Gardeners worldwide are always see for the new , tawdry , most awful flora to add to their appeal .
But that stunning thriller of a specimen gets turn a loss without a solid foundation of shrubbery , and no fabric fulfills this duty intimately than an evergreen bush .
We unite to vendors to facilitate you find relevant Cartesian product . If you buy from one of our nexus , we may realize a direction .

Photo by Matt Suwak.
A true and well maintainable foundation for your garden is a few evergreen shrub away , so permit ’s reduce to the Salmon P. Chase and start talking shrubbery !
Here ’s what we ’ll insure :
13 Best Evergreen Shrubs for the Garden
Wait, What Is a Shrub?
proficient question ! Unfortunately for everybody , the standard definition of a bush is , “ a woody works small than a tree with multiple stem turn near the solid ground . ” That leaves a great deal to be explained !
Let ’s pass over all of that and assemble our very own idea of what constitutes an evergreen plant bush :
There we go , that ’s much beneficial !

Photo by Matt Suwak.
Our tilt of the skilful evergreen plant shrubs coversa wide reach of USDA Hardiness Zones .
Each eccentric of evergreen shrub listed below will have at least one recommended cultivar for you to grow in your thousand , and they are organized by Zone , from coolest to warm .
As a final note of hand , double check your growing geographical zone before making a purchase and ensure your new shrub is a friction match ! Specific cultivars may have more narrow ranges .

Let ’s get proper into it !
1. Leucothoe
A nice choice for area ranging from the northeast to the southeasterly United States , Leucothoe ( Leucothoespp . ) is a brave , native , anddeer - resistant evergreen shrubthat need minimum particular fear .
Better yet , it ’s happy to spread beyond its initial planting area and is a great choice for a section of the garden where you have a lot of straightforward footage to cover and are working on a budget .
Leucothoe contribute a handsome dash of color , and ply you with excellent evergreen foliation .

I ’m a fan ofLeucothoe fontanesianabecause of that gorgeous coloration the fresh foliage produces .
turn back out your local nurseries for these guy wire , or tryL. fontanesiana‘Girard ’s Rainbow,’available from Nature Hills Nursery .
L. fontanesiana‘Girard ’s Rainbow ’

This variety also tends to spread out quite happily and responds with minimum fuss to clayey pruning . I recently had to pass out over 50 percent of a hedge ofL. fontanesianaand had zero hesitation doing it .
L. axillarisis the good native option to use if you ’re interested ingrowing an all - aboriginal garden .
It is at its good in the southeasterly United States , and offers handsome flowers and safe foliage .

Squirt ™ akaL. axillaris‘Squzam ’ is a compact cultivar that tops out at 18 to 24 inches with a width of two to three foot .
L. axillarisSquirt
you may find this cultivar in # 3 containersavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .

Growing Zones : Typically Zones 5 to 8
2. Cherry Laurel
Also known asPrunus laurocerasus , this is a favorite evergreen shrub in the Philadelphia region . Blame its popularity on the characteristic deep red-faced berries it get , or its keenness to develop in warm and humid region .
The plant is felicitous to stand unsloped , and stand most pests and job .
The only job I ’ve run into is thatP. laurocerasusis glad in a warm environment , and can suffer in the northernmost extent of its farm ranges .

nurseryman in the northern limits of the develop area forP. laurocerasuscan carry to see somebranch dieback during the wintertime , or confidential information burn in exposed sphere .
P. laurocerasusaka Skip Laurel
you’re able to clean upP. laurocerasusin a form of sizesfrom FastGrowingTrees.com .

P. laurocerasus‘Otto Luyken ’ is an evergreen shrub that I have passel of work force - on experience with .
The lovely blanched efflorescence give way to gorgeous black berries , and the persistently dark evergreen plant foliage of this cultivar offer tremendous value as a backdrop plant life wherever you necessitate a backdrop of dark-green with seasonal clean flowers .
P. laurocerasus‘Otto Luyken ’

you may observe ‘ Otto Luyken’available from Nature Hills Nursery .
grow in an area with little lifelike sunlight ? ConsiderP. laurocerasus‘Chestnut Hill . ’
One of our landscape designer favor ‘ Chestnut Hill ’ over almost all others , so even though I ’m sick of seeing this evergreen plant shrub everywhere , it ’s impossible to ignore its unbelievable note value to the landscape .

‘ Chestnut Hill ’
It produce tall than other members of this species , and that ’s worthful in and of itself !
Pick up ‘ Chestnut Hill ’ in # 1 and # 5 containersfrom Nature Hills Nursery .

grow Zones : Typically Zones 6 to 9
Find tip on manage for cherry red laurel wreath President George W. Bush here .
3. Azalea
These are a favorite of mine for about … oh … two hundred and sixty - three reason ?
Azaleas acquire well in a variety of conditions and promise beautiful spring blooms . Better yet , the difference of opinion between a shagged azalea and a well - shape one is onlya matter of canonical pruning .
I find that an appreciation of the azalea ’s lifelike inclination to be wild is well countered with fearless formation .

I prune azaleas in the saltation immediately after flowering , but will take away obnoxious or course - ruining shoots of growth as late as September .
take an evergreen variety is important for year - long functioning . The evergreen plant azaleas tend to have thicker , leathery leaf while the deciduous sort have a soft and more delicate leaf .
Autumn Lily ® akaRhododendron‘Roblex ’ is an evergreen cultivar that sports creamy - white blooms in spring . It reaches a mature height of about four feet with a similar bed cover .

Autumn Lily ® Azalea
you may retrieve Autumn Lily ® in # 3 containersavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
We havea guide on growing azaleas , unadulterated withrecommended cultivars , so check it out for more suggestions !

4. Yew
I bonk yew … that is , “ yew ” as inTaxusspecies – lamentable if I catch your hopes up !
As far as dependable and handsome evergreen plant shrubs go , it ’s grueling to beat this one . It grow soft evergreen foliage as well as blood-red berries ( which control toxic seminal fluid ) and its performance in the garden is stellar .
Some birds will eat on the come of the yew , but these pass harmlessly through the digestive pathway of the animal and cause no trouble .

While yew is n’t typically grown for its utility to wildlife , it does n’t smart to offer those birds something else to munch on .
I hada family of sparrowsliving in a yew bush at my last apartment and they made smashing use of the outgrowth as protection , and surely nibbled on whatever berries they could find .
Yew reply very well to pruning and shearing , and can be shaped to whatever human body you desire .

These tend to be somewhat resistant to most ill as well , which build them an splendid worry - free evergreen shrub option for your yard .
The Taunton spreading yew ( T.xmedia‘Tauntonii ’ ) is a good choice for cozy area . It tends to maintain a modest height of about four foot , and is happy when it gets to go a little wild .
Taunton Spreading Yew

you’re able to find ‘ Tauntonii ’ in # 3 and # 5 containersavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
If you allow your ‘ Tauntonii ’ to grow complimentary , you ’ll see its branches germinate into foresightful “ shoot ” that have always reminded me of a hedgehog .
I ’ve used these in rock garden andareas where too much formalness is n’t necessary .

For a more formal and substantial hedge , check out Hicks yew ( T. xmedia‘Hicksii ’ ) . It reach a altitude of nearly 12 feet , and responds well to operose pruning for growth as a courtly privacy hedging .
Hicks Yew
rube yew uprise across most of North America so it is double-dyed for many gardens , as long as they are n’t too wet !

you may pick up Hicks yewfrom Nature Hills Nurseryin # 3 container .
Growing zone : Typically Zones 4 to 7
Find more tips on mature and caring for yew here .

5. Euonymus
Euonymus for all of us ! I like these guys because of the salmagundi in flesh and color you could encounter , and except for being a bit messy , these evergreen bush are n’t plagued with blighter and other problems .
you’re able to determine tall and uprightEuonymusspecies , as well dispirited and controlled 1 .
Most folks are familiar with the variety acknowledge asburning bush , but the evergreen plant salmagundi of this plant life are where Euonymus is at its best .

Although the shrub seems to do well when it ’s allowed to grow free and kind of wild , I ’ve control perfectly manicure Euonymus hedges before as well .
The liberal colour of this evergreen plant bush are also easy to ferment with in the garden , and append plenty of variety and stable year - circle color to your one thousand .
Euonymus kiautschovicus‘Manhattan ’ grows to six metrical foot tall in Zones 5 to 10 , and is a dependable pick for warm climate .

‘ Manhattan ’ Euonymus
With a mere light-green foliage that ’s still lustrous and handsome , it benefits from a bit of protection from strong wintertime winds to avert leaf burn .
you could find ‘ Manhattan ’ in # 3 containersavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .

For a short option , tryE. fortunei‘Emerald Gaiety . ’ Not only does it offer a more modest height and circularize than others , its diffuse colors anticipate to highlight and never detract from the rest of your garden .
‘ Emerald Gaiety ’ Euonymus
you may observe this cultivaravailable at Nature Hills Nurseryin # 2 container .

This evergreen plant shrub can even become a climber if provided with the right bread and butter , like a trellis or pergola !
rise Zones : Typically partition 5 to 9
Read more about mature and caring for Euonymus bush here .

6. Mugo Pine
The mugo pine , orPinus mugo , is a favorite of mine .
I do n’t know why , exactly . It might be that it ’s justa simple true pine Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , and it might have something to do with its somewhat writhen turn habit , but I make out this evergreen shrub .
The mugo pine is great in rock garden and garden with an Asian root , but it will thrive in just about any ironical and stony area .

If there ’s a headache bear on to mugos , it ’s that they can be pretty sluggish growing .
But that ’s alright , since it ’s toilsome to discover a good evergreen plant shrub that looks as singular as a mugoandstays modest and hold .
With a piddling bit of patience , you ’ll have something that work as a assertion bit while providing attractive ground colour .

My favorite choice with this plant : the dwarf mugo pine tree ( P. mugovar.pumilio ) . It ’ll gain a tiptop of about four foot and spreads out up to 10 feet .
Dwarf Mugo Pine
you’re able to find gnome mugo pineavailable from Nature Hills Nursery .

Hardy and ego - reliant , this is the perfect option for the garden when you want to plant it and forget it .
originate Zones : Typically Zones 2 to 8
We delve deeply into mugo pine tree in our grow guide .

7. Pieris Japonica
Also known as Japanese adromeda or pieris , Pieris japonicais a adorable show - off of an evergreen plant shrub .
Whether you ’re in it for the shining evergreen foliage highlighted with hint of red and gold or the shower of bell - work flower , P. japonicadeserves a place in your garden .
These evergreen shrubs favor a shadowy spot where they will be protect from drying winds , and wish to set roots into acidic soil .

Well - run out soil is preferred , to prevent smutty fungal infections , and this species is susceptible to many of the same condition as azaleas .
More specifically , you ’ll want to keep an eye out forpowdery mould , barque scale , whiteflies , andleaf miners , and calcium deficiencies .
I ’ve only seen pieris used as initiation points in the garden and never as a hedgerow , but it could be something worth pursuing !

Its colour are like to that ofLeucothoeand the two could make an interesting pairing in the garden .
Mountain Snow ™ pieris ( akaP. japonica‘Planow ’ ) is my personal favourite . It maxes out at a height of about five foot and has a standardised spread , but the real appeal is the bright red coloring of new growth .
Mountain Snow Pieris

you may determine Mountain Snow ™ uncommitted at plant by Mail .
Really a fantastic sight to behold in your own garden !
For a more restrained option , check outP. japonica‘Cavatine . ’

Its height of about two metrical foot with a similar spreading require no exceptional pruning , and its foliation maintain a unripe colouration accented with beautiful flowers .
‘ Cavatine ’ Pieris
A short quarrel of ‘ Cavatine ’ is jaw - dropping when in full bloom .

Pick up this cultivarat Nature Hills Nursery .
get word japonicacare here .
8. Viburnum
TheViburnumgenus offers a variety of evergreen options , and plants are unremarkably quick to fill up space in the chiliad .
Because the leaning of available types of genus Viburnum is huge , you ’re just about assure to find one that will be well-chosen in your garden ’s conditions .
Just keep an eye out when you ’re purchasing these at a garden heart or pick out one other than those on our suggested listing . Some varieties of viburnum can grow to behugeand others are more deciduous in nature .

Still others can be pestiferous to prune , like the leatherleaf potpourri , because they produce an irritating sort of debris on the leaves .
This dust is easily visible when the leaves are sway , and can make maintaining these bush an uncomfortable experience .
While the debris is n’t harmful , it is nark , so I get into an closing off debris masquerade party when working with them . Alternatively , spraying the foliagewith a hosehelps to minimise any falling dust .

Even so , these flower evergreen plant shrub are a solid choice for your yard and tend to be considerably insubordinate to cuss and diseases .
They also take well to pruning and do n’t necessitate much more than some cosmopolitan sustenance , though thickly overgrown masses of viburnum may require heavier remotion of one-time limbs .
Despite its drawbacks , I have it away the coast polypody type ( V. rhytidophyllum ) as my evergreen plant viburnum of alternative ! It can reach a height of about ten feet and loves to propagate out , send up new jumper lead of growth during every originate season .

It will flower from May through June with clusters of fragrant yellowish - white flower , and tapers off as the summer heat intensifies .
Leatherleaf Viburnum ‘ Allegheny ’
But these retiring flowers do not detract from the rest of the garden . rationalise them immediately after flowering , because viburnum begin setting new bud in the fall !

Pick up ‘ Allegheny ’ leatherleaf viburnumfrom Nature Hills Nurseryin # 3 container .
Growing zona : Typically Zones 3 to 9
get more information about growing viburnum here .

9. Mahonia
One of my favorite evergreen plant shrubs , genus Mahonia is a plant life for people who need something rugged and jittery that does n’t skimp on visual appeal .
It looks like a short and stubby crown of thorns between a Buddy Holly and a staghorn sumach , except it has some very lovely colour and fruits that summate a overnice accent to the grim light-green leaves .
But this is one prickly customer that is n’t for everyone , or for every emplacement .

The leave-taking are rather precipitous and pointed , and incline to exacerbate anybody who handles them . It ’s also simultaneously a irksome cultivator and a works that is all too happy to produce volunteer seedlings .
That aver , if you ’ve got room for aprickly evergreen bush to ward off intruder , or you but require to supply a fleck of rough - and - tumble feel to your yard , give mahonia a guessing .
It ’s handsome and worthwhile in its own way , and might be the staring evergreen bush for your household !

For a less setose customer , considerMahonia eurybracteata‘Soft Caress . ’ The farewell have less of an edge or item than other cultivar , and this variety is happy to mature in the nuance .
‘ indulgent Caress ’ Mahonia
It also has a unforesightful growth habit and spread , reaching about four feet tall and wide . The only knack - up is that it ’s acclimated only to the narrow belt of Zones 7 to 9 .

you may find ‘ Soft Caress ’ available in # 3 containersfrom Nature Hills Nursery .
M. aquifoliumOregon Grape
If you want the real peck , the species industrial plant , M. aquifoliumis uncommitted in three - gallon containersfrom FastGrowingTrees.com .

The plant will reach nearly eight foot in elevation and about six feet in width , producing beautiful bluish - royal berries that wildlife like small birds and insects adore .
Learn more about mahonia ( Oregon grape holly ) care here .
10. Boxwood
Our evergreen shrub roundup would not be complete without that trusty garden fellow traveler , the boxwood ( Buxusspp . ) .
Now , I need to take I have a sealed distaste for boxwood because of how often I see it used on the place where I garden , and you could only cut so many hundreds of them before you train a exchangeable distaste yourself .
But all of that away , boxwoods are an ideal evergreen plant bush because of their ease of growth , tendency to maintain a consistent growing pattern , and their eager response to pruning .

They maintain their color year - round , and are not typically not prone to many malady , though Turkish boxwood blight is typically fatal to these shrub .
Use box as a foresighted hedge , or to add individual spots of green in your landscape . I like to retrieve of them as giant green meatball , stud the yard . They exploit well in almost any capacity , and there are enough cultivars to find precisely what you want .
My personal ducky isB. microphyllavar.japonica‘Winter Gem ’ because of its strong form and more sympathetic leaf .

These workplace laughably well as a farsighted hedge of fleeceable meatballs , and are a air to prune .
‘ Winter Gem ’ Turkish boxwood
They ’re also stronger against winds , snow , and cosmopolitan maltreatment than other boxwoods I ’ve worked with .
you’re able to find ‘ Winter Gem’available from Nature Hills Nurseryin # 1 containers .
For a more conical plant , tryB.x ‘ Green Mountain . ’
‘ Green Mountain ’ Boxwood
With softer foliage and a more upright grow habit , this is a sound selection if you want to sprinkle a few around your K as dependable and just evergreen shrubs that do n’t steal the show .
blame up ‘ Green Mountain ’ in a choice of # 1 or # 3 containersfrom Nature Hills Nursery .
produce Zones : Typically Zones 4 to 8
Read more about growing Turkish boxwood here .
11. Juniper
Juniper ( Juniperusspp . ) is an old favorite of mine . It was one of the first shrubs I worked extensively with on a tree nursery where I once worked , and I finally came to savor the irritating feel their needles bring home the bacon to bare pelt .
Add to those memory its absolute informality of growing , and you ’ve got yourself a worthwhile evergreen bush !
diverseness could be juniper ’s middle name . You ’re capable to findlow - growing and basis - hugging varietiesnext to others that grow to become 100 - foot - tall trees , and a vast variety of perfectly - sized evergreen plant shrubs for your thou .
If you ’ve got a teetotal and jumpy area where nothing seems to grow , pop in a juniper and watch it take off .
These bush are complete for dirt retention and as foundational hedgerow , though the low - growing varieties extend excellent evergreen plant ground natural covering .
My go - to favorite is ‘ Blue Rug ’ juniper bush ( J. horizontalis‘Wiltonii ’ ) as both a soil cover and an accent in the garden .
‘ Blue Rug ’ Juniper
It ’s perfect for growing over and then cascade down a bulwark or arranging of stone , and its short superlative of about six column inch is offset by its spread of up to eight foot !
You could buy a handful of ‘ Blue Rug ’ raetam , useable via Plants by Mail , and report an entire orbit very quickly , all with a nerveless blue-blooded colour .
If you prefer a plain green color , tryJ. chinensis‘Sea Green . ’ This cultivar strive up to about six feet in height and is as leisurely to care for as they total .
’ Sea Green ’
you could recover ’ Sea Green ’ useable in # 3 and # 5 containersat Nature Hills Nursery .
These will fill in areas quickly , so works smartly ! Its soft - textured leafage can hide foundation from view , and break up space dominate by structures like decks and other backgrounds as well .
Read more about growing junipers here .
12. Yucca
I ’ll bring some Yucca ( Yuccaspp . ) to this list because they ’re gorgeous , unfearing , and make one of the coolest flowers you ’ll ever see !
Their position as “ shrubs ” might be up for public debate , but in warm part of the land , this is a substantial choice for class - round of drinks greenery .
Sharp and upright rosettes of thick green leaves place this plant , but its enormous peak stalking makes this an evergreen plant shrub that functions as the chief act !
The leafage is unique among evergreen shrubs , and add some fun smorgasbord to the texture of your garden .
They are extremely resistant to … well , reasonably much everything , and that ’s a big plus in our book .
As the plants age and weather condition , they produce little twisted bits of fiber , earn these a suitable option for those who do n’t bear in mind a Thornton Niven Wilder looking garden .
I ’m a suckerfor vary works , soY. filamentosa‘Color Guard ’ is my first suggestion . Once established , it requires very little tending , and it can be divided every few years . It progress to a superlative of one to two invertebrate foot . Not bad !
‘ Color Guard ’ Yucca
you could pluck up ‘ Color Guard ’ in quart - sized containersfrom Nature Hills Nursery .
For a more uniform color , tryY. filamentosaaka Adam ’s acerate leaf . The species plant from which the above describe cultivar was come , it produces an almost identical flush and reach heights of two to four human foot .
Yucca filamentosa
Stagger the two of these together , and you ’ll find they nicely complement each other .
Pick upY. filamentosain # 2 and # 3 containersfrom Nature Hills Nursery .
farm Zones : Typically Zones 4 to 10 , might hold out in Zone 11 in protect conditions
Find more information on yucca caution here .
13. Rosemary
Our last is something most of us produce as an herb , but for gardener right smart down in Zone 11,Salvia rosmarinus(syn . Rosmarinus officinalis ) ‘ Tuscan Blue ’ can attend to as an excellent evergreen bush !
It is a plant that does not reply well to wet invertebrate foot or cold condition and prefer ardent , drier climate .
Rosemary can contact tiptop of six to 10 infantry , and grow beautiful and finespun dismal flowers . It ’s one of the few evergreen shrubs that produces something eatable and make a worthwhile addition to a kitchen garden .
‘ Tuscan Blue ’ Rosemary
you could find ‘ Tuscan Blue ’ rosemary in # 1 containersat Nature Hills Nursery .
develop geographical zone : Typically Zones 8 to 11 , might survive mild winters in Zone 7
Big, Green, and Reliable: Evergreen Shrubs Are the Way to Go!
Oftentimes , we guess of evergreen shrubs as bare , boring background plant life in the garden . And that ’s true , to some extent .
A firm hedge of unripe or some reliable and slow - grow shrubs in the yard help tie up everything together . But some of these can be showstoppers themselves , and that ’s jolly great !
It ’s insufferable to put together a list of every single evergreen shrub out there , so I ’ve focused on the ones I can personally commend and endorse here . Which ones will you pick out to supply to your garden distance ?
Let us know ! I ’m always glad to read suggestions and dubiousness in the remark section below .
For even morewoody shrub suggestions for the garden , understand these guides next :
photograph by Matt Suwak and Allison Sidhu © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally published December 2 , 2018 . Last updated March 2 , 2023 . Product pic via FastGrowingTrees.com , Nature Hills Nursery , and Plants by Mail . Uncredited exposure : Shutterstock .
About
Matt Suwak