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Native evergreens for winter wildlife cover and human interest?

11 years ago

I live in Central, Indiana (roughly zone 6). What would be good evergreen shrubs that do well in partial shade? We have little room for more trees, and I am trying to plant with mostly native Indiana/Midwest selections.

We are restoring a backyard that had been overrun with invasive asian bush honeysuckle. Entertainment and wildlife are the primary two features. We have several deciduous trees and fruiting shrubs in the works, but I am not familiar with what some of these will look like in the winter.

Comments (2)

Iris GW
11 years ago
You might find this page helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Landscaping with Indiana natives
jimbobfeeny
11 years ago
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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Help identify this ground cover please

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