Evergreens for Garden Structure

When designing a landscape, one of the first types of plants to consider are the structural plants. These plants give your garden or landscape its “bones”. The best plants to start with are evergreens. Needled and broadleaf evergreen trees and shrubs can be anchors in your garden, can be used as screens and hedges, and can add color and texture. They complement other flowers and shrubs during the growing season and provide interest during our long, northern winters.

Which type of evergreen you choose depends on the garden’s size, soil and layout. Needled evergreens such as false cypress and junipers have fairly consistent foliage color year-round, while broadleaf evergreens such as rhododendrons and Pieris also contribute a splash of color from their flowers.

Arborvitae and false cypress are two good tall evergreens that can anchor your garden with their sizable forms. North Pole^® arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) grows 10- to 15-feet tall in a narrow shape. Planting a row of these creates the perfect backdrop for other flowers and shrubs and can block unsightly views.

Soft Serve^® false cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera) grows 6- to 10-feet tall in a broadly conical shape. The softly textured, fragrant needles give this evergreen a delightful appearance that you’ll enjoy in winter, but deer typically pass it by. It's salt tolerant and doesn't require much pruning. There's a golden-needled version that's stunning in winter too called Soft Serve Gold^®. 

Junipers are another good choice of easy-care evergreens that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from tall plants to those that are low and spreading. Unlike arborvitae, deer don't seem to be interested in junipers.

Aquavita^® juniper (Juniperus virginiana) grows 10- to 15- feet tall in a pyramidal shape with icy blue-green needles. This is a great evergreen to define the corner of a house or back edge of a garden bed. It requires little pruning and makes a great hedge plant as well.

For a particularly difficult site, try Tortuga^® juniper (Juniperus communis). This 2-foot tall x 3- to 4-foot wide juniper grows well in full sun to part sun and withstands drought, heat, salt and deer browsing. It’s also good for preventing erosion on slopes and exposed, windy sites.

Finally, don’t forget broadleaf evergreens for adding structure to your landscape. Rhododendrons and Pieris are two good choices. Both grow best in slightly acidic, well-drained soil and afternoon shade.

Dandy Man Color Wheel^® rhododendron grows 4- to 8-feet tall and wide with dark green, leathery leaves and has good disease resistance. Its unique, ruffled, spring blooms burst open from lipstick red buds, then turn from pink to white as they age.

Interstella^® (Pieris japonica) is a 3- to 4-feet tall variety that produces pearl-like chains of deep ruby red flowers in early spring, lasting for two months or more. After flowering, bright red new leaves appear. Deer typically don't bother this shrub.