Plants with Multi-Season Interest: Beauty Year-Round
When planning a garden or landscape, you can select plants that offer beauty throughout the year. Plants with multi-season interest provide not only year-round color but also texture, fragrance, and form that evolve with the changing seasons. Here are ten fantastic options, chosen for their year-around beauty.
1. Rabbiteye Blueberry
Native to the southeastern U.S., the rabbiteye blueberry is a garden favorite for its multi-season appeal. In the spring, it blooms with delicate white flowers, followed by sweet blueberries in summer. Come fall, the foliage turns a fiery mix of red and orange. Even in winter, the plant offers interest with exfoliating bark. The added bonus of fresh fruit makes it a standout in the garden.
2. Oakleaf Hydrangea
Known for its showy blooms in late spring to early summer, the oakleaf hydrangea’s interest doesn’t end there. In fall, its large leaves turn vibrant shades of red, while dried flower stalks offer a rustic, buff-colored winter appeal. The bark also exfoliates, adding texture and interest in the colder months.
3. Maples
Maples are versatile trees that offer something for every season. In early spring, the tiny blooms of many maple varieties are some of the first to emerge, followed by their signature "helicopter" seeds in summer. Fall brings a spectacular array of foliage color, from fiery reds to golden yellows. Some varieties, like Japanese maples, maintain vibrant color on their leaves through the summer, and some have colorful winter bark too.
4. Ornamental Grasses
While ornamental grasses like Miscanthus (maiden grass) and Muhly grass may seem dormant in winter, their dry plumes moving in the breeze offer a lovely visual texture. These grasses add color and form to the landscape all year, with blooms and variegated foliage in the warmer months, and graceful, wind-dancing plumes through the cold season.
5. Sourwood Tree
A lesser-known native, the sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) blooms in summer with fragrant, lily-of-the-valley-looking flowers. It is an understory tree, so it does not grow very large. Sourwood puts on a brilliant early display of red foliage in fall. Afterward, the dried flowers stay on the branches, and sourwood trees become a focal point of winter interest.
6. Henry Lauder’s Walkingstick
This quirky, contorted shrub (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) might surprise gardeners. Its twisted, puzzle-like branches create a unique silhouette, especially in winter when the leaves have fallen. The plant has interesting fall foliage in shades of purple and red, and its unusual form is a conversation starter year-round.
7. Lacebark Elm
Known for its striking, mottled bark that ranges from yellow to tan, the lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) offers visual interest year-round. Its fall color is equally attractive, with shades of yellow that stand out against the tree’s peeling bark. As the tree matures, its bark only becomes more beautiful, making it a favorite in many landscapes.
8. Washington Hawthorn
A small to medium-sized tree, the Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) has attractive white spring blossoms. In late fall and winter the branches are packed with vibrant red berries that attract birds once other food sources are scarce, creating a wildlife-friendly winter landscape.
9. Kousa Dogwood
While not native, the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) has become a beloved ornamental tree. It blooms with many large, pointed white flowers in spring and features striking red fruit in the fall, which often remain on the branches through winter. The foliage turns shades of red and purple, creating a dramatic fall display.
10. Crab Apples
Crab apples (Malus spp.) are cherished for their exuberant spring blooms. Varieties like 'Prairifire' put on a spectacular show of red or pink flowers that fill the yard with color. In the fall, they produce small, colorful fruit that persist into winter, providing both visual interest and food for wildlife.
These ten plants offer more than just seasonal beauty—they provide year-round interest, texture, and color to any garden. Whether it’s the striking bark of the lacebark elm, the fragrant flowers of the sourwood tree, or the bright berries of the Washington hawthorn, these plants ensure your garden is never without charm. Best of all, many of these plants are easy to care for, making them ideal choices for gardeners looking to enjoy a vibrant, low-maintenance landscape through all four seasons.
Related Videos:
Best Trees for Fall Color
Spring-Blooming Deciduous Magnolias
Related Resources:
Perennials with Winter Interest
Plants can add winter interest to your landscape
1. Rabbiteye Blueberry
Native to the southeastern U.S., the rabbiteye blueberry is a garden favorite for its multi-season appeal. In the spring, it blooms with delicate white flowers, followed by sweet blueberries in summer. Come fall, the foliage turns a fiery mix of red and orange. Even in winter, the plant offers interest with exfoliating bark. The added bonus of fresh fruit makes it a standout in the garden.
2. Oakleaf Hydrangea
Known for its showy blooms in late spring to early summer, the oakleaf hydrangea’s interest doesn’t end there. In fall, its large leaves turn vibrant shades of red, while dried flower stalks offer a rustic, buff-colored winter appeal. The bark also exfoliates, adding texture and interest in the colder months.
3. Maples
Maples are versatile trees that offer something for every season. In early spring, the tiny blooms of many maple varieties are some of the first to emerge, followed by their signature "helicopter" seeds in summer. Fall brings a spectacular array of foliage color, from fiery reds to golden yellows. Some varieties, like Japanese maples, maintain vibrant color on their leaves through the summer, and some have colorful winter bark too.
4. Ornamental Grasses
While ornamental grasses like Miscanthus (maiden grass) and Muhly grass may seem dormant in winter, their dry plumes moving in the breeze offer a lovely visual texture. These grasses add color and form to the landscape all year, with blooms and variegated foliage in the warmer months, and graceful, wind-dancing plumes through the cold season.
5. Sourwood Tree
A lesser-known native, the sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) blooms in summer with fragrant, lily-of-the-valley-looking flowers. It is an understory tree, so it does not grow very large. Sourwood puts on a brilliant early display of red foliage in fall. Afterward, the dried flowers stay on the branches, and sourwood trees become a focal point of winter interest.
6. Henry Lauder’s Walkingstick
This quirky, contorted shrub (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) might surprise gardeners. Its twisted, puzzle-like branches create a unique silhouette, especially in winter when the leaves have fallen. The plant has interesting fall foliage in shades of purple and red, and its unusual form is a conversation starter year-round.
7. Lacebark Elm
Known for its striking, mottled bark that ranges from yellow to tan, the lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) offers visual interest year-round. Its fall color is equally attractive, with shades of yellow that stand out against the tree’s peeling bark. As the tree matures, its bark only becomes more beautiful, making it a favorite in many landscapes.
8. Washington Hawthorn
A small to medium-sized tree, the Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) has attractive white spring blossoms. In late fall and winter the branches are packed with vibrant red berries that attract birds once other food sources are scarce, creating a wildlife-friendly winter landscape.
9. Kousa Dogwood
While not native, the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) has become a beloved ornamental tree. It blooms with many large, pointed white flowers in spring and features striking red fruit in the fall, which often remain on the branches through winter. The foliage turns shades of red and purple, creating a dramatic fall display.
10. Crab Apples
Crab apples (Malus spp.) are cherished for their exuberant spring blooms. Varieties like 'Prairifire' put on a spectacular show of red or pink flowers that fill the yard with color. In the fall, they produce small, colorful fruit that persist into winter, providing both visual interest and food for wildlife.
These ten plants offer more than just seasonal beauty—they provide year-round interest, texture, and color to any garden. Whether it’s the striking bark of the lacebark elm, the fragrant flowers of the sourwood tree, or the bright berries of the Washington hawthorn, these plants ensure your garden is never without charm. Best of all, many of these plants are easy to care for, making them ideal choices for gardeners looking to enjoy a vibrant, low-maintenance landscape through all four seasons.
Related Videos:
Best Trees for Fall Color
Spring-Blooming Deciduous Magnolias
Related Resources:
Perennials with Winter Interest
Plants can add winter interest to your landscape