Small Evergreen Shrubs

With the presence of green leaves throughout the year, evergreen shrubs and bushes have become some of the most popular plants to be used as hedges. They bear needle shaped leaves and can be easily trimmed to keep them in shape. There are some bushy evergreen shrubs, which blend well with other flowering plants, so whenever you plant these evergreen shrubs, you should try and plant them in combination with other flowering plants. These plants need acidic soil to thrive and if the soil in your garden is not acidic, you would have to plant them in pots and mix them with ericaceous compost.

Requirements for Planting

Small evergreen shrubs can be planted at any time of the year provided the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. You just need to dig a hole, about two times the size of the root ball. In case the soil in your garden is not fertile, you can mix it with compost, which would help the roots to grow well. Separate a few roots before placing the root ball in the hole. Fill the hole back with soil and compost and firm the soil, so that the plant stands vertically. Once you plant them, you should make sure that you water them well, especially, during summer months, so that they don't dry out. If you plant them in winters or in autumn, you would not need to water them that regularly.

List of Small Evergreen Shrubs

Monkey Puzzle
One of the most common shrubs is the Chilean Pine, also called the Monkey Puzzle. Initially, the plant grows very slowly, but later grows a bit faster and goes on to become quite large. While planting, make sure that you plant them in an open space, as they can propagate very fast. They are quite hardy plants and can withstand sunshine or shade. The soil should be reasonably fertile and should be acidic in nature. The only thing they can't resist is disturbance to its roots, so when you replant them from a nursery in your garden, make sure that you bury the pot along with the roots. Over time, the pot would disintegrate and the roots would grow well.

Aucuba Rozannie
This plant produces glossy leaves and is a compact evergreen shrub. They produce bright red berries during winters, which ripen by the arrival of spring. This small evergreen shrub can tolerate any kind of climatic or soil conditions. However, to be on the safer side, make sure that you don't expose the plant to too much sunshine when it's young, as it may harm it. The only thing it can't withstand is waterlogged soil, so make sure that the soil is well drained. It grows to about a meter in about 5 years.

Azalea Japonica Ardeur
The azalea japonica ardeur is another variety of small evergreen shrubs, which are quite hardy and can withstand fluctuations of temperature. In spring, they produce red flowers and the leaves are dark green. If you opt to grow them in pots, make sure that you mix ericaceous compost with the soil. Moreover, you should water the plant well, especially during the warm summer months. There are times in which the leaves may become yellow and in such a case, you need to mix iron sulfate with water before you water the plant.

Berberis Buxiflora Nana
The berberis buxiflora nana produce box like leaves, which are light green in color. It produces small yellow flowers, which seems as if teardrops are hanging from the leaves and are produced mostly in summers and springs. You can plant them in shady areas as well as sunny places, but make sure that the soil is well drained. This plant grows very slowly and can grow to just about 45 centimeters in about 10 years.

So, if you want to spice up your garden and get envious looks of your neighbors, go for small evergreen shrubs. You need to take good care of these plants, especially, during its formative years or else they may die. You can prune the plants at regular intervals, so that they remain at a particular desirable height.