Evergreen Plants

They just replace the old with new ones, never become totally bare, as deciduous plant do.

We tend to think of trees as evergreen, but there are evergreen shrubs and groundcovers as well.

There are a variety of sizes and types to choose from, providing low maintenance plantings for the landscape.

Types of Evergreen Plants

Evergreens are characterized by the shape of their leaves. Narrow-leaved evergreens have needles, and include pines, fir, spruce and junipers.

Broad-leaved evergreens include hollies and Japanese barberry. Boxwood varieties and numerous arborvitaes provide additional shapes and textures.

In warmer climates, azaleas and rhododendrons are considered evergreen, and in the warmest climates, even gardenia, a tender evergreen, maintains its green leaves.

In addition to year-round green, many broad-leaved evergreens produce flowers or fruit.

Using Evergreen Plants in the Landscape

Evergreens are perfect as foundation plantings, providing texture and color year-round. When planted against a house, they provide a backdrop to colorful beds of perennials, annuals and seasonal shrubs.

Placed strategically, evergreen hedges become privacy fences around pools and decks. A row of large evergreen plants blocks the noise from traffic or play areas, and provides a barrier against wind damage.

If using several plants of one size and type, add a focal point of a different variety; perhaps a row of arborvitae for privacy, with a flowing Juniper or weeping Norway spruce as an accent.

For groundcovers, add a variety of pachysandra that suits your area. For a sloped area, trailing euonymus may be the perfect year-round cover.

Care of Evergreens

In general, once provided with the proper location for their individual needs, evergreens are low maintenance. Keep pruning to a minimum, and then only to remove unhealthy or broken branches, pruning back to the next limb.

Needle-leaved varieties should not be thinned by more than one-third of their green parts. They can be sheared along the tips to maintain their shape.

Never cut the top, central leader of an evergreen or its shape will be adversely affected.

For flowering evergreens, prune after flowering season. Each individual plant will have specifics for its maintenance and pruning needs.

Evergreen plants add so much more to our landscapes than just their constant greenery. By providing privacy, blocking noise and wind, and creating rooms for us, they are an investment in our homes that will pay us back many times over in years to come.

More Evergreens

Growing Holly
Holly (Ilex) is a favorite landscape plant for its uniquely shaped, dark, glossy leaves and bright red berries.