Some of what looks nice all winter here are hellebores, daphne, osmanthus, poet's laurel, deodora cedar, gardenia radicans, holly fern, christmas fern, a shrub i think is a podocarpus, bamboo, eucalyptus, arachnoides fern, camellias, hollies, and right now, daffs. Also, a choice, slowgrowing evergreen perenn that looks sort of like a cast iron plant (apidistra) but has thicker stems at the bottom like a crinum lily and has red berries that form from small creamy spikes of flowers. Can't recall what it is- seems like it starts with an r - anyone?

I believe it's Rohdea.

Rohdeas are eay to grow from those seeds, but so slow! That is why they are expensive at the nursery. Can take deep shade and considerable cold, even in pots. Great to add structure for my tiny natives and spring ephemerals.

I want to add autumn fern to the list. Although I love my natives ferns and some of them are evergreen, they don't hold up the fronds quite so well...thinking about fancy fern, D. intermedia, which is nice if it doesn't get too cold.

Hexastylis, now back to being Arums, are also good evergreen plants as are the native Pachysandra procumbens. Deer do like some of these.

Ncrescue- i totally overlooked my hexastylises/arums (which i hadn't heard)! They do look great in winter, along with cyclamen hederifolium and coum. The deer have gotten my arums before but since the showiest ones are so close to the house, they don't normally bother them. My autumn ferns are still getting established so they don't look so hot this yr but i have high hopes for next.

Carol- thank you! Rohdea is it, indeed. It was driving me nuts yesterday. I'll have to start some of the seeds and add them to the ephemerals area, then. The one i have now is right by the front door. Thanks, ladies!

Splitrock, I am in the WNC mountains and I can keep my azaleas and boxwoods but that is about it during the winter. Is your dwarf hemlock a true hemlock? All the hemlocks around here have died. I am thinking of putting in some camelias this spring..and am wondering if you have any luck with them.

My homestead verbena also the pink and red have blomed all winter long as is still bloming is this normanl for this plant,I know weve had a milder winter than usual?

ENJOY!!! those of you with flowers and evergreen ferns this far into winter! I have some of these plants at our place here in Raleigh, but our real home is a cabin near the Blue Ridge. Summers are lovely, but winter has fluctuating temps and often cold dry wind.
Coorscat. Looks like we are both "part-timers". Yes, we have hemlocks. We just have to give them a soil drench to protect them from the wooly adelgid. It lasts at least three years. I got it at Lowe's last time, but they don't carry it any more, so I need to find a new source.
As for the Camelias, I have not tried them. I see that some are hardy to zone 6, but I am not sure if their buds would be killed by the fluctuating warm-ups followed by hard freezes. I have a Kousa Dogwood that is otherwise healthy, but it's blooms are killed every year before they can open. My guess is that would happen to a camelia.