attractive all year. The flowers surprise in a time when little else shows color.

Lenten roses have a long bloom time in diverse colors with single or double flowers. With their easy elegance, they spread slowly to form a groundcover. The perennials are low-maintenance and deer-resistant, too.

Hellebores grow best in well-drained soils and rely on the winter sun for flowers and full leaves. They thrive under a deciduous canopy that allows winter light when branches are bare and dappled sun and leafy shade protection in hotter months.

Blue Spruce

	botanical name Picea pungens
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 30-60’
	hardiness zones 3-7

If you garden in a cool climate, blue spruce brings color and softens the four-season garden. Native to the central Rocky Mountains, it has a conical habit with lush blue needles.