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Native Evergreen Shrubs

17 years ago

There seems to be a real shortage of species that fit this description. As far as I can tell, Bayberry and Inkberry are the only two species that work in full sun and can take some urban conditions (salt). Inkberry never seems to look very robust, and shearing it to force leaf out on the lower branches can be tricky and doesnt always work.

Bayberry I am not familiar with as a landscaping plant. I can not find any cultivars that stay small, and it is not really a true evergeen anyway (or is it?).

Rhododendrons, laurel, and Leucothe are the only others I know - and they are much pickier.

Any suggestions? What do you all use as your evergreens in the native garden. I know ther are other ways to get 'color' in the native garden with berries and bark, but I want some GREEEEEEEN!

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Comments (6)

Iris GW
17 years ago
Yaupon holly (including dwarf forms), Anise shrub (illicium species), red cedar (really a juniper and I guess more of a tree), there is a dwarf evergreen blueberry in nurseries now (Vaccinium darrowii), Don's dwarf wax myrtle (relative of bayberry?) ... that's all I can add to your list.
laceyvail 6A, WV
17 years ago
Also evergreen and for full sun (with moist soil)are Leiphyllum buxifolium, Box Sand Myrtle, and Chamaedaphne clayculata, both native to the Jersey Sand Barrens. There are others too, but my mind has forgotten the names and I'm at work and can't look them up.
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Full MORNING sun is fine for Mountain Laurel, in fact it would be perfect. Afternoon sun is harsh in the Atlanta area, but it might work if there is adequate moisture. Same with Rhododendron. Here are some evergreen native shrubs, research them a bit further to see what you think about suitability for your area: Dirca palustris Leucothoe fontanesiana Lyonia lucida Ilex glabra Agarista populifolia Sabal minor (a bit unconventional!) Illicium floridanum (might not like the afternoon sun) Illicium parviflorum (probably gets bigger than you want) Dwarf wax myrtle (Morella cerifera) Weeping yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) If you're looking for a good source, consider Nearly Native in Fayetteville.
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You are definitely going for the right look for a foundation planting, namely a layered series of different textures with evergreen at the back. But I agree that a total of 5 feet from foundation out is not enough width to get that job done. You have enough sun to work with and you have a vision, so why not do it up right: expand the bed 3-4 feet, move the roses out a few feet, and then put in some spreading yew or a globe arborvitae-type thing about 2-3 feet out from the house. You'll have to trim the yew or whatever you put there, but it will give you the look you want. Yews are incredibly overplanted on the foundation, but for the back row of a layered planting, I think they work just fine. Put a low layer in front of the roses, maybe some Blue Star Juniper, then you can keep the layered thing going on during the winter. The Blue Star is fairly slow growing, (especially living on the east side), so don't expect it to fill in quickly. Instead, cough up the cash and plant several. If you think widening the bed is daunting, just lay down wet cardboard on the turf and cover with lots of mulch. Then cut out wide holes for your plantings. The grass will be long gone in a year. Boxwood could work against the foundation too, but it grows like molasses. Just my thoughts, based on having been in a similar situation. Get what you want the first time around, so you don't have to do it again later.
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Just a head's up...do a google search on each plant you're interested in BEFORE you buy it, because even many of the so-called natives nurseries are increasingly selling invasive exotics. Last time I was at Woodlander's Nursery, for their spring sale, they had Eleagnus and porcelain berry vine. They also had a lot of Asian and European trees and shrubs and not all of those plants were marked as being foreign (including the Eleagnus and the porcelain berry). Nurseries Caroliniana is advertising Japanese Maples on their home page right now. They appear to have more non-native plants than natives in their catalog, including barberries, Eleagnus, Euonymus, Nandina, and Wisteria, among others. So just be careful and make sure that what you're buying really is native - don't trust the nurseries. As for suggestions, I'm not sure if these are native in your area, but you could research native evergreen holly shrubs and evergreen Hypericum species.
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Believe it or not, I have had luck with growing Rhododendron maximum around here - you do have to amend the soil a little bit, though. It's not technically native to Indiana, but it is native to Kentucky and Ohio - close enough for me! Another native evergreen is Mountain laurel, which actually is native to Indiana. It is slower growing than Rhododendron, but it is more adapted to the crazy temperature swings Indiana is known for.
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gailgardens
16 years ago
I have just recently come upon Gray Owl (Juniper virginiana)...a lovely grayish bluegreen that looks great. Check it out. It's not green but who needs dark green everywhere? I am using it as a specimin plant in a bed next to my drive way that technically is a part of the foundation. Gail
ladyslppr
16 years ago
American Holly is native, evergreen, and tolerates salt and full sun. It grows rather slowly but eventually can become a medium-sized tree. Bayberry isn't evergreen. Wax Myrtle, which is related but more southern in distribution, is evergreen. Wax Myrtle gets pretty large, as do most of the shrubs if not pruned for size.

Altantic White Cedar, arborvitae, and Red Cedar are all upright evergreens that are commonly seen as shrubs. They eventually get pretty large, but grow rather slowly. Eastern Hemlock is often planted as a foundation plant or hedge. It of course grows very large but can apparently be sheared to a smaller size for many years. Depending on how you define native you might also include White Spruce (Picea glauca), and more to the point the dwarf cultivar you see all the time in gardens and planters. Not sure how these "Dwarf Alberta Spruce" tolerate salt, but they are very tolerant of drought and poor soils.

I think almost any shrub will do fine in full sun if soil conditions are good. The only time I'd expect trouble with full sun is when soil conditions are marginal.
laceyvail 6A, WV
16 years ago
Another broadleaf evergreen is a plant I got several years ago from High Country Gardens--Arctostaphyllos x coloradensis. I have it in hot, full sun and it's a handsome little shrub. And then there's A. uva ursi--bearberry.
qqqq
9 years ago
Ceanothus americana - New Jersey Tea is evergreen / semi-evergreen

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