If you know anything about landscaping and landscape design, then you are aware that evergreens (bushes or trees that don’t drop their leaves or needles) are the foundation of proper form and function. But what evergreens are the best for the typical home landscape and are they high or low maintenance?

Here are just a few of my favorite evergreens for home landscapes and what I like and dislike about each one.

Taxus Yews

Yews can be found in over 80% of the landscapes in the Midwest and easy. They are also grown as far south as Georgia with good success. Taxus yews have a darker green foliage and stand up well to extreme weather conditions. Their new growth each year has a bright green appearance, giving them some nice variation. They can be trimmed tightly each year and really dont have any problems with insects or fungus. The only thing I dont like about yews is that they are very common and boring.

Arbovitae

The emerald green arborvitae is not as common as the yew, and is a little more versatile in the home landscape. With softer leaves and more available shapes and sizes, it makes a perfect foundation shrub, focal point or even grown in groups to make a screening hedge. Arbs do get bag worm insects and can also be susceptible to spider mite attacks. In addition, they can break easily under the weight of heavy snow. Spray them with anti desiccant before winter to prevent the leaves from drying up and turning brown.

Boxwood

If you want an evergreen with a more standard “leafy” appearance, then boxwood is for you. The boxwood is a formal appearing evergreen with small leaves. They are very versatile and can take a pretty heavy shearing during the year if you want to keep them small. They care susceptible to wind burn if planted out in the open.

Holly Shrubs

Holly is my favorite evergreen and is the foundation of my own home landscape. You can get varieties differing from light green to dark, and larger leaves to smaller. In addition, as long as you plant both male and female plants near one another, they will develop bright red berries in the fall, giving a nice color variation during the winter. Holly can dry out in winter winds and may need to be sprayed with an anti-desiccant before the cold weather hits.

Most of these evergreen shrubs can be found at local home centers or your neighborhood nursery. It is best to consult your garden center first just to be sure they will grow properly on your site and in your area of the country.

Tags: evergreens.plants, gardening, Landscaping, lawn care, shrubs

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