Red dogwood with silver birch, witch hazel, contorted hazel or willow, hellebores, oooo there's loads!!

I love the grass when frost is deposited on it. I also appreciate the Cornus for the color of their branches. Chimonanthus praecox is very interesting for its fragrance.

What about you ?

As Bitsnbats so rightly says, there are plenty to choose from. A couple of winter flowering examples among my favourites are Jasminum nudiflorum, small, bright, yellow flowers sufficient to form a wall of colour usually January to March but out since early December this year, perfect against a north-facing wall, fence or hedge; Lonicera fragrantissima (winter flowering honeysuckle), a bush-forming variety so can be used as a hedging plant or free standing. Both the Jasmine and the Honeysuckle are wonderfully scented too.

There are several Hellibore varieties for soft colours at shoe level in wooded or shady areas, often hidden until you get close, a nice surprise.

Note the characteristics of where you would like to see the colour, such as aspect (i.e. which direction it is most open to, or completely open), amount of light or shade, soil type (heavy, clay, sandy, loam, acid, alkaline or neutral), whether support is available such as trees, other taller plants, wall, fence, etc, etc, or free standing. There are probably winter flowering plants for that situation.

K 11 - i am admiring thise nice red roofs around you, truly, I always think red roofs are so much cosier and joyous than grey.

Cordylines and Phormiums: I have lots of these in my garden and they provide an evergreen but colourful backdrop all year round. I have pinks, yellows, reds, different shades of greens and combinations of the above.

Daphnes for amazing scent, Hellebores with Snowdrops for early colour, Birch for their bark and Clematis Winter Beauty for its lovely buds and flowers so early in the year.

Hazels, Daphne's and as said before Winter Sweet for scent, but I reckon you can't beat a big old Garrya in full flow.

I love Leucothoe scarletta mixed with a brown carex, plum heuchera, gaultheria & lamium in a pot. Looks great this time of year but also carries on looking good the whole year through.