What are Evergreen plants?
Evergreen plants are a great way to bring more character and life to your garden as they require minimum looking after. This article will tell you about the best evergreen plants for pots that you could invest in to last all year round.
There are a wide variety of evergreen plants suitable for planting or potting that you can choose from – it is just a matter of choosing from the selection available which is the best option for you and your garden.
In this article, we will look at:
1. Dwarf Conifers
One of the most popular evergreen plants for pots is dwarf conifers. On average, dwarf conifers can be very restrictive plants due to their size, as they are largely considered to be mini-Christmas trees or bonsai shaped.
Conifers are renowned for being a staple for backyard landscapes, and a valuable shelter for birds and other creatures. Conifers are also slow growers and can take up to 30 years to reach their maximum size, but this can be varied, depending on their growth rate.
Varieties
Please find below the extensive range of dwarf conifers you can traditionally find:
- Abies (True Firs)
- Cephalotaxus (plum yew)
- Chamaecyparis (‘pisifera,’ ‘obtusa,’ etc.)
- Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese cedar)
- Cupressus (sempervirens – Italian cypress)
- Juniperus/Junipers
- Picea (Spruces)
- Pinus (Mugo pines)
- Thuja (‘Mirjam,’ ‘orientalis,’ ‘Aurea nana.’)
- Tsuga (Hemlocks)
Benefits
- Because of their large structure, dwarf conifers can be used to vastly improve the design and symmetry of a given space. In this instance, it would be for your garden.
- To make them suitable evergreen potting plants, the dwarf conifer will need a good-sized accessible space for potting and eventually, cutting.
- They are low maintenance and are suitable for small gardens.
- Conifers have a range of topiary prospects and can be pruned into many shapes to give them a more creative appearance.
2. Evergreen Trees
Another variation of Evergreen potting plants that are essential for your garden is Evergreen trees, which traditionally stay green and can last throughout multiple seasons. However, they usually lose their foliage between the winter and dry seasons.
Like dwarf trees, evergreens can be restrictive because of their large size and their distinct Christmas-tree feature.
Varieties
Here is a wide range of evergreen trees that you may come across:
- Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree)
- Chamaerops (hardy palms)
- Citrus
- Eriobotrya japonica (loquat)
- Eucalyptus
- Feijoa sellowiana (pineapple guava)
- Ilex (Holly)
- Laurus nobilis (bay tree)
- Magnolia grandiflora (bull bay)
- Olea europaea (olive tree)
Benefits
- Evergreen trees are a bold plant and can stand out on your patio or container garden area.
- There is even a large variety of evergreen trees that yield food qualities, such as the strawberry and citrus trees providing fruit after a long duration and the bay tree providing a culinary herb.
- Evergreen trees also help to conserve energy due to their capacity to indulge in photosynthesis over their planted surface level in appropriate conditions.
3. Shrubs
Shrubs are traditionally small or medium-sized perennial, evergreen plants. Its properties are wooden and have persistent rigid stems that appear above ground. Shrubs can be both evergreen and deciduous. What makes them distinguishable from trees is their multiple stems and a shorter height, ranging below 6-10m tall.
Shrubs are handy towards being a functional feature for a landscape to provide a beautiful view as well as seasonal interest. They can also attract bees, butterflies, and other insects to your garden.
Varieties
Shrubs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and you may find some under the following names:
| Aucuba japonica | Azaleas |
| Bamboos | Box |
| Camellias | Ceanothus |
| Choisya | Cotoneaster |
| Daphnes | Heathers |
| Hebe | Lavenders |
| Photinias | Rosemary |
| Sage | Skimmias |
| Thyme | Viburnums |
| Winter savoury |
Benefits
- Evergreen pot shrubs thrive in colder climates and can spark interest all year round.
- They provide the best results in colder months, flowering and producing berries, and attracting wildlife.
- Evergreen pot shrubs can be a good backdrop in your garden against bords to help provide a densely beautiful hedge.
4. Climbers
Evergreen climbers can be grown throughout the year and are perfect for creating a feral green aesthetic in your garden.
Their main feature is climbing up fences, arches, pergolas, and other types of garden furniture.
Varieties
- Clematis (Evergreen, winter-flowering, ‘cirrhosa.’)
- Euonymus fortunei
- Garrya elliptica (silk tassel)
- Hydrangea seemannii
- Hedera (Ivy)
- Parthenocissus (Virginia creeper)
- Trachelospermum jasmonoides (Star jasmine)
Benefits
- Evergreen climbers take up little space, allowing you to add more plants to your garden.
- Climbers are valuable for screening and interest.
- They are clingy plants, so they can grow along anything with a strong structure.
- Also suitable for hanging baskets.
Essential garden tools to help with pruning, trimming and more
5. Grasses
Evergreen grasses are a great way to add an extra feature to your garden and company for other plants, which helps to enhance the contrasting foliage.
They are also easy to care for, and evergreen grasses only need tidying when removing the previous years’ flower stems and dead foliage or adding them into new pots.
Varieties
| Anemanthele lessoniana | Carex |
| Deschampsia | Festuca glauca |
| Miscanthus Sinensis (‘Morning Light’) | Stipa tenuissima |
Benefits
- Evergreen grasses are better to grow in standalone pots but can look good on the eye amongst other surrounding evergreen plants in pots, large or small.
- As evergreen grasses have a softer and naturally flowing appearance, this allows them to break up more in heavier planting schemes and make a container-populated garden softer and lighter.
6. Herbaceous Plants
Evergreen Perennials (or Herbaceous perennials) traditionally die in the winter but can usually grow the following year again.
Here are the common types of herbaceous evergreen perennials you may find:
| Ajuga | Androsace |
| Armeria | Asplenium (Evergreen ferns) |
| Dianthus ssp. | Erigeon ssp. |
| Fatsia | Globularia |
| Hepatia | Heuchera |
| Phormium | Selosperma |
Benefits
- Provides an extra amount of foliage and colour all year round.
- Evergreen herbaceous will traditionally provide aromatic foliage.
7. Succulents
Succulents are a splendid evergreen plants for pots that can be grown outdoors and indoors, making great houseplants if you are into indoor gardening.
Effective outdoors towards protecting sheltered or drier spots of your garden, which is very useful in the winter.
Varieties
Such succulents include:
| Aeoniums | Agave |
| Aloes | Crassula |
| Echeveria | Haworthia |
| Kalanchoe | Opuntia |
| Sedums | Sempervivums |
Benefits
- Relatively easy to maintain, as they are free-draining and look good in sunny spots without the worry of them being burnt and are an excellent way to look fresh in your household as well.
Check out fun and interesting facts about shrubs here
Going Evergreen All Year Round
As you can see from this article, there are many evergreen plants for pots that come in various forms, and you can customise them in your house or garden at any time of the year. There are many names to remember here, but if one name or image stood out to you, feel free to expand your knowledge further with them and then consider purchasing one of our pots to store them in for extra comfort and handling.
FAQs
What is the most beautiful evergreen?
Magnolia grandiflora is considered the most beautiful evergreen tree. It blooms in the spring with an eruption of beauty and scent and appears at its best during early spring.
What type of plant is an evergreen?
An evergreen is any type of plan that can retain its leaves throughout the year and the next growing season. Most tropical species of plants are evergreen, but in colder climates, evergreen plants are cone-bearing shrubs or trees (conifers).
What is the most popular evergreen tree?
Pine trees are the most common and popular evergreen plant. Their appearance consists of long, needle-shaped foliage and produces cones, but not all pine trees are the same.
Sources
Sefton Meadows. (n.d.). Garden Tools & Equipment. [Accessed 25/03/23] Retrieved from: https://seftonmeadows.co.uk/garden-accessories/plant-lawn-care/garden-tools-equipment
Just Fun Facts. (2021, March 15). Interesting Facts about Shrubs. [Accessed 24/03/23] Retrieved from: https://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-shrubs/
Ryan Jenkins is a professional gardener and has been working in the gardening industry for over 25 years. This has allowed Ryan to accumulate a vast wealth of gardening knowledge which he shares on the Sefton Meadows blog.
