Now that spring is just a few weeks away, many of you are thinking about landscape projects that might involve adding new bushes and shrubs. If you are in that boat, keep in mind that you should always use evergreens as the foundation of the landscape design.
So as you make your plan, think about these evergreen plants in your design.
Taxus Yews
Yews can be found in over 80% of the landscapes in the Midwest and easy. They are also grown as far south as Georgia with good success. Taxus yews have a darker green foliage and stand up well to extreme weather conditions. Their new growth each year has a bright green appearance, giving them some nice variation. They can be trimmed tightly each year and really dont have any problems with insects or fungus. The only thing I dont like about yews is that they are very common and boring.
Arbs
The emerald green arborvitae is not as common as the yew, and is a little more versatile in the home landscape. With softer leaves and more available shapes and sizes, it makes a perfect foundation shrub, focal point or even grown in groups to make a screening hedge. Arbs do get bag worm insects and can also be susceptible to spider mite attacks. In addition, they can break easily under the weight of heavy snow. Spray them with anti desiccant before winter to prevent the leaves from drying up and turning brown.
Box woods
If you want an evergreen with a more standard “leafy” appearance, then boxwood is for you. The boxwood is a formal appearing evergreen with small leaves. They are very versatile and can take a pretty heavy shearing during the year if you want to keep them small. They care susceptible to wind burn if planted out in the open.
Holly
Good old holly evergreens are my favorites. They have a stately, yet wild appearance and can grow in any form and achieve any size. Their prickly leaves give a nice change to the boring evergreen family. They can get a few insect issues, but not many. These are your best choice for originality and classy design.
Most of these evergreen shrubs can be found at local home centers or your neighborhood nursery. It is best to consult your garden center first just to be sure they will grow properly on your site and in your area of the country.
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