Snowberry. When the leaves drop you are left with slender branches holding groupings of big white berries. I don’t love these in summer, so group them towards the back of a bed of perennials. They will brighten up the area when you need it most!

Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine. This dwarf conifer is one of my favourite plants period. What makes it a winter star? The foliage turns bright yellow, very unusual for a conifer!

Coral Bark Japanese Maple. Another year-round wonder. The beautiful bark of this mid-sized maple can be spotted from a mile. Once the leaves fall you will be glad you chose a tree that looks like more than a bunch of sticks.

Hydrangea. Speaking of a bunch of sticks… that’s what you get if you cut these back in the fall. But if you leave the flower heads they stay all winter, looking like your grandma’s dried flowers- which in your front yard is kind of cool.

Snakebark Maple. The bark is the appeal here too, much like the Coral Bark Maple. The Snakebark may be even more striking and is certainly less common.