I've got this and it doesn't get 2 feet - it stands up to a little less than a foot, and maybe the tips will lean over, but it tends to grow in fan shapes over time. It likes damp soil, but like you, I do use it in winter displays, though only temporarily usually, then I whip it out and split it if its got bigger than I want and use it elsewhere. It contrasts well with bright green (Hebe Emerald Green, or Hebe Boughton Dome for instance) or the ubiquitous purple/red leaved Heucheras, of which there are many varieties in slightly different shades. A bit of variegated or plain ivy (depending what you've chosen) and a couple of winter pansies in the right colours, job done.

Most large garden centres will be just starting to stock small versions of shrubs (they're cuttings really) and tiny conifers precisely for use in winter displays, so you might want to take a wander round and see what they've got, inspiration might strike!

Thank you Bamboo. I'm off to the garden centre to find Hebes and conifers --that sounds like a really good idea with the pansies.