Stuck for gift ideas this Christmas? A plant is a deeply meaningful present, universally symbolising good luck and hope for the future. We have handpicked the very best plants guaranteed to deliver a much needed splash of colour and a dash of winter magic throughout the darkest months.
This tradition is ancient, the Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice by exchanging Holly wreaths to honour Saturn, the god of agriculture. Also consider Ivy (Hedera) as it’s often thought to embody everlasting life and the welcome promise of spring’s return, a gift that truly lasts.
We also understand that the festive season is a busy time of year so why not take advantage of our delivery service.
Traditional festive plants
Holly (Ilex): The ultimate Christmas classic, symbolising fertility and eternity. The vibrant red berries that appear in autumn and remain through winter are a major draw. They provide a beautiful splash of colour against the dark green foliage, adding significant visual interest during the colder months.
Ivy (Hedera): Often thought to embody everlasting life and faithfulness. Ivy is cherished for its exceptional ecological value, providing vital late-season nectar, pollen, and winter berries for insects and birds. It is prized as a tough, reliable evergreen groundcover for difficult, shady spots, quickly covering bare soil or unsightly walls to offer instant structure and a classic, established charm
Bay (Laurus nobilis): A stylish topiary gift representing courage and strength—and a handy herb for the kitchen! A classic Bay tree makes a stunning, structured entrance plant.
The Unexpected Pear: As the song goes, you could gift someone a pear tree! Try the ornamental Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ (Partridge not included!). We love its gorgeous, upright, pyramidal shape and brilliant autumn foliage.
Or for something less festive but equally attractive in the winter, these selections are specifically chosen for their vibrant winter stems, fragrant flowers, or striking foliage, ensuring they provide maximum impact when the garden needs it most.
Ornamental Trees
Acer palmatum ‘Sango-Kaku’ – The spectacular ‘Coral Bark Maple’, renowned for its stunning, vivid coral-red/orange bare stems that ignite the garden from autumn through winter.
Bay trees (Laurus nobilis) – An elegant, scented evergreen often clipped into formal topiary shapes. Perfect for doorways and patios, symbolising strength and courage.
Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ – A beautiful, ornamental pear tree with a perfect pyramidal shape, offering fiery, long-lasting autumn leaf colour that holds well into early winter.
Shrubs
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ (Dogwood) – Vibrant ruby-red stems provide a dramatic flash of colour against the snow. This Dogwood is best when pruned hard to encourage the brightest new growth.
Daphne x transatlantica ‘Pink Fragrance’ – A compact, semi-evergreen shrub famous for its highly fragrant pale pink flowers that bloom over a very long season, often into winter.
Nandina domestica ‘Gulf Stream’ – The ‘Heavenly Bamboo’ offers delicate, evergreen, bamboo-like foliage that turns fiery red, orange, and gold during the colder months.
Salix alba var. vitellina ‘Yelverton’ – A willow variety known for its spectacular display of bright orange, yellow, and red stems in winter, best viewed against a low sun or dark background.
Sarcococca confusa -The ‘Sweet Box’ is an essential evergreen for shade, producing tiny, creamy-white, yet massively fragrant flowers from late December to February.
Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ – A tidy, evergreen shrub covered in decorative, highly textural deep-red flower buds throughout winter, which open into fragrant spring flowers.
Skimmia japonica ‘Finchy’ – A compact, male variety known for its glossy, dark-green leaves and clusters of fragrant, creamy-white buds held all winter, opening in spring.
Rhododendron ‘Bloombux’ – An innovative, dwarf evergreen rhododendron that is tolerant of neutral/alkaline soils, producing pale pink flowers and making an excellent, easy-care box hedging substitute.
Climbers
Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ – A hardy, variegated evergreen climber with grey-green leaves featuring cream and silver margins. It can grow to about 1.5-2.5 meters in height and 1 meter in spread, is adaptable to sun or partial shade, and can climb walls and fences without support. Key uses include ground cover, containers, or as a backdrop for other plants.
Pyracantha Saphyr Rouge (‘Cadrou’) – More commonly known as Firethorn, Pyracantha ‘Saphyr Rouge’ is a spiny evergreen shrub with a compact habit, narrow glossy leaves and sprays of white flowers in late spring and early summer. Bright orange-red berries follow, providing valuable food for the birds throughout autumn into early winter making it an ideal plant for wildlife gardens.
Great for screening, its thorns act as a natural security barrier where defence is needed. Perfect for hedges, fences and walls, we supply ours readily trained on a trellis. A wonderful festive addition to any garden.
Pines for instant Christmas character
Pinus mugo ‘Mops’ – A small, very slow-growing dwarf pine forming a dense, rounded, low ‘mop-head’ habit. Perfect for rock gardens, small spaces, or festive containers.
Pinus parviflora ‘Negishi’ – A highly ornamental, dwarf Japanese White Pine with short, silvery blue-green needles and an upright, artistic growth habit, ideal for an architectural gift.
Our staff are here to help you pick out something special but if you really can’t decide, we also sell National Garden Gift Cards.
Winter flowering plants for festive florals each year
Camellia japonica – The classic camellia, offering large, often formal flowers in shades of pink, white, or red in late winter and early spring above glossy, evergreen leaves.
Camellia sasanqua – Known for early-winter blooming, producing slightly smaller, more delicate and fragrant flowers than C. japonica. Great for walls and containers.
Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Grandiflora’ – The exquisite ‘Paperbush’, valued for its bare, silver-tipped stems holding rounded clusters of highly fragrant, yellow flowers in late winter.
Helleborus x hybridus (‘Lenten Rose’) —a tough perennial with evergreen leaves and large, cup-shaped flowers in mixed colours (white, pink, red, speckled) from late winter.
Helleborus HGC ‘Ice n Roses’ Early Rose – A premium Hellebore with robust, outward-facing soft pink blooms that darken with age, providing reliable colour from November to April.
Helleborus x hybridus Double Mix – Features varieties with beautiful, multi-petalled, or ‘double’ flowers in various colours, adding a luxurious, layered look to the winter border.
Viburnum tinus ‘Lisarose’ – A hardworking evergreen shrub that provides year-round interest and bursts into life in mid-winter with clusters of dark red buds opening to soft pink/white flowers.
Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ – A stunning, architectural shrub with large, spiky leaves and terminal clusters of vibrant, highly fragrant yellow flowers appearing from late autumn through mid-winter.
A living plant is not just a beautiful present; it’s an enduring symbol of hope, a provider of vital colour and scent during the darkest months, and a timeless connection to nature. Whether you choose the historical charm of Holly (Ilex,), the vibrant winter stems of a Dogwood (Cornus), or the sweet fragrance of Sarcococca confusa (Sweet Box), our nursery staff are here to help you select that perfect, meaningful gift. If you’re short on time, remember you can also choose a flexible National Garden Gift Card.
Our staff are here to help you pick out something special but if you really can’t decide, we also sell National Garden Gift Cards.
Make a garden lovers Christmas wishes come true
Do you have a loved one who has always wanted to redesign their garden? Our consultancy service could be the perfect gift for them. It is ideal if your garden is a blank canvas, you have recently moved into a new property, or just fancy a change <click here for more info>
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