Evergreen plants are an invaluable component of gardens and landscapes, providing structure and color through the winter after other plants have gone dormant. Shrubs that stay green, or keep their leaves all year, provide background interest to other plants, lending year-round interest to foundation plantings, beds, borders and containers.
There are many choices of evergreen shrubs for even the coldest climates, as well as more temperate regions. The two basic types of evergreen shrubs are conifers, which produce needles, and broadleaf evergreens, which have foliage. Evergreen flowering shrubs bloom in different seasons, while other evergreen bushes produce insignificant flowers or no blooms at all. Try some of these evergreen shrubs in your landscape.
A garden that looks gorgeous in every season is a treasure. But it requires strategic planning and choosing plants wisely. While spring ephemerals and summer annuals provide temporary splashes of color most fade quickly. The key is finding plants with excellent foliage winter interest, and year-round bloom. With careful selection, it’s possible to have stunning plants that look good all year round.
Why Choose Plants with Year-Round Interest?
Gardens with year-round appeal offer many benefits:
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Extended bloom time. Instead of color for just a season, you can have flowers over many months.
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Foliage interest. Beautiful leaves in varying shapes, textures, and colors keep the garden lively.
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Winter appeal. Plants with colorful twigs, seed pods, and evergreen foliage prevent gardens from looking bare in colder months.
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Wise use of space. One plant that looks good all year is better than several that only look good for a short time.
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Lower maintenance By reducing the need to constantly replace short-lived plants, the workload is less.
20 Best Plants for Year-Round Beauty
Here are some of the top choices that will keep your garden looking fabulous no matter the season
Trees
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Japanese Maple – Gorgeous leaf color in spring, summer, and fall. Striking branch structure in winter.
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Paperbark Maple – Orange and cinnamon-colored bark provides winter interest. Spring flowers and fall color too.
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Crape Myrtle – Summer flowers followed by fall foliage. Exfoliating bark and branching structure in winter.
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Evergreen Magnolia – Blooms in late winter and has glossy foliage year-round.
Shrubs
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Boxwood – Neat formal look with evergreen leaves. Takes pruning well for shape.
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Barberry – Spiny deciduous foliage turns bright red in fall. Berry-like fruits in winter.
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Red Twig Dogwood – Vibrant red stems stand out against winter snow. Spring flowers, fall color, and summer berries.
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Oakleaf Hydrangea – White blooms in early summer followed by russet fall foliage and peeling cinnamon bark in winter.
Perennials
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Lavender – Fragrant gray-green foliage all year. Dense spikes of purple flowers in summer.
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Grasses – Foliage and plumes provide movement and texture. Many have winter appeal too.
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Sedum – Succulent leaves in shades of green, red, and purple. Late summer flowers. Interesting seed heads.
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Hellebore – Early bloomer with cup-shaped flowers in winter and early spring. Evergreen foliage.
Annuals & Bulbs
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Pansy – Cheery face-like blooms nearly all year in mild winter climates.
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Violas – Dainty flowers spring through fall most zones. Often overwinter too.
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Ornamental Onions – Grass-like foliage and late spring flowers. Architectural dried seed heads.
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Daffodils – Reliable spring blooms. Green strappy foliage the rest of the year.
Tips for Maximizing Year-Round Appeal
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Combine plants with different bloom times and seasons of interest.
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Use evergreens, colored bark, and plants with winter structure for backbone.
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Don’t cut everything back in fall. Leave seed pods and stems for winter interest.
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Use trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs for layered, “thriller, filler, spiller” look.
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Incorporate foliage color like reds, greens, blues, and variegated forms.
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Repeat key plants in different areas of garden for unity.
With thoughtful plant choices, your garden can be transformed into a year-round showcase. Focus on plants that offer multi-season appeal. Then supplement them with classic spring bulbs and summer annuals for added seasonal color.
What shrubs stay green in winter?
Some shrubs such as conifers will stay evergreen in most climates, while others such as abelia are considered semi-evergreen, shedding some or all of their leaves in colder areas.
What evergreen shrubs stay small?
There are lots of options for evergreen shrubs that take up little space in the landscape, including:
- Narrow shrubs that naturally grow as a column, like Stonehenge Skinny® or Aquavita™
- Dwarf types that grow as tidy little globes, like Tater Tot® arborvitae
- Low-growing evergreens excellent for edging or groundcover, like Montana Moss® juniper
20 Shrubs that Bloom All Year | Year Round Shrubs According to Season
FAQ
What is the best plant for all year round?
Some plants, such as tulips (Tulipa), must be re-planted every year, while perennials, such as roses (Rosa), will come back to life year after year. To achieve year-round growth and color, the best choice is evergreen plants that remain green all year long in most conditions and climates.
What kind of plants last all year round?
Evergreen flowering perennials will keep their green foliage all year, long after the blooming season is over. Many herbs are particularly known for being great practical flowering plants with evergreen foliage, such as Lavender, Rosemary, and Salvia, among others.
What type of plants keep their leaves all year round?
The two basic types of evergreen shrubs are conifers, which produce needles, and broadleaf evergreens, which have foliage. Evergreen flowering shrubs bloom in different seasons, while other evergreen bushes produce insignificant flowers or no blooms at all.