The best plants for an evergreen garden

The dream of an evergreen garden is a great temptation, especially now, in the heart of winter. During this time, it is more than normal to feel impatient for the return of spring, the season that brings nature back to its full splendour. If you look at your bare garden and feel that you simply cannot wait, why not incorporate some cold-hardy plants into your green corner that never lose their foliage?

Whether you are tempted by the idea of an evergreen hedge plant or by the desire to choose a shrub for your garden or balcony, know that plants that do not lose their leaves in autumn are numerous and very varied. Let's discover together some of the best options.

What is the difference between perennial plants and evergreen plants?

Let's start with a brief technical note, superfluous for green veterans but useful for all those who have a green thumb... for beginners. What exactly is meant when talking about “perennial plants” and “evergreen plants”? Are they the same thing or is there some difference?

Based on the length of their vegetative cycles, plants can be divided into three types: annuals, biennials, and perennials. The first two types are distinguished by a shorter lifespan, of one or two years respectively, which requires constant reseeding. The category of perennial plants, on the other hand, includes those species with a lifespan of more than two years.

Perennials can in turn be divided into two subcategories: deciduous and evergreen plants. Deciduous plants tend to lose their foliage during winter, as their name suggests. The aerial part is therefore lost, but if the roots are not damaged by excessive cold, the plant will develop a completely new one in the following spring.

The category of evergreens, as is easy to guess from daily experience, includes those species of trees or shrubs with persistent foliage. These plants also renew their leaves over the course of their lives, but the replacement happens gradually over time.

A selection of evergreen garden plants

After talking about plants that flower in autumn (and sometimes even later), here we are for a new round of species that will allow you to have a splendid and lush garden throughout the year:

• Rosmarinus officinalis, which we talked about in the above-mentioned article, is not the only evergreen aromatic plant that can give you great satisfaction: Thymus vulgaris, common thyme widely used in cooking and herbalism, is indeed equipped with excellent hardiness. Another winning choice is Lavandula angustifolia ‘Vera’: the highly fragrant lavender also has a truly remarkable cold tolerance threshold, a feature that further embellishes this refined aromatic plant.
• Among the evergreens are also some grey-leaved plants with a canopy of great ornamental value. An excellent example is Centaurea cineraria, an enchanting bush with very light and bright grey tones. Another excellent option is represented by Senecio cineraria, which with its velvety foliage rich in silver-grey shades will add a sophisticated touch to your garden.
• If you want an evergreen shrub capable of immediately evoking the atmosphere of the Mediterranean scrub, Cistus will become your new best friend. There are several species and many hybrid varieties, characterized by flowers of different colors and different growth habits. In addition to enjoying its tenacious foliage during winter, you will have a new reason to look forward to spring: the flowering of cistus is indeed extremely abundant and spectacular.
• Another evergreen plant characterized by numerous different varieties is Nerium oleander, that is, the famous oleander. There are options for all tastes: oleanders of different sizes, flower types (single, double, or triple), inflorescence colors, and cold resistance levels. You could choose a variety suitable for forming an evergreen small tree, or group several plants together to form a hedge.
• If you want an evergreen tree that allows you to move away from the usual conifers, you could opt for Arbutus unedo, the strawberry tree. This plant can reach a height between 3 and 8 meters, and in addition to not losing its foliage, it will offer you an extraordinary spectacle: during autumn, the strawberry tree presents green leaves, white flowers, and delicious ripe red fruits already on the plant. This color palette has made the strawberry tree one of the symbols of the Italian Republic.
• We close our round with another evergreen small tree, Callistemon laevis. This shrub is known as the “bottle brush plant” because of the toothbrush shape of its very peculiar bright red flowers. Keep in mind, however, that the cold resistance threshold of Callistemon is around -5°C, preferably only for short periods.

Evergreen hedge plants: which one to choose?

There are many Mediterranean plants perfect for creating an evergreen hedge. In addition to the already mentioned oleander and strawberry tree, here are some ideas that might be useful to you:

• A classic Mediterranean hedge plant is Pistacia lentiscus, better known as lentisk. This species can grow up to about 4 m in height, sometimes even more. Staying within the realm of the great classics of Mediterranean flora, the fillirea (Phyllirea angustifolia) is an evergreen shrub with shiny and leathery foliage of great ornamental value. With its 6/7 m height, it is also excellent for creating large barriers.
• Not everyone knows that Myrtus communis, the myrtle that is also used in cooking, is a very suitable evergreen plant for the creation of a hedge. If you want to combine utility with pleasure, this could be a winning choice!
• Are you an eccentric spirit and a lover of intense colors? Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’ is the hedge plant for you: in addition to not losing its leaves during winter, their changing color will win you over. As the months pass, you will see the foliage range from bright red to luminous green, a peculiarity that will give your garden a never-ordinary appearance.
• Do you want a flowering hedge during winter? Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ is the plant you are looking for. The white flowering of the viburnum appears precisely in the second half of the cold season.
• Last but not least is Pyracantha, splendid both as a single specimen and as a hedge plant. Precisely during winter its berries ripen, whose color varies from orange to fiery red depending on the variety. Although they are not edible, their vibrant tones will be able to warm up even the coldest months.

Perennial groundcovers for a cold-hardy lawn

To complete your evergreen garden, the final touch is still missing: a cold-hardy groundcover! Having a beautiful and tidy lawn even in the middle of winter is an absolutely achievable dream, especially if your green corner is located in an area with a rather mild climate. In this case, you can opt for an evergreen groundcover that will give you a thousand satisfactions throughout the year, Verbena hybrida. This robust and vigorous verbenaceae has a cold tolerance between -6 and -8°C, a feature that allows it to maintain a pleasant appearance all year round in the climatically more favorable areas of our country.

If your garden is instead located in an area with a harsher climate, the right groundcover for you is Frankenia laevis. This charming groundcover tolerates temperatures down to about -12°C and maintains a very pleasant appearance, although it is not an evergreen in the strict sense: its tiny emerald green foliage will take on refined coppery shades with the arrival of intense cold.