Come winter most gardens are a little past their prime, looking brown, wilted, and maybe a little sad. That doesn’t have to be the case, though. Gardeners who plan ahead and plant evergreens can have gorgeous, verdant gardens year-round. Plant them as foundation plants, in borders, or anywhere you want to add curb appeal. Most evergreens are pretty easy to care for once established.
Some of these shrubs are prized for their foliage, while others have beautiful blooms or brilliant berries. When picking a shrub, refer to the USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map or Southern Living’s climate zones to help determine which plants will thrive in your corner of the South. We’ve provided essential growing tips so that you’ll know how to help them succeed.
Here are our 25 favorite evergreen shrubs to use as foundation plants to make your Southern garden look good all year round—even in winter.
Gardenia
- Botanical Name: Gardenia jasminoides
- Sun Exposure: Full, partial
- Soil Type: Organically rich, well-drained
- Soil pH: Acidic (5.0-6.5)
This essential Southern plant has dark evergreen leaves, brilliant white blooms, and a heady fragrance. These gorgeous plants are also hardy enough to withstand a Southern summer—heat, humidity, and all. In winter, the deep color of the leaves offers a jewel-like pop of color. They appreciate well-draining, acidic soil, high humidity, and a break from afternoon sun. Gardenias can be grown in all but the Upper South.
Boxwood
- Botanical Name: Buxus spp.
- Sun Exposure: Partial
- Soil Type: Well-drained loam or sand
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.2)
These versatile evergreen shrubs have small, dense leaves that can be carved into sculptural shapes or coaxed into sophisticated hedges. Boxwoods are also the key ingredient to making a classic formal garden with low parterres that create pathways and separate plant beds. These old-world, elegant beauties will thrive in many types of soil, but should be watered during long dry spells and prefer some protection from the afternoon sun. They can be grown in all but the Tropical South.
Inkberry Holly
- Botanical Name: Ilex glabra
- Sun Exposure: Full, partial
- Soil Type: Moist, sandy
- Soil pH: Acidic (4.5-6.0)
This smooth-leafed cousin of the prickly Christmas-style holly has whitish-green flowers in spring before the dark berries that give the shrub its name appear in late summer and early fall. The richly colored evergreen shrub can grow up to 10 feet high, making it a good option for privacy. Inkberry holly is suitable for sunny or shady spots, grows wild in the coastal plain from Virginia to Texas, and can be grown anywhere in the South.
Mirror Bush
- Botanical Name: Coprosma repens
- Sun Exposure: Full, partial
- Soil Type: Well-drained
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral (6.0-7.0)
This New Zealand import, also known as Coprosma, can fill almost any spot in your garden as it can grow as a groundcover, a good-sized shrub, and in some cases reach tree height. Whatever your patch needs, the plant has green, rounded white, green, yellow, or reddish leaves that are glossy enough to explain the name. The leaves offer a pop of color all year, but the mirror bush also produces flowers and berries. This plant can be grown in any average, well-draining garden soil. Coprosma doesn’t like cold winters and can’t be grown north of zone 9.
Mountain Laurel
- Botanical Name: Kalmia latifolia
- Sun Exposure: Partial, dappled
- Soil Type: Well-drained but moist, organically rich, loamy or sandy
- Soil pH: Acidic (4.5-5.5)
These native shrubs offer the best of both worlds—attractive evergreen foliage and gorgeous pink or white blooms in late spring and summer. Mountain laurels can handle the coldest winter weather in style but also can grow in the hot Coastal South if planted in a cool and shady spot. They often grow in thickets and can reach the size of a small tree, but there are more compact cultivars for the home garden.
Bottlebrush Tree
Botanical Name: Melaleuca citrina
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Type: Well-drained, sandy, loamy
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
This gorgeous shrub has beautiful red or crimson flowers that resemble a bottle brush and are a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies. The leaves have a lemony scent when bruised. Its dense evergreen foliage can be used to create a year-round privacy hedge that is both effective and attractive. It can tolerate frost, clay, and sandy soils. You can prune this drought-resistant plant as a small shrub or train it into a 25-foot tree, depending on how much space you have in the garden. Bottlebrush can be grown in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8b and warmer.
Arborvitae
- Botanical Name: Thuja spp.
- Sun Exposure: Full, partial
- Soil Type: Well-drained but moist, loam, clay
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (6.0-8.0)
When you think “arborvitae,” you likely picture a row of massive ‘Green Giants’ towering at the edge of a driveway. While arborvitae does make an excellent privacy screen, there are smaller versions of this feathery evergreen available today. ‘Emerald Green’ has the classic pyramid shape but slowly grows to 15 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The Southern Living Plant Collection offers small, mounded arborvitae like Pancake™ and the gold and orange-tinged Fire Chief™. Arborvitae prefers moist soil and a cooler climate but does well in the Upper and Middle South. Some cultivars can be grown in zone 8 as well.
Camellia
- Botanical Name: Camellia spp.
- Sun Exposure: Full, partial
- Soil Type: Well-drained clay, loam, or sand
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.0)
No Southern garden is complete without a camellia bursting into bloom while the rest of the plants are bedded down for winter. Whether you grow C. sasanqua, which blooms in late fall, or C. japonica, which blooms in late winter or early spring, those large, showy flowers will be most welcome in your garden. Sasanqua camellias are more tolerant of full sun and a wider range of soils, while the Japanese camellia prefers partial sun and rich, acidic soil. Both do best with protection from the hot afternoon sun. They can be shaped by pruning or left to grow to the size of a small tree. Plant in zones 7-9.
Azalea
- Botanical Name: Rhododendron spp.
- Sun Exposure: Partial, dappled
- Soil Type: Well-drained but moist, organically rich, loamy, sandy
- Soil pH: Acidic (4.5-6.0)
When azaleas burst into flower, Southerners know spring has finally arrived. The most commonly grown azaleas are evergreen hybrids with pink or white trumpet-shaped flowers. Some can bloom in three seasons, like Encore azaleas. Plant your azaleas in acidic, well-drained, organically rich soil in partial or dappled shade. You’ll be rewarded each year when they are blanketed with flowers. Most azaleas can be grown in zones 6-8, but many new cultivars can be grown in zones 9 and 10 as well.
Cleyera
- Botanical Name: Cleyera japonica
- Sun Exposure: Full with afternoon shade, partial, dappled
- Soil Type: Well-drained, organically rich
- Soil pH: Acidic (4.5-6.5)
This broadleaf evergreen shrub exhibits the most color during the growing season when new leaves are tinged with bronze. Two offerings from the Southern Living Plant Collection, Romeo® and Juliet®, have green and white variegated leaves. The waxy leaves make this mostly problem-free plant drought-tolerant, but cleyera appreciates protection from the afternoon sun. Many gardeners use it as a privacy screen or hedge that eventually grows to 10 or 15 feet. Romeo® and Juliet® are more compact and grow to 6 or 8 feet. Many cultivars can be grown anywhere in the South.
