The garden and patio areas of most UK gardens can be a pretty miserable place around winter time but don't worry - help is at hand with a quick fix burst of colour.
Beautiful Garden Shrubs for Winter Colour
If you can stretch your budget a little, now that the holiday period is behind us, there are often shrubs that are often hidden away in the bargain corner of your local garden centre.
Plants and shrubs you should consider for their winter flowers and colourful foliage include:
Corkscrew Hazel - This plant can grow quite large but is relatively slow growing and is great for a beginner's choice (Height 500 cm, Spread 500cm).
Glossy Abelia - This shrub has dark green foliage, pale pink summer/autumn flowers, and is available as an evergreen (Height 400 cm, Spread 400cm).
Heavenly Bamboo - Buy this plant for its all-year-round leaf colour; bright green then turning a purple/red hue (Height 150 cm, Spread 100cm).
Siberian Dogwood - Beautifully colourful winter foliage and lovely white flowers in spring/summer (Height 250 cm, Spread 250cm).
Sundance Mexican Orange Blossom - This is a low-maintenance shrub with lovely light coloured leaves and a distinctively fragrant aroma (Height 250 cm, Spread 250cm).
Winter Jasmine - Has pretty yellow flowers in February carrying on into spring and is relatively easy to grow (Height 250 cm, Spread 250cm).
Apart from traditional evergreens, you'll need to get a little inspiration to cut through the bleak greyness that is often the traditional English garden in depths of winter. Seek out at least a couple of the winter shrub recommendations to brighten up your garden.
Resources:
General Shrub Information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrubs and there are some great value plants.