Every Garden Needs Plants That Give You Flowers Now and Structure Later – These 7 Still Shine in Winter

Some garden plants earn their space in beds and borders twice: first with a showy display of flowers and later, once the flowers have faded, with structural elements that lend a little extra something to look at in fall and winter. These include seedheads, tall stems, interesting foliage, or even winter color.

Many gardens lose visual interest once the blooms are done, but structural plants continue to shine even in fall and winter. When choosing plants for your garden, consider what they’ll look like after the flowers are done. Look for plants, like some of our favorites below, that both bloom and have interesting structure after flowering. For best results, make sure your choices are suited to your USDA zone, soil type, and sun exposure.

1. Sedum

• Botanical name: Hylotelephium and Sedum
• USDA zones: 3–9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained, on the dry side
• Best for: Rust-red and bronze dried flower heads

Sedum, or stonecrop, is a big family of succulent plants that flower in late summer and fall. They bloom with very small flowers clustered in large, flat-topped heads. Sedum grows best in full sun and well-drained soil that stays mostly dry. While stonecrop flowers are attractive and great for pollinators during the growing season, the plants have more to offer.

In fall, the flower clusters on many sedum varieties change color and dry in place in attractive rust-red, copper, or bronze shades perfect for the season. Additionally, the fleshy leaves provide ongoing visual interest, so resist cutting this pretty perennial back in the autumn. Let it shine, even in winter, as snow collects on its dried blooms.

For a standout variety, try Autumn Joy sedum, pictured above and currently on sale at Trees.com. Its large flower heads open pink in late summer before deepening to coppery-red and eventually drying to brown for winter interest. For something different, Back in Black sedum, available from Plant Addicts, pairs near-black foliage with pale flowers and persistent seedheads, while Mr. Goodbud, available from Nature Hills, has huge, richly colored flower heads on sturdy reddish stems.

2. Coneflower

• Botanical name: Echinacea
• USDA zones: 3–9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained
• Best for: Sculptural seedheads that feed birds

Always popular in gardens for its tall, elegant stalks and striking summer blooms, coneflower is a native plant that supports pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. It’s a great addition to beds and naturalized areas where it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.

Don’t be quick to cut back the stems after coneflowers have faded. They’re about to put on the second act of their show. The cone-shaped seedheads remain atop the tall stems, feeding birds and also providing striking structural interest in beds. These act like winter yard sculptures, so leave them in place until warmer weather returns.

For the classic look pictured above, try purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), available from Walmart, with its familiar pink-purple petals and prominent orange-brown cones. For more color, Cheyenne Spirit coneflower, available from Garden Goods Direct, produces flowers in a vibrant mix of red, orange, yellow, cream, and purple. If you want to grow a larger drift economically, this coneflower seed mixed color pack from Sow Right Seeds on Amazon is an easy way to get plants started.

3. Sea Holly

• Botanical name: Eryngium
• USDA zones: 5–9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Dry, well-drained, even sandy
• Best for: Spiky, sculptural dried flower heads

Sea holly is a unique non-native perennial that grows well in zones 5 through 9 in full sun and well-drained, even sandy soil. It blooms in summer and fall with silvery blue, thistle-like flowers. These flowers, as well as their bracts, dry prettily in place once the growing season is over, leaving behind sculptural flower heads atop stiff, structural stems.

For particularly vivid color, try Big Blue sea holly, available from Plant Addicts, with large, intensely blue flower heads and matching spiky bracts. Another striking option is Blue Glitter, available from Walmart, which produces masses of smaller steel-blue blooms on branching stems and is especially good for cutting and drying.

4. Ornamental Alliums

• Botanical name: Allium
• USDA zones: 4–9, depending on variety
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained
• Best for: Striking spherical seedheads

These ornamental relatives of culinary onions are favorites in garden beds for their unique, spherical flower heads that tower over other flowers. They’re also easy to grow, requiring only full sun and a spot with soil that drains well. Once established, they don’t need a lot of water to thrive.

Alliums bloom in spring and early summer, but don’t cut them down when they’re done flowering. The spherical seedheads will remain in place, providing an interesting sculptural element to your bed. They look good long after the flowers have faded and can even last into winter if the stems remain upright and in good condition.

For a dramatic display, try the pictured Gladiator allium, available from Walmart, with huge purple globes held high on sturdy stems and attractive dried heads after flowering. For something a little different, Bobblehead allium, available from Plant Addicts, produces pale lilac globes followed by perfectly spherical seedheads, while drumstick allium (Allium sphaerocephalon), available from Burpee has smaller burgundy-purple flower heads that bring a more delicate, naturalistic effect to borders.

5. Jerusalem Sage

• Botanical name: Phlomis
• USDA zones: 5–10
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Dry, well-drained
• Best for: Architectural, pom-pom-like seedheads

Jerusalem sage – often known as Turkish sage or its botanical name phlomis – is a small shrub native to the dry climate of the Mediterranean. In zones 5 to 7, it is deciduous but evergreen in zones 8 through 10. Give it a sunny spot with dry soil, and it will thrive and bloom with yellow flowers in summer.

Phlomis offers a dramatic architectural and visual effect in fall and winter if you leave the seedheads in place. The flowers grow on tall spikes, and when they fade and set seed, you’re left with interesting pom-pom-like structures that look like beautiful yard art. Even without evergreen foliage, the dried stems also add to the visual appeal of this unique plant.

For a particularly architectural choice, try Phlomis russeliana, available from US Perennials. Its pale yellow flowers appear in distinctive tiers up sturdy stems, leaving behind sculptural seedheads that can provide interest well into winter.

6. Astilbe

• Botanical name: Astilbe
• USDA zones: 3–9
• Light: Partial shade
• Soil: Rich, moist, well-drained
• Best for: Feathery dried plumes in tan and bronze

Astilbe is a small, shade-tolerant perennial with feathery plumes of summer flowers in shades of pink, purple, white, and red. Partial shade is ideal for astilbe, but it will tolerate full shade or even more sun. The soil should be rich and moist.

The pretty flowers will have faded by late summer, but leave them on the plants. They retain their feathery shape and texture as they dry to muted tan and bronze colors, bringing visual interest and lightness to shady beds and borders.

For a similar frothy pink display to the picture above, try Younique Silvery Pink astilbe, available from Plant Addicts, which produces masses of soft, feathery pink plumes. For something more dramatic, Dark Side of the Moon, also from Plant Addicts, pairs rosy-purple flowers with striking chocolate-brown foliage, while Fanal, also at Plant Addicts is a compact choice with rich red plumes. Leave the faded flower heads standing to provide texture and interest later in the year.

7. Ornamental Grasses

• Botanical name: Varies by species
• Light: Usually full sun, with a few exceptions
• Soil: Varies; most prefer well-drained soil
• Best for: Airy seedheads, texture, and winter movement

You can hardly go wrong with any type of ornamental grass for visual interest at any time of year. These grasses grow in clumps, some strictly upright, others with an arching shape. Some grow several feet tall, while others grow much shorter, giving you options for beds, borders, privacy screens, and even containers.

Grasses aren’t known for their flowers, although they do bloom with feathery flower heads in summer. In fall and winter, the blades, airy seedheads, and movement in the wind all offer great visual appeal. As long as they remain upright and in good condition, leave your ornamental grasses in place and wait to trim them next spring.

For some of the best varieties, try pink muhly grass, pictured above and currently on sale at Trees.com, which produces clouds of pink flowers in fall before fading to soft tan. Little bluestem adds coppery fall color and fluffy silver seedheads – in particular, Standing Ovation little bluestem, available from Plant Addicts, is prized for its strong, upright habit. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass, available in a three-pack from Walmart, is a great choice for tall, upright structure that lasts well into winter. For a shadier spot, try All Gold Japanese forest grass, available from Plant Addicts, which brings graceful, arching foliage and bright golden color to beds that receive less sun.

Shop Structural Beauties

Take inspiration from this list and find plants that work for your garden and that provide more than just summer flowers. Consider how any plant will look after its colorful blooms fade to get more year-round visual interest.

For the best results when planning a garden that goes beyond the standard growing season, consider diversity. Use a mix of textures, like a combination of airy ornamental grasses with spiky sea holly. Create layers with short, medium, and tall plants. And don’t forget containers. They can also add to the fall and winter landscape with versatile, interesting plants. Choosing plants based on their entire life cycle creates a garden that remains interesting long after the blooms peak.