Pines, firs and spruces aside, there are plenty of outdoor Christmas plants you can add to your garden this season.
That’s right – Christmas houseplants do a brilliant job of brightening up the inside of the home, but there are so many shrubs and flowers you can plant outside to keep your garden looking lively over the holidays, too.
I’ve rounded up some favourites and a few expert suggestions to give you a little festive planting inspiration.
1. Christmas box
The clue is in the name with this one: Christmas box is one of *the* best outdoor Christmas plants for the garden. It produces sweetly scented blooms during the winter and stays interesting with glossy evergreen foliage throughout the year.
‘Christmas box is low-growing with glossy leaves and highly scented white flowers, perfect for borders, entrances, or containers in smaller spaces,’ says Emma Fell, head of horticulture at Hillier Garden Centres.
There are plenty of other sweet box varieties that make great outdoor Christmas plants, too. ‘Sarcococca hookeriana 'Winter Gem' is brilliant in shade and emits a lovely scent in mid-winter,’ suggests gardening expert and author Sarah Raven.
Where to buy Christmas box:
- Gardening Express: Order a sweet box plant now.
- Crocus: Buy a sweet box plant in a range of sizes.
2. Dogwood
It might not sound very festive, but many dogwood varieties provide stunning colour in the garden over the colder months. Red twig dogwood, in particular, is one of the best outdoor Christmas plants you can grow for vibrant winter colour.
‘Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ has brilliant red stems that glow against snow or a pale backdrop,’ says Emma. ‘Prune older growth to encourage vivid new stems each year.’
As long as you know how to prune dogwood properly, you'll be rewarded with intense, eye-catching displays every year.
Where to buy dogwood:
- Crocus: Buy Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ in a range of sizes.
- Gardening Express: An extra-large Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' plant.
3. Hellebores
I recently gushed over hellebores as one of the best Christmas plants for a front porch, but they feel right at home in garden beds and borders, too. They're timeless winter flowers, and learning how to grow hellebores is pretty easy, too.
‘Hellebores are hardy perennials that flower from winter into spring, providing early nectar for pollinators and long-lasting garden colour,’ says Emma.
Where to buy hellebores:
- Crocus: Helleborus niger 'Christmas Carol' is a festive classic.
- J. Parker's: Go for Helleborus orientalis ''Mixed' for an array of colours.
4. Mahonia
Mahonia is another winter favourite; a list of the best outdoor Christmas plants simply wouldn't be complete without it!
Its bright blooms provide much-needed refreshment when the rest of the garden is asleep, and because it’s one of the best evergreen plants for borders, its foliage stays put all year round. The flowers of most varieties are scented, too.
‘Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Sweet Winter’ is a wonderful late-winter bloomer that brightens up the garden when little else is performing,’ says Sarah Raven.
Where to buy mahonia:
- Thompson & Morgan: Order Mahonia japonica as a potted plant.
5. Witch hazel
You’re probably more familiar with witch hazel on the ingredients lists of skin care products (I know I was), but it’s actually a winter-flowering shrub that makes a brilliant outdoor Christmas plant.
‘Hamamelis (witch hazel) produces vibrant red, orange or yellow flowers on bare branches in late winter, adding an uplifting focal point when little else is in bloom,’ says Emma.
Where to buy witch hazel:
- B&Q: Hamamelis 'Orange Beauty' flowers over Christmas.
- Gardening Express: Hamamelis 'Diane' produces ruby-red blooms.
6. Winter heath
Heathers are some of my favourite plants for adding colour and texture to the garden (it's used alongside ornamental cabbage in this winter pot display), and for that reason, winter heath is among the very best outdoor Christmas plants. It’ll keep its colour right through to spring, too.
‘Winter heath is low-growing and long-flowering, with delicate pink or white blooms that bring continuous colour from late winter to early spring,’ says Emma.
Where to buy winter heath:
- Gardening Express: Erica 'Lena Red' produces deep pink-red flowers.
- Crocus: Erica carnea 'Myretoun Ruby' is a beautiful variety.
There are plenty more cold-loving plants you can get planted for January and February, too!
