Coniferous (needle foliage and cone bearing), as well as broad leaved evergreen shrubs are an important aspect to the home landscape. They provide year round interest, and help create the "skeleton" of your garden design. There are a wide variety of textures, sizes, and colors among evergreen shrubs on the market today, so many in fact, that a lovely garden can be designed using only evergreen shrubs.

Even though I grow many conifers, it is the broadleaf evergreen shrubs that are my true loves. Coincidentally, the broadleaf evergreen shrubs seem to be well suited to my soil and environment.

Stormy, do you have acidic soil in your area? Seems most of the broad leafed evergreens prefer acid.

I need to get a few specimen type evergreens in the garden, it needs more winter interest. I'd love to install an elaborate shrub border, with lots of varying colors and textures and shapes.

The only evergreen that we have is a columnar boxwood. I wish I had more but I can only have plants that can take ALOT of clay. Suggestions are very welcome. I especially like the broadleaf evergreens too.

This is Buxus sempervirens ‘Monrue’ (aka Green Tower Boxwood) that was planted in 2007. The pic was taken last week. They've done very well but I would love to have more evergreens in the yard. Ideas??????

Those are so pretty, Val! I really love those, do they stay fairly small?

I think variety of overall shapes, sizes, and textures is the most important thing to keep in mind. A balanced combination of broadleaf and coniferous shrubs along with blooming and deciduous shrubs and ornamental grasses are some of the prettiest gardens I've seen.

Val, do you have some pics of the yard where you're thinking of adding some? That would be great to see, and will spawn ideas.

Neal, I have to be truthful and say that I've never had the soil here tested and I'm sure that there are very different PH levels in different parts of my yard. But in general, since Mountain Laurel is the Pa state flower and they and wild Rhododendrons grow in all of our woods, I would have to surmise that the soil in this area is fairly acidic. Our soil is generally red clay.

That's what I typically use as a guide to tell me the ph too, the native flora.

Val, Mahonias are one of my favorites. They do need some shade.

Thanks for reminding me of Mahonia! I have a perfect spot for one, a place where something would look good, but I need something low maintenance and sturdy. The blooms are yellowish aren't they? That would be perfect, as it would be a background for part of the blue, white, and yellow garden. Its on the northeast side of the house, so the partial shade will make it happy too.

Yes, Neal They are yellow. I have some photos of them on my other computer. The blooms on this variety are fairly small. This is a very sturdy shrub. Northeast is almost exactly what this one gets.

That mahonia is gorgeous, Stormy!

That mahonia is beautiful. I tried to look up mahonia and found that there are all kinds. Which kind is that? The ones I looked up like acidic soil so I couldn't have them here (drats). But maybe I could have the kind that you have---if I could figure out a way to give it shade. I have an area on the west side of the house that gets morning shade but then it gets afternoon sun and the heat reflecting from the afternoon sun from the brick house.

I don't have a particular area that I want to put evergreens in. I'd like to sprinkle small ones (prefer columnar ones) throughout the gardens for winter interest. In general, my gardens are alkaline, full sun, and small. I only have one-fifth of an acre here so I like shrubs that grow taller than they are wide. Once you subtract for my house, detached garage, and walkways, the gardening areas are rather small.

The boxwood that I have is supposed to have a mature size of about 2 feet wide and about 8 feet tall. They were planted in 2007 and right now they are about 5 feet tall and 14 inches wide (I just measured). I know they like a bit of shade but they're doing well in full sun. Even though they don't have any protection from winter winds, they get very little burn.

Thanks, Polly.

Val, I bought that Mahonia as an untagged distressed plant marked down at Walmart, so don't know the variety. It looked so close to dead, but revived and has grown wonderfully.

Hmmm, there are some tall thin Ilex like Sky Pencil and Daphnes like Mezereum. Be careful with Daphnes, not all are evergreen. They have varying degrees of Ph needs. I can't think of ,much else other than conifers which are columner in shape.

Neal, Here is the photo of that Mahonia in bloom towards late March. This was taken before I pruned off the damage from the last 3 weeks of ice that covered this plant. These blooms are small, but still nice to have at that time of year.

Some of my favorite Broadleaf evergreens are Rhodos, Azaleas, Euonymous, Daphnes, Kalmias, Camellias, Pieris, Leucanthoe, Mahonia, Magnolia. Not all varieties of each of these are evergreen. Nor do all of them do well for me. I have a beautiful tri-colored Leucanthoe that is always struggling. The voles may be eating it and it might do better if moved. I've lost 2 nice Pieris and may try another in the fall in a different location.

I moved a Daphne last year that was struggling, and it virtually tripled in size in it's new location, but now it's suffering. I also moved one Camellia last fall and it overwintered and bloomed really well, but now it looks like it's become a victim of this drought. There's one Kalmia that was in too dry and shady a spot, so I moved it two springs ago. At first it really responded well, but now it's suffering. This drought has been very hard on the shrubs.

I also have some evergreen Viburnum Prague. Another evergreen favorite of mine is Skimmia. One of mine now is under attack by a stubborn case of scale.

Stormy, I'd love to know more about what Camelia varieties are hardy for you. I've always longed to grow Camelias!

Neal, They are all the cold hardy Ackerman Hybrids. I have purchased them mostly from Greer Gardens. GG has a good selection and offers a replacement policy for failed plants. It's not cheap for me to have them shipped all the way across the country, but I really love them.

Camellias come in two types, the fall/winter bloomers and the spring bloomers. Most of mine are the spring bloomers, mostly because I like red blooming Camellias and there don't seem to be any reds among the fall bloomers. Last year, I did find a neat new one at a local Nursery, but I've been having to treat that one constantly for a spotted fungus.

What zone are you, Mary?

I might try one of the Ackerman Camellias in a very sheltered location. I've been reading about them.

Polly, Zone 6, the warmer one. Mine are sheltered from the winds.

Oh my, I'm drooling and swooning! Does it smell as lovely as it looks? I kinda think spring bloomers may be best for us zone pushers, I'm thinking fall and winter blooms may just get frozen.