Take a look at this vast family of plants and you'll find a variety of sizes to suit your landscaping tastes, from the giant Douglas fir to the dwarf mugho pine. And while evergreens' size and stature can vary widely, their shape also runs from conical and pyramidal to columnar forms as well. Right now we invite you to take a closer peek at this intriguing group of plants that can add texture and majestic beauty to your garden in a way that no other plants can.
Evergreens are plants--whether trees, shrubs, vines or groundcovers--that retain their green color all year long. They're divided into two groups, according to the shape of their leaves.
Narrow-Leafed Evergreens
Narrow-leafed, or needle, evergreens are the most familiar because they're so widely planted and because many of them are used as Christmas trees. The most popular include numerous pines, junipers (also called red cedars), firs, spruces, hemlocks and American arborvitaes. Many needle evergreens are also conifers, or plants that produce cones, and most of them are extremely hardy and can be grown throughout the country.
Broad-Leafed Evergreens
The other group of evergreens comprises the broad-leaf types, which often produce striking flowers or fruit. Some of the most popular for landscape use include azaleas and rhododendrons, magnolias (the trademark tree of the South), hollies, boxwoods, laurels, nandinas, photimias, barberry and ivy, to name just a few.
Planting Pointers
- As a general rule, most evergreens (especially young ones) prefer a rich, humusy soil that is well drained but remains moist. Just take a walk in the woods where evergreens grow naturally and notice the soil around them: it's dark and rich, with an abundance of organic matter produced by leaves falling over the years and slowly decomposing. If you mimic those soil conditions at home by adding compost or leaf mold to the planting hole and mulching heavily with shredded leaves, pine needles or compost, your evergreens will love it.
As they mature, some evergreen varieties--pines and cedars, for instance--may become more tolerant of dry soils, but don't bet on it. Also, a number of evergreens (azaleas and heather among them) prefer acidic soils.
- Because many evergreens can grow rather large, be aware of the ultimate height and spread of the types of evergreens you plant. They can be slow growers, but in time evergreens can easily tower above a roof or spread great distances.
- Avoid planting evergreens in a straight, soldierlike row. If you lose one tree to pests or disease, or if the growth rates of the trees vary, your design will be shot, and replacing one tree with a new one of similar size is next to impossible. Instead try a mass planting of both broad-leafed and needle evergreens; in other words, mix things up a bit.
- One final note: Because evergreens can't protect themselves during the winter by dropping their leaves the way deciduous plants do, water continues to evaporate through them. So water evergreens through the winter, especially if rainfall is scarce, and protect them if necessary by covering them with burlap or spraying them with an antidesiccant.
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