Garden Evergreen Shrubs
- The dense growth of evergreens makes them ideal for privacy hedges. Slow-growing privacy hedges include camellia Japonica, Japanese yew, and emerald arborvitae. Faster-growing varieties include dense yew and Savannah holly. These shrubs grow tall and do not require much maintenance.
- Evergreens also make excellent container plants for the patio or deck. They require very little care yet provide year-round beauty. While others are fussing with their annuals and deadheading their perennials, you'll be, literally, made in the shade.
The dwarf Alberta spruce, dwarf white price, and Japanese boxwood are great candidates for containers, as is the English dwarf boxwood. - Rhododendrons and azaleas also belong in the evergreen family. Unlike other evergreens, these lush flowering plants provide long-lasting blooms in various shades of rose and deep pink.
Like other evergreens, these shrubs require little care. Dying blooms should be regularly deadheaded, though, because failure to do so will reduce the number of blooms in the subsequent year. - Many evergreen shrubs are sold with their root systems still embedded in the original soil from which they came. These "balled-and-burlapped" plants are common in the nursery in fall and early spring.
Most balled-and-burlapped plants are quite hardy. Soil amendment is usually not necessary unless the original soil is denser than the soil in your garden. These plants need to be handled carefully, though. They should not be picked up by the trunk or branches and should be gently set down to avoid shattering the rootball.
After planting, keep the soil reasonably moist. - Pruning is necessary to maintain the size and shape of your shrub. Removing dead branches reduces the threat of disease. The optimal time to prune depends upon what part of the country in which you live but is always during the growth period of the plant. The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association recommends a three-year rotation, which is "accomplished by cutting one branch back to one-third its original size, the one next to it to half its size, and the third to two-thirds its length." Repeat this all over the plant, staggering the cutting as you prune. In the following year the branches that were pruned the most will be pruned the least.