7 Favorite Evergreens for Year-Round Interest

Winter is the perfect time to start planning and designing your future landscape. If you need inspiration, we’ve got you covered.

Evergreens are a fantastic way to keep your garden looking lively throughout the year. Plus, you can mix and match bright green evergreens with darker tones, such as grape purple hues or deep reds. 

Here are seven evergreens that will provide year-round interest:

1. Twist of Lime Coral Bells

Make a bold statement with the Twist of Lime Coral Bells. This evergreen herbaceous perennial sports lime green lobed leaves with a twisting of yellow. Its heavily ruffled edges loosen with maturity. 

Airy clusters of tiny creamy bell-like flowers also grow on tall spires in early summer, attracting butterflies. The yellow on the foliage intensifies when planted in partial sun and moist, well-drained soils.

2. Alta™ Southern Magnolia

Always shining with elegance, the Alta Southern Magnolia is a slow-growing, tight, upright evergreen tree with fragrant white flowers that bloom in summer. These blooms boast a fresh, lemony aroma. 

The narrow, luscious dark green leaves have rusty undersides, adding a unique element to your landscape. This magnolia grows 25 to 30 feet tall and only 8-10 feet wide at maturity.

3. Greenleaf American Holly

With its iconic red berries and dark green leaves, the Greenleaf American Holly is a traditional favorite for adding winter interest. The native evergreen tree has leathery, glossy leaves with a spiny margin.

In spring, the Greenleaf American Holly produces white, inconspicuous flowers that attract pollinators. Female trees will develop bright red berries in the fall and winter, which persist throughout the season and provide a beautiful contrast against the dark green foliage. 

4. Sprinter® Boxwood

Need an evergreen that is both pretty and practical? The Sprinter Boxwood is a dwarf evergreen shrub with a dense, upright, rounded habit and bright, lustrous green leaves that maintain color in winter.  

It’s a versatile evergreen that can be shaped into formal hedges or left natural for a more casual look. This boxwood is also hardy, requiring very little care.

5. Emerald Green Arborvitae

Emerald Green Arborvitae stands out in a gloomy winter landscape. This compact semi-dwarf evergreen shrub has glossy bright green foliage that holds its color in winter. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soils.  

It eventually grows 10-15 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. This shrub’s size makes it ideal for privacy screens in yards.

6. EverColor® Everillo Sedge

True to its name, Everillo Sedge is a cascading evergreen grass with foliage that emerges lime green and matures to gold. It thrives in rich, moist, well-drained soils. 

Use this grass to create interest in containers or shady spots. Or use it as a groundcover, a border, in a wildlife garden, and more!

7. Hardy Maidenhair Fern

Last but certainly not least, Hardy Maidenhair Fern is a popular hardy evergreen fern with distinctive fan-shaped, lacy, bright green fronds on shiny black curved stems. 

This fern offers a splash of color to many types of spaces, including accents or group plantings, and containers. Heuchera and Hosta make lovely companion plants, complementing the fern’s color. 

Plant evergreen beauty

These evergreens are not only beautiful but also low maintenance, making them perfect for creating a garden with year-round appeal. Plant Joy!
If you want more landscape advice, schedule a free 15-minute design consult with one of our designers to determine the best design process for you. Help make your landscape dreams a reality.