25 Evergreen shrubs for all year round interest

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Do you have a neighbours window overlooking your garden? Want to screen a street lamp that shines into your bedroom windows? If you want to enhance your privacy all year round, you will need to employ the benefits of evergreen shrubs.
 
Unlike a deciduous tree that loses its leaves in winter, an evergreen shrub keeps its leaves during all seasons. Finding the right evergreen shrub that will give you privacy and enhance your garden or landscape is challenging.
 
Lucky for you we researched and here are 25 evergreen shrubs for your garden and landscape. Theses will provide greenery and interest all year round!

1. Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica)

The Japanese aralia is a tropical looking plant perfect for your garden or as a houseplant. Known botanically as Fatsia japonica, it's a perfect foundation plant that provides exotic and rich green foliage.

This adds an exciting look to your patios and landscapes. It can grow to 1 to 5 m (3 ft 3 inches to 16 ft 5 inches) with sparsely branched stems.

​The leaves are usually spirally arranged and measure 20 to 40 cm in width. It has 7 to 9 lobes edged with coarse teeth.
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2. Common Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus)

​Another evergreen shrub is the Common laurustinus. Native to North Africa and Europe, it has small, light, pink or white flowers produced from reddish buds.

​The leaves are evergreen, 4 to 10 cm long, and 2 to 4 cm broad. They have fine hairs on the underside and are elliptic to oval in shape.
 
The shrub can grow and reach 2 to 7 m tall and 3 m broad. It has a dense crown that does not require regular pruning or deadheading.

3. Firehorn (Pyracantha coccinea)

Native to Western Asia and Southern Europe, the Firehorn is a thorny shrub suitable for facade greening.

You can plant it as a bush to protect a facade’s base or train the plant into a desired shape.
This shrub delights with its colourful berries and white flowers. In June, it produces white flowers and red berries in winter.

The plant seldom grows higher than 4 meters but it has hanging roots and often grown as a form tree. 

4. Japanese Skimmia (Skimmia japonica)

​The Japanese skimmia is a dome-shaped shrub that displays clusters of yellowish-white flowers. Attractive and fragrant, the star-shaped, creamy white flowers usually appear at the branch tips in mid-spring. In fall, the white flowers give way to bright red berries.
 
Its leaves are aromatic and exude a pleasant smell just like the flowers. The Japanese skimmia is also perfect for shady gardens.
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5. Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)

 
Add colour to your garden with the Oregon grape. This striking evergreen shrub produces bright golden yellow flowers in spring.

​Lightly fragrant, the leaves give way to blue-purple berries in summer. These small grape-like berries attract birds and other wildlife.
 
Native to western North America, the Oregon grape grows between 1 m to 3 m tall and 1.5 m wide. It has pinnate leaves with spiny leaflets.
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6. Sweetbox (Sarcococca saligna)

​The Sweetbox is an unusual but graceful shrub. Perfect for shady gardens and containers, the dense bushy growth makes the plant ideal for edging to paved areas or hedging.
 
This easy and low-maintenance shrub can grow to 5ft with arching branches and long, willow-like leaves. Shiny and light green, the leaves have a similar appearance to those of bamboo.
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7. David Viburnum (Viburnum davidii)

 
Overwhelmingly popular, the David Viburnum is a dwarf shrub with clusters of creamy white flowers in spring. The flowers give way to pinkish-red berries that fade to dark blue in fall.
 
This multi-stemmed evergreen shrub has a mounded form. As such, you can use it with other landscape plants. It’s recommended for hedges, groundcover, woodland gardens, and mass planting.
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8. Japanese Laurel (Aucuba japonica)

The container-grown Japanese laurel is a striking shrub popular for its lustrous and glossy foliage.

​This relatively slow-growing plant can reach heights of 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3m) tall. However, if conditions are right, it can grow to 15 feet.
 
As an evergreen shrub, it remains shiny and green year-round. However, too much afternoon sunlight can scorch the waxy leaves. The leaves have toothed or smooth edges and can reach 7 inches long.
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9. Butchers Broom (Ruscus aculeatus)

Native to the forests of Europe, the Butchers broom has flat shoots that look like pine-tipped leaves. These flattened, leaflike branchlets are borne in the centre of the branch.
 
Tolerant of coastal cliffs and deep shade, small plain flowers bloom in spring. They are usually followed by red, waxy berries that ripen between late summer and winter.

Also called knee holly, the shrub can grow 1 to 3 ft tall. 
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10. Fortunes Spindle (Euonymus fortune)

​The Fortunes spindle is a highly invasive flowering plant. Native to East Asia, this evergreen shrub can grow like a vine.

As a matter of fact, it can grow up to 20 m and climbs using small rootlets found on its stem.
 
It has elliptic to ovate leaves that grow to 2 -6 cm long and 1 - 3 cm broad with finely serrated edges. Cultivated as an ornamental plant, you can use it to form low hedges and bushy groups.

11. Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica)

 
With dark glossy foliage, the Japanese camellia is a flowering tree that grows 1.5 to 6 m tall.

​Occasionally, it can reach 11 m. Although it's a slow-growing shrub, it is commonly used as an informal screen. In fact, it's become a southern gardening favourite.
 
This woody tree produces flowers ranging from a 2-inch diameter to 5 inches that give way to globe-shaped fruits.
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12. Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)

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​The Creeping juniper is a low-growing shrub that forms a foliage mat of blue-green to green needles.

In winter, the foliage mat takes on a purple hue. The shrub grows up to 6 to 18 inches tall and 5 to 8 ft wide.
 
Great for rock gardens and foundation plantings, this versatile shrub is aromatic and prickly. The adult leaf blades are 1 to 2 mm long and 1 to 1.5 mm broad.
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13. Common Box (Buxus sempervirens)

​Multi branched and broadly rounded, the Common box has glossy dark green leaves that grow up to 3 cm long.

Loved for its compact forms, this appealing shrub is perfect as an ornamental plant. You can use it as a vertical accent plant, bonsai, hedges, and even topiary.
 
It has small yellowish flowers that are highly scented with no petals. These flowers produce three-lobed fruits containing 3 to 6 seeds.
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14. Golden Honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida baggesen's)

​Showy but low maintenance, the Golden honeysuckle is an excellent vine that you can use for fencing, trellis, or arbor.

Less vigorous than the common honeysuckle, you can prune it to form a dense shrub-like form.
 
This sturdy twining vine has the scent of succulent sweetness that drifts from its long tubular blooms into the air. It can grow to 10 -15 feet with a mature spread of 5 to 6 feet.

15. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)

The hardy and resilient Cherry laurel is an attractive addition to your landscape. It can blend perfectly with hedges of all shapes and forms. This is thanks to the shrub’s dark green foliage.
 
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The fast-growing shrub produces sweet-smelling flowers that eventually become red-cherry-like fruits. However, these berries are toxic, especially when consumed in large quantities. 
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16. Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)

Bay Laurel is widely cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. Used as a topiary to create erect stems with twisted or box-shaped crowns, it's slow-growing and can reach 7 to 18 m tall.
 
It has pale yellow-green flowers about 1cm in diameter while the leaves are glabrous with an untoothed margin. The shrub bears small, shiny black fruits about 1 cm long.
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17. Rosemary (Rosemary officinalis)

Common in both herb and ornamental gardens, rosemary is an attractive shrub that produces pretty little flowers. Known for its wonderful flavour and scent, it has needle-like leaves about 1 cm long.
 
The evergreen shrub also has pale blue to white flowers that appear in spring and winter. This intensely fragrant foliage can make topiaries or a beautiful hedge, but you must prune it after flowering.
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18. Japanese Azalea (Azalea japonica)

​Popular in Japanese gardens, the Japanese azalea is an evergreen shrub with dark green foliage. In autumn and winter, the foliage turns to burgundy red but changes back before flowering starts.
 
Low maintenance and very floriferous, it can make a neat and compact shrub that reaches between 1 to 2 m in height. After blooming, trimming is necessary as the size of the new branches could get out of hand.
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19. Californian Lilac (Ceanothus concha)

Best for gardens, the Californian lilac is an evergreen shrub with dense growth and arching branches. As one of the oldest Ceanothus hybrids, it grows to 6 to 9 ft high and 8 to 12 wide.

However, in milder climates, it can grow larger. The Californian lilac foliage is evergreen and produces blue flowers with a fragrance.

As one of the most striking plants, it's a good choice for your garden and landscape. Most people use the plant for screening and in background areas.
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20. New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax)

​Add majesty to your garden with the New Zealand Flax. This evergreen perennial plant grows as a clump of sword-shaped, upright leaves that reach 2 m long.

As an architectural foliage, it can act as a stunning focal point in your garden. It's also ideal for city gardens, gravel gardens, and coastal gardens.
 
Excellent as a container plant, it’s topped by a flowering stalk that reaches 12 ft tall and bears tubular flowers about 2 inches long in summer. These flowers attract nectar-seeking birds.
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21. Japanese Peris (Pieris japonica)

​The Japanese peris is a nicely shaped evergreen shrub. Native to Japan and Eastern China, its oblong leaves open with a bronze color then transform into a shiny, leathery green.

This slow-growing shrub is an upright to spreading ornamental plant that can grow to 9 to 1 feet tall.
 
In late summer, it produces showy floral buds that are attractive. Then in early spring, the clusters of pink buds open to fragrant creamy white flowers. These flowers contrast wonderfully with the shiny, green foliage.
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22. Rock Spray (Cotoneaster horizontalis)

Tough and slow-growing, the Rock spray can reach 2 to 3 feet tall and 6 to 8 ft wide. This fantastic border shrub has red berries decorating the foliage once it stops flowering.

​In the fall, the leaves turn orange and red just in time for Halloween.
 
While it's not a good choice for a lawn replacement, it grows evenly branched sprays of foliage. They then develop into a distinctive and appealing pattern. 
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23. Showy Speedwell (Hebe speciosa)

Grown as an ornamental, the Showy speedwell is a unique and attractive plant native to New Zealand.

​Popular for its showy flowers, it's densely packed with pink to magenta flowers. Each flower is 1 cm wide and spreads into a four-lobed corolla.
 
As an evergreen shrub, it has shiny, dark green leaves that measure 2 to 5 cm long. They’re lush and appealing.
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24. Common Heather (Calluna vulgaris) 

The Common Heather is a cute plant that blooms between August and April. This small shrub has abundant flowers and a bushy appearance which makes it an ideal addition to your garden.
 
Besides your garden, terraces and balconies are also great locations for growing the plant in pots. This terrific plant can change color year-round. This injects some awesomeness into your garden and landscape.
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25. Mexican Orange Blossom (choisya ternata)

Every garden, regardless of theme, needs this handsome and fragrant shrub - the Mexican orange blossom. With glossy, soft green leaves, the evergreen shrub emits a pleasant citrus odor when you crush the leaves.
 
It has a naturally mounded form with dense foliage and branching. This makes it an excellent addition to your garden and landscaping. You can also use it to cover exposed utilities, footings, and cover up vents. 
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