10 award-winning plants for winter wildlife

The true stars of the winter garden are plants that do more than simply look good. The 10 award-winning RHS Recommended: Award of Garden Merit varieties featured here not only offer valuable winter interest but are also recognised as RHS Plants for Pollinators.

Throughout the colder months when colour is scarce and food even scarcer, these plants provide structure, scent and shelter while quietly sustaining birds, bees and other wildlife. Each one is a beautiful, dependable choice that earns its place as a genuine winter ally for both garden and nature.

Shelter, scent and sustenance

Dependable structure, bright flowers and life-saving winter forage in one hardy plant

Mahonia × media ‘Winter Sun’ is a steadfast evergreen shrub that quietly supports garden wildlife through the leanest months of the year. Upright and architectural, its

Rosettes are the circular arrangement of flower petals; or a cluster of leaves radiating from approximately the same point usually around a stem. Examples include aeonium and most succulent plants, African violets, primula, sempervivums.

White winter lifeline

An evergreen shrub offering winter flowers for pollinators and berries for hungry birds

Viburnum tinus ‘French White’ is a vigorous, bushy evergreen shrub that brings welcome life to the garden at a time of year when little else is stirring. Its glossy, dark green leaves provide year-round structure and shelter, while from late winter into spring it carries dense clusters of tiny white flowers. These lightly fragrant flowers are rich in nectar, offering an important early food source for bees and other pollinators. Flowers are followed by blue-black berries that persist into autumn and winter, enjoyed by bullfinches and mistle thrushes. Although ‘French White’ can reach heights of 2.5m (8ft), it is more often used for hedging and can be easily trimmed to shape. This adaptable shrub thrives in sun or light shade, and in moist, well-drained soil, combining reliable evergreen presence with valuable sustenance for garden wildlife. Hardiness rating H4.

Sweet box sanctuary

Small flowers, big fragrance offering a winter lifeline for both garden and wildlife

Sarcococca confusa, commonly known as sweet box, is an invaluable evergreen shrub that comes into its own in the depths of winter. Dense and bushy, it carries glossy, deep green leaves that provide year-round structure and shelter, thriving even in dry shade and challenging urban conditions. From December to March, small, creamy-white flowers hide among the foliage, their vanilla-like fragrance perfuming the air as they supply precious nectar for early pollinators. These are followed by glossy black berries that extend the plant’s seasonal interest for both gardeners and wildlife. Reaching up to 2m (6.5ft) and easily clipped if required, it is perfectly suited to shady borders, woodland gardens or hedging, and is especially rewarding when planted near paths or entrances, where its remarkable winter scent can be fully appreciated. Hardiness rating H5.

Golden beacon for bees

Golden blooms in late winter offer a crucial first feast for hungry pollinators

Cornus mas ‘Golden Glory’ is one of the earliest and most valuable shrubs for wildlife, lighting up the garden with clouds of golden-yellow flowers on bare stems from February into March, long before most plants have stirred into growth. These dense clusters act as bright beacons for hungry pollinators, offering a rich and easily accessible source of nectar and pollen at a critical moment for emerging bees, particularly early species such as mining bees. As the season progresses, glossy green foliage follows, often flushing reddish-purple in autumn, before a generous crop of bright red, cherry-like fruits develops in late summer. Relished by birds and small mammals alike, the berries extend their usefulness well beyond flowering. Upright, bushy and adaptable, ‘Golden Glory’ thrives in sun or partial shade in almost any well-drained soil, combining ornamental charm with exceptional ecological value. Can be grown as a

Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

Pink Flush, Red Feast

Soft pink spring growth and glowing red berries combine beauty with bounty
 

Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’ (f/v) is a handsome, variegated, broad-leaved holly that earns its place in the garden as much for wildlife value as for winter beauty. It forms a dense, conical-shaped tree clothed in spiny, cream-edged leaves. The young growth is often softly flushed pink, adding an extra note of colour in spring. Small, nectar-rich white flowers follow, attracting bees and other early pollinators, while by autumn the branches are laden with bright red berries that persist through the colder months, sustaining thrushes, robins and other birds when food is scarce. It is also a valuable caterpillar food plant: the larvae of the Holly Blue feed on the developing

A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

Carpet of Colour

Bloom, berry and dense evergreen cover combine to brighten the border and provide boltholes for birds

Cotoneaster conspicuus ‘Decorus’ is a low spreading and wonderfully resilient evergreen shrub which forms a graceful carpet of arching branches clothed in narrow, glossy dark green leaves that catch the light all year round. In late spring and early summer, the stems are dusted with a profusion of small, starry white flowers, rich in nectar and alive with bees and other pollinators, before giving way to generous clusters of red-orange berries that persist deep into winter. These bright fruits provide a vital feast for birds when food is scarce, while the dense, twiggy growth offers valuable shelter and nesting cover. Tough enough for exposed, coastal or drought-prone sites and equally at home in heavy soils, it makes an excellent groundcover or low hedge, knitting together beds and borders while quietly sustaining wildlife through every season. Can reach heights of 1.5m (5ft) and a spread of 2.5m (8ft). Hardiness rating H6.

Green bells for bees

Nodding pale-green bells offer early nectar to bees and architectural interest for the winter garden

Helleborus foetidus, commonly known as ‘stinking hellebore’, is a striking, clump-forming evergreen

Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

Heart-shaped haven

Heart-shaped leaves and golden variegation create cover and colour

Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’ (v) is a vigorous, evergreen climber with large, heart-shaped leaves of mid-green splashed with bright yellow at the centre. As the plant matures, the

Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white.

Blaze of berries

Glossy foliage and glowing orange fruit bring warmth and life to the winter garden

Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ is a robust, evergreen shrub that earns its place in the garden as both protector and provider. Clothed in glossy, dark green foliage and armed with a lattice of thorny stems, it forms a dense, secure framework that offers small birds safe nesting and shelter throughout the year. In early summer, clouds of creamy-white flowers draw in bees and other pollinators, before giving way to a spectacular autumn show of luminous orange berries that gleam against the leaves like embers. These long-lasting fruits persist well into winter, becoming a valuable source of nourishment for blackbirds, thrushes, starlings and other hungry visitors. Fast-growing, tough and adaptable, it thrives in most soil types and positions, making it an invaluable hedge or wall shrub that combines vibrant seasonal colour with steadfast wildlife support. Can grow to a height of 2.5m (8ft). Hardiness rating H6.

Winter’s sweet breath

© Dorling Kindersley Ltd

Lemon-scented blooms brighten bare branches and provide precious nectar for early bees

Lonicera × purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ is among the most admired of the winter-flowering honeysuckles, bringing life and fragrance to the garden when little else stirs. From the coldest months through early spring, it produces an abundance of glistening white blooms each tipped with bright yellow anthers. These sweet, lemon-scented flowers are rich in nectar, providing a vital food source for bumblebees and other pollinators when little else is available. Occasionally, the display is followed by clusters of red berries in spring, making an irresistible treat for birds. A deciduous or semi-evergreen climber that is happy in full sun or partial shade, can reach heights of 2.5m (8ft). Hardiness rating H6.