Exciting Evergreens for the Mid-Atlantic

evergreen plant are crucial to achieving varied texture and form , as well as the Florida key to any successful four - season garden . Unfortunately , many gardeners would put a great deal of evergreen in the “ necessary but ho-hum ” category . They are a backdrop , the much - needed greenery during cold months , but never the garden star that steals the show .

The plants below might just change your mind about the small evergreen . These foliation all - star can be called anything but boring . From beautiful blooms to colorful foliage and pops of bright Charles Edward Berry , all of these evergreens have that little something extra .

1. ‘Sulphur Heart’ Persian Ivy

Hedera colchica‘Sulphur Heart’

Zones:6–9

Size:6 to 8 inches grandiloquent and 3 to 8 feet wide when farm as a ground concealment

term : fond to full shade ; average to dry , well - drain filth

The very mention of the wordHederamakes many seasoned gardeners run for the hills , but do n’t ! Bold foliage with a thick waxy texture sets this thick primer coat cover aside from others , crush nearly all but the most insistent sens . Its habit is dense , but not so much that your desirable additions to the border will be challenged . ‘ Sulphur Heart ’ has a tricolored diversification on each leaf , with variable mottling of the deepest briny green , a fresh medium green , and vibrant chartreuse on each folio . Protecting it from winter wind will help keep the leafage inviolate , whether through siting or with a tripping mulch of chopped leaf or evergreen boughs .

2. Longstalk Holly

Ilex pedunculosa

Zones:5–8

Size:10 to 20 foot tall and 10 to 15 foot broad

Conditions : Full sun to fond shade ; average , well - drained stain

I do like Holly ; I just ca n’t come up to terms with the thorn . This is why I enjoy using longstalk holly . It has no thorns ! This easily develop broadleaf evergreen is so versatile but is rarely seen in garden . All it asks is to be sited out of the worst winter current of air . Quarter - column inch cerise fruit borne on delicate little stalks give the plant its name . If you want the fruit , however , you ’ll need to plant one male person for every three to four female in the prompt area .

3. Dwarf Mondo Grass

Ophiopogon japonicus‘Nanus’

Zones:7–10

Size:3 inches grandiloquent and 3 to 12 inch all-inclusive

weather : Partial to full shadowiness ; moist , fertile , well - drained soil

Dwarf mondo grass is a bantam but mighty ground covering that can find a place in any garden . This little spreader finds and exploits the crack between pave stones in one orbit of my garden , and it mold a blockheaded , weed - resistant colony on the verge of becoming a lawn alternative in another . However , it can take only very light foot traffic . plenteous , glossy unripened foliage yields a tufted and tactile effect , with lavender blooms that emerge in midsummer . I like to spread this plant by swipe and replant low tufts .

4. Fragrant Valley™ Himalayan Sweet Box

Sarcococca hookerianavar.humilis‘Sarsid1’

Zones:6–8

Size:2 to 3 foot tall and 3 to 4 feet broad

Conditions : Partial to full tone ; moist , acidic , well - drained territory rich in organic affair

This new selection of Himalayan sweet boxful is live for having more or less long and narrow-minded leafage than the species , but most authoritative , it is the hardiest strain presently usable . A shade - resistant dry land cover , it spreads tardily and is complete at cuddle itself in and around rocks . On meek winter twenty-four hour period , when the delicate yet abundant bloodless flower produce their delightful fragrance , I am obligate to wreak a theme indoors to enjoy . Have I even note its cervid resistance ?

Dan Benarcik is a horticulturist at Chanticleer in Wayne , Pennsylvania .

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Longstalk Holly

Photo: Garden World Images Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo

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Sulphur Heart Persian Ivy

Photo: Garden World Images Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo

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