Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Shrubs 21 Best Types of Evergreen Shrubs to Grow for Year-Round Color These evergreen shrubs will provide color and structure in your landscape 365 days a year. By Megan Hughes Megan Hughes Megan Hughes has a passion for plants that drives her to stay on top of the latest garden advancements and time-tested ways of growing great plants. She travels regularly to learn about new plants and technology and is closely connected to the innovation side of the horticulture industry. She has more than 25 years of experience in horticulture. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on October 26, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Scott Little Year-round color makes evergreen shrubs some of the most hardworking elements in a landscape. From deep green to shades of blue and even maroon, both needled and broadleaf types of evergreen shrubs are far from plain green. These shrubs are especially welcome in border gardens and foundation planting where deciduous plants—those that shed their leaves in fall—are common. Evergreens will lend winter interest in the form of both color and shape while other plants are mostly leafless branches. Find the best types of evergreen shrubs for your region and growing conditions in the list below. 01 of 21 Arborvitae Jason Wilde Masses of soft, fan-like foliage give arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) a unique appearance. This tough evergreen's feathery texture contrasts well with broadleaf plants. Arborvitae is commonly used as a reliable, long-lived hedge or screening plant. Use smaller varieties in mixed borders for a little evergreen color. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: 2 to 15 feet tall and 2 to 8 feet wide Zones: 4–8 02 of 21 Blue Holly Denny Schrock A dense evergreen shrub with glossy blue-green foliage, blue holly (Ilex x meserveae) has bright red berries in fall and winter. Be sure to plant a male cultivar near a female cultivar for fruit set. Use it as a hedge or screening plant or plant a few near an entryway for winter interest. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide Zones: 5–9 03 of 21 Boxwood Marty Baldwin Use boxwood (Buxus spp.) to create an easy-care low hedge. Tiny leaves and a dense branching habit give boxwood a strong visual presence in any landscape. Round cultivars, such as ‘Green Gem,’ naturally grow in a spherical shape. Other cultivars, such as ‘Green Mountain’ and ‘Green Tower,’ are more upright. This slow-growing shrub tolerates shearing well; it can be sculpted into formal shapes. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: 2 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide Zones: 4–9 04 of 21 Camellia Rob Cardillo A slow-growing broadleaf evergreen with large dark green leaves, camellia (Camellia spp.) is beloved for its winter or early spring flowers. The flowers can be single or double, and come in white, red, pink, or bicolors. Add it to a mixed border or plant several together as a flowering hedge. Growing Conditions: Part shade and rich, moist, well-drained soil Size: 6 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide Zones: 7–10 05 of 21 Common Juniper William N. Hopkins Prized for its adaptability, common juniper (Juniperus communis) grows well in a variety of challenging conditions. This native evergreen shrub has slightly prickly foliage. It takes to pruning well and can be trimmed into formal shapes. Low-growing varieties hug the ground while other types have a more upright habit. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and average soil Size: 2 to 12 feet tall and 2 to 6 feet wide Zones: 2–8 06 of 21 Dwarf Blue Spruce Justin Hancock Dwarf blue spruce (Picea pungens 'Globosa') is a slow-growing evergreen shrub with blue-gray needles that help it stand out in any landscape. Add it to a foundation planting or plant a few of these small, mounding conifers together in a mixed shrub border for year-round color. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained, dry soil Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and wide Zones: 3–8 The 18 Best Conifer Trees for Year-Round Beautiful Landscaping 07 of 21 Evergreen Euonymus Denny Schrock Also called box-leaf or Japanese euonymus, evergreen euonymus (Euonymus japonicus) is a tough shrub that adapts to a wide range of growing conditions. Use it as a hedge plant or add it to a mixed shrub border. There are several cultivars of evergreen euonymus. Some plants sport variegated yellow and green foliage while others have dark green or chartreuse leaves. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and average soil Size: 2 to 8 feet tall and wide Zones: 6–9 08 of 21 False Cypress Marty Baldwin False cypress (Chamaecyparis spp.) is a conifer with soft foliage and good deer resistance. Available both as shrubs or trees, some false cypress varieties offer chartreuse foliage, while others have grass green foliage. Mature sizes can vary quite a bit too, so make sure to choose the best type for your planting spot. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: 2 to 10 feet tall and 2 to 6 feet wide Zones: 4–8 09 of 21 Gardenia Peter Krumhardt Glossy, evergreen leaves are the perfect backdrop for gardenia’s (Gardenia jasminoides) bright white flowers. While the flowers are visually striking, their fragrance is their most attractive quality. There are several small varieties of this spring-flowering plant that work well in container gardens and small urban planting spaces. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: 2 to 10 feet tall and 2 to 8 feet wide Zones: 7–10 10 of 21 Glossy Abelia Denny Schrock With springtime flowers and small leaves, glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) is an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub that works well as a hedge or screen. It has an upright, mounding habit. Abelia’s lush flower clusters decorate the plant for weeks in summer and attract pollinators, including butterflies. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: 3 to 6 foot tall and wide Zones: 6–9 11 of 21 Indian Hawthorn Denny Schrock An easy-care, low-growing shrub, Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica) has sweetly fragrant pink or white flowers in spring. Blue-black berries form in late summer and decorate the dense, mounding evergreen shrub through winter. Indian hawthorn has leathery, dark green leaves that take on a pleasing purple hue in winter. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and wide Zones: 7–10 12 of 21 Inkberry Denny Schrock A tough member of the holly family, inkberry (Ilex glabra) is a native broadleaf evergreen shrub that tolerates wet planting sites, growing well in heavy clay soil. It has small leaves and a compact growth habit similar to boxwood. Use inkberry in a mixed shrub border to provide year-round color and interest. Or use it to form a hedge in wet, challenging planting areas. It can be pruned into a formal shape. Growing Conditions: full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: 4 to 6 feet tall and wide Zones: 4–9 13 of 21 Japanese Holly Brie Williams A hardworking holly with small foliage and a dense growth habit, Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) makes a great hedge or addition to a mixed border garden. This tough evergreen shrub tolerates drought, shade, poor soils, including clay, and is easy to transplant. ‘Sky Pencil’ is a narrow, columnar form that is popular for adding height to small spaces. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and average soil Size: 2 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 6 feet wide Zones: 5–9 14 of 21 Japanese Pieris Marilyn Ott Also known as lily-of-the-valley bush and andromeda, Japanese pieris (Pieris japonicus) is grown for its lush ropes of bell-shaped flowers in the spring, which are followed by colorful berries. The upright, slow-growing, evergreen shrub has glossy green foliage that is maroon when it emerges. Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist, rich, well-drained soil Size: 3 to 7 feet tall and wide Zones: 5–8 15 of 21 Nandina David Goldberg Also called heavenly bamboo, nandina (Nandina domestica) has bamboo-like foliage that often takes on reddish hues in spring and fall, depending on the variety. It also bears clusters of showy red berries from late summer into winter. Nandina is a very low-maintenance shrub that never needs pruning. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and average soil Size: 2 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide Zones: 6–11 In warmer regions, nandina is considered invasive, so look for sterile varieties that don't produce berries to avoid its uncontrolled spread. Or cut the clusters of berries off the plants when they appear. 16 of 21 Oleander Chipper R. Hatter Oleander (Nerium oleander) is a flowering tropical evergreen shrub that makes an ideal screen or informal hedge in warm climates. Both heat- and drought-tolerant, it blooms from early summer until mid-autumn. Oleander is well-suited for seaside gardens, thanks to its tolerance of salt spray. Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained, dry soil Size: 5 to 12 feet tall and wide Zones: 8–10 All parts of oleander is highly toxic if ingested, and the milky sap can cause skin irritation. 17 of 21 Oregon Grape Holly Cynthia Haynes Oregon grape holly (Berberis aquifolium) is a drought-tolerant native shrub with glossy, holly-like leaves, It has showy yellow flowers in spring that are followed by blue-black berries in summer. Birds love to eat the berries. Plant this small to medium evergreen shrub in groups of three to five in a woodland garden or any shaded spot where you need some year-round interest. Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 5 feet wide Zones: 5–8 18 of 21 Rhododendron Kritsada Panichgul Rhododendrons are shade-loving evergreen shrubs that greet the spring with vibrant flowers in shades of red, pink, purple and bright white. A true understory plant, it thrives when it receives dappled light all day long or morning sun and afternoon shade. Plant groups of three or five rhododendrons in large shade gardens for a splash of color in spring and clean green foliage year-round. Compact varieties are perfect for planting on the north or east side of a home. Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and moist, well-drained, acidic soil Size: 3 to 10 feet tall and 2 to 8 feet wide Zones: 4–8 19 of 21 Scarlet Firethorn Edward Gohlich Scarlet firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) gets its name from its fierce thorns and bright red berries in fall that persist into late winter. It tolerates heat and drought well and it grows very fast, putting on as much as 2 feet of growth a year. Firethorn is evergreen in warmer zones, and semi-evergreen in colder areas. Some varieties, such as 'Lalandei' (shown here) offer a little more winter hardiness (to Zone 5) and orange-red fruit. Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide Zones: 6–9 20 of 21 Viburnum Jerry Pavia Viburnums are valuable habitat plants, providing food and shelter for many species. There are many different types of viburnums and not all of them are evergreen. One example is David viburnum (Viburnum davidii), a low-growing evergreen variety that reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. A semi-evergreen type is Burkwood viburnum (V. x burkwoodii, shown here) that grows 6 to 12 feet tall and is prized for its flowers' spicy-sweet fragrance. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: 3 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 8 feet wide Zones: 6–9 21 of 21 Yew Scott Little Reliable evergreen shrubs for shade, yews (Taxus spp.) have been popular landscape plants for decades. Several new varieties on the market can even work in sites with just a few hours of sunlight a day. ‘Emerald Spreader’ has chartreuse foliage and grows just 2 feet tall while spreading to 8 feet or more wide. Other varieties have a pronounced upright growth habit. Most yews are very low-maintenance shrubs. Growing Conditions: Part shade and well-drained, dry to moist soil Size: 2 to 10 feet tall and wide Zones: 4–8 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit