17 Evergreen Shrubs You Rarely Have to Prune

Chilly zone gardeners know the significance of evergreen crops! They provide texture, construction, and shade throughout the winter months after deciduous crops lose their leaves. Evergreen shrubs are excellent, as they keep low-growing and bushy all through their lives. 

The truth of getting a backyard is that you just’ll should prune some crops. Some might attain over their limits, whereas others might broaden into the road or your neighbor’s yard. Although you’ll often should trim these evergreen species, it’ll be a uncommon incidence. They keep inside their bounds!

These 17 evergreens aren’t as high-maintenance as boxwoods, laurels, and ficus bushes. Trim them if you want, or allow them to develop right into a pure form. It doesn’t matter what you do to them, they’ll fill your backyard with lush progress your complete yr. 

‘Blue Arrow’ Juniper

‘Blue Arrow’ juniper is blue and slender like an arrow. It has evergreen foliage that grows up as an alternative of out. A mature specimen will usually keep lower than two ft vast! 

Excellent for tight, upright areas, the ‘Blue Arrow’ juniper excels the place different evergreens fail. It could attain upwards of 15 ft. Trim the highest of it to maintain it shorter, or plant it in an space the place the highest has room to broaden. 

Junipers dislike moist, soggy circumstances. For the healthiest progress, plant your ‘Blue Arrow’ in a web site with well-drained soil and loads of direct daylight.

‘Chirimen’ Hinoki Cypress

Hinoki cypresses are owners’ favourite evergreens. Many cultivars develop nicely in pots, whereas others keep dwarf-sized within the yard. ‘Chirimen’ is my all-time favourite Hinoki cypress—it’s low-maintenance, distinctive, and straightforward to develop. 

Spires of progress emerge from the woody stems of ‘Chirimen’ crops. They resemble the hair of Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons. Fuzzy and dense, this progress is in contrast to that of some other conifer you’ve seen earlier than. 

This cultivar is low-maintenance. It’s slow-growing and short-statured, regardless of how previous it will get. You’ll by no means should prune it; it’ll slowly develop bushy over a few years within the backyard. Plant it in a big container, or set it subsequent to your doorway within the floor. 

Dwarf Alberta Spruce

Dwarf Alberta spruce, or D.A.S., for brief, is a pretty backyard specimen. It’s a type of white spruce that stays bushy and dense in an ideal Christmas tree form. Found within the wilds of Canada in 1904, this cultivar is an previous favourite that has stood the check of time.

As a result of it’s a cultivar of the white spruce, this small tree prefers cool, moist circumstances. It dislikes the warmth that’s frequent to the southern U.S. Take into account another conifer when you stay in zones 7 and above within the South. Should you backyard in cooler areas just like the Pacific Northwest, the spruce will survive in zones 2 by way of 8. 

Although D.A.S. is technically a small tree, it’ll carry out like a shrub for many of its life. It’ll keep underneath 13 ft when mature, although it’s slow-growing and takes a few years to get that tall. 

Dwarf Mountain Pine

Just like the dwarf spruce, the dwarf mountain pine is an previous backyard favourite with a wealth of makes use of for the yard. It’s a wonderful container specimen, and it really works nicely in a dry mattress. Additionally known as pumilio pine, dwarf mugo pine, and pumilio mugho pine, this mounding shrub not often requires pruning.

Not like pine bushes, the dwarf mountain pine sprouts many candles on a number of branches that develop from its base. Candles are the factors the place new progress emerges from the pine in late winter and early spring. They’re usually formed like fingers, they usually’re usually brown or yellow. Should you’d like to cut back the peak of your shrub, merely pinch these candles again by a 3rd or a half. 

Keep away from planting this evergreen conifer subsequent to a walkway, because it tends to unfold vast somewhat than tall. It’ll flop onto the trail and require pruning. As a substitute, give it an open spot the place it could develop vast over a few years.

Dwarf Golden Threadleaf False Cypress

Although its title is a mouthful, the dwarf golden threadleaf false cypress is an unbelievable conifer! It sprouts lengthy, whip-like, and segmented leaves with a golden shade. The brighter the publicity, the extra golden leaves you’ll see. 

This cultivar has a mounding behavior. It stays quick and stocky with cascading sprays of foliage. Set two inside containers on reverse sides of the doorstep, or plant them in a sunny spot within the yard. Different makes use of embrace rock gardens, bonsai, and quick hedges. 

Gem Field^® Inkberry Holly

Gem Field^® holly is the right boxwood substitute! It really works nicely in areas the place boxwoods battle. Supreme for U.S. gardens, Gem Field^® holly is a cultivar of the native plant Ilex glabra, or inkberry holly. The native mother or father plant grows wild all through the southeastern U.S.

Develop Gem Field^® in a container, use it for low-maintenance hedges, or plant a couple of as focal factors scattered all through the backyard. Their evergreen leaves present the right backdrop for colourful wildflowers and spreading floor covers. 

Himalayan Candy Field

Himalayan candy field is one other favourite evergreen of mine. It’s aromatic in spring, blooming white star-like blooms that scent of jasmine. Not like most different shrubs on this checklist, candy field grows nicely within the shade amongst hellebores and hostas. 

As a substitute of rising from a central base, this shrub spreads by way of quick, rooting stems that sprout anew within the spring. Plant it in a spot within the backyard the place it has area to roam, and also you’ll not often should prune it. Give it well-drained, fertile soil that’s wealthy in natural matter like compost or leaf mould. 

Dwarf Italian Cypress

It’s possible you’ll already know in regards to the Italian cypress. This dwarf selection performs nicely as a shrub. It’s an iconic evergreen species that reaches spectacular heights, although it stays comparatively slender. It grows nicely with out pruning—in truth, when you prune it incorrect, it’ll do extra hurt than good!

Sometimes, it’s possible you’ll have to trim lengthy branches in the event that they fall from snow or heavy rains. Keep away from reducing the tops, as this can result in poor progress sooner or later. 

Many landscapers and panorama architects like to make use of the Italian cypress when designing formal gardens in heat areas. Its tall stature and slender width make a powerful assertion. Use two to border a doorway, or make a residing display by planting a number of in a row. 

‘Sundown’ Manzanita

‘Sundown’ manzanita is a pure hybrid that was found in California. Native to the state, it grows nicely in areas with dry summers and reasonably moist winters and is derived. Not like sprawling manzanitas, this hybrid tends to remain compact and bushy.

If ‘Sundown’ grows too tall or vast, prune the branches when new progress begins to emerge. Some crops keep quick underneath 5 ft tall, whereas others might attain as much as eight ft. 

This manzanita works nicely in containers with well-draining soil. Water it sparingly, and pull it out of the rain if it’s too moist in fall, winter, or spring. 

‘Nana Lutea’ Hinoki Cypress

This number of Hinoki cypress is a knockout for small gardens. ‘Nana Lutea’ sprouts sunshine-yellow leaves on quick branches. The leaves flip brilliant inexperienced the extra shade they obtain. Mature specimens keep underneath 5 ft, making them very best for rising beneath energy traces and phone poles. 

Although technically a small tree, ‘Nana Lutea’ works nicely as a shrub in chilly areas the place different crops battle. It’ll stand out in a rock backyard as a focal plant or with others in a mass planting. 

Oregon Grape

Oregon grape works nicely in different states other than Oregon! It’s an evergreen shrub that tolerates dry shade, making it an distinctive selection for a shady backyard. It requires no shaping, although it tolerates pruning when you’d like to manage its progress. 

In spring, yellow flower clusters emerge that feed native bees and pollinators. After pollination happens between two separate Oregon grapes, fruits start to type. They feed hungry birds within the fall as they flip a uninteresting, dusty gray-blue. 

If you wish to prune an Oregon grape, achieve this proper after it flowers. This can forestall fruits from forming, but it surely permits blooms to seem subsequent yr. Blooms and fruits type on previous progress, so late pruning in winter and spring can forestall subsequent yr’s flower buds from forming. Take away tall stems, and protect a couple of low ones to take their place. 

PJM Rhododendron

PJM rhododendrons are a big group of hybrid rhodies that survive higher than most others in harsh circumstances. They’re frequent in workplace and business landscaping, as they develop nicely with minimal care. They’re additionally extra cold-tolerant than different rhodies, working nicely exterior the Pacific Northwest in areas just like the japanese and northern U.S.

Discover many hybrids obtainable contained in the PJM group. Strive ‘PJM Compacta’ for a decrease shrub that stays beneath three ft. Go for ‘PJM Elite’ when you choose massive bloom clusters. Most cultivars have leaves that shift from inexperienced to maroon-purple foliage underneath chilly temperatures. 

‘Rotundifolius’ False Holly

‘Rotundifolius’ is in contrast to some other false holly! As a substitute of sprouting spiny leaves that prick you once you contact them, it grows spherical ones with clean edges. They sprout shut collectively on the stems, making a bonsai-like look. 

You don’t have to prune this evergreen false holly, although it’s possible you’ll if you wish to maintain it shorter than eight ft. By no means prune greater than one-third of the plant at a time to keep away from surprising it. Accomplish that in spring so new progress emerges shortly after you make the cuts. 

‘Sky Pencil’ Japanese Holly

One other upstanding and columnar cultivar, ‘Sky Pencil’ Japanese holly grows as its title suggests. It varieties a pencil form that reaches upwards within the sky! Slender and dense, this evergreen selection is outstanding in formal gardens the place construction and straight traces are essential within the design. 

‘Sky Pencil’ grows nicely in pots and containers, and it thrives in moist backyard soils. Give it loads of direct daylight so it’ll keep wholesome for seasons to return. Trim any unruly stems to maintain the upright, slender form. 

‘Spartan’ Juniper

‘Spartan’ juniper requires little to no pruning! It’s a sublime evergreen for harsh websites with recurring droughts and chilly winter temperatures. With a naturally pyramidal type, it’ll type an evergreen display en masse or work as a focus as a single specimen. 

‘Spartan’ takes a few years to succeed in upwards of 15 ft. Trim its edges when you’d prefer to, however keep away from reducing into the wooden. Junipers don’t sprout new progress from minimize wooden like boxwoods. Prune sparingly, if in any respect. 

‘Standishii’ Yew

English yews are large bushes, although many cultivated hybrids are smaller bushes and shrubs. ‘Standishii’ is a standout among the many many types as a result of it stays compact, dense, and slender because it matures. Its brilliant yellow new progress in spring contrasts superbly with the darker inexperienced foliage beneath.

Like ‘Sky Pencil’ holly, ‘Standishii’ yew varieties a pencil form because it grows. Compact, slender stems sprout shut collectively off a central trunk. You gained’t ever have to prune them!

‘Whipcord’ Western Pink Cedar

‘Whipcord’ western purple cedar appears to be like like Cousin Itt from The Addams Household! As a substitute of evergreen sprays of foliage, it grows skinny, whip-like leaves in all instructions. They flip bronze in winter and inexperienced in spring and summer time. Their shifting colours make a powerful assertion within the conifer backyard.