#Pacific northwest evergreen shrubs full#

Plus, in winter it sports peeling, tan bark. 'Little Devil' offers the easy care, no-pruning-needed, disease-free benefits of a ninebark without it taking over your yard. I've planted a couple in partial sun and they've done just fine though the purple has faded to a greenish blue.

#Pacific northwest evergreen shrubs full#

It's a tough-as-nails plant, preferring full sun. Physocarpus opufolius 'Little Devil.' This dwarf ninebark has spectacularly dark purple foliage that contrasts nicely with its white, flat-headed flowers. Honorable mention: Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Green Arrow.' Shrubs Both bloom in large, cream flowers that smell lemony fresh. 'Baby Grand' has slightly wider, darker green leaves but 'Little Gem' features tan felt on its undersides, thus adding interest.

Either one gives welcomed glossy greenery during winter. 'Little Gem' grows in a narrower form, and taller to about 20 feet, while 'Baby Grand' has a more oval crown and grows to about 12 feet. Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' or if not available, 'Baby Grand.' Both are small, broadleaf, evergreen trees. I've found the sweet spot for it is partial-shade.

It grows to about 15 feet tall by 4 feet wide in sun, partial-shade, or shade. This gives the tree a two-toned look as the fans cascade down in a graceful, perfectly spaced manner.

Its trunk is straight, almost artificial looking, with horizontal fans of foliage that are forest green on top, lighter underneath. It's one of those conifers people overlook as it's used often, but when you really examine it, its beauty is unmatched. This combination of vertical leaf clusters and curved leaves creates an unusual, sculptural form that's a real conversation starter.Ĭhamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis.' Slender Hinoki False Cypress grows in a slow, behaved pyramidal form. Grows to about 12 feet high by 4-5 feet wide. In fall, the tree turns yellow with patches of reddish-orange. 'Shishigashira' or Lion's Head Japanese Maple has highly palmate, highly pointed leaves that curl downward as they grow in vertical clusters. Beautiful on either side of a house entrance.Īcer palmatum 'Shishigashira.' Say that three times fast! I'd be remiss if I didn't include at least one Japanese Maple in a post about plants for small gardens. Plus, they contrast well with a deep green Choisya ternata or purple Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' or the red stems of Drimys lanceolata. The good news is they widen to 2 feet max. The official word on these evergreens is they grow 6 feet tall but I have a couple in clients' yards that, after 10 years in full sun, are 8 feet tall. A few junipers boast a blue color but this cedar is coldly blue with starry needles that give it a fluffy texture. And for a truly blue evergreen conifer, Blue Surprise Port Orford Cedar can't be beat. If you've got a cell tower or electricity pole you want to screen, this would be a good choice.Ĭhamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise.' When I design a yard, I incorporate foliage color. Also, their spiky, palmate leaves are cool in that they're maple-like but not quite a maple, almost like a Goth maple, and add interest to the border. Usually Sweetgums drop little balls of fruit, but this tree's aren't as messy. It's a fastigiate or columnar form, rising to 35 feet tall but widening only to 4 feet. When I discovered this tree, I was excited. Plus, they have red and yellow fall color. Planted on street medians and in shopping centers, they can take drought and pollution. The berries, while very small, are full of flavor, with a fresh, tart sweetness that makes the trouble of harvesting them well worth it.Liquidambar styraciflua 'Slender Silhouette.' Liquidambars or Sweetgums are notoriously tough. No discussion of evergreen huckleberry would be complete without mentioning its fruit. Its foliage color is also affected by sunlight: an evergreen huckleberry in full sun develops a reddish-purple color that, paired with its small stature, makes it a great accent shrub for sunny front yards. Somewhat paradoxically, the more sun it gets, the smaller it will be: evergreen huckleberries can grow to twelve feet or more under dense canopy, but only reach about five feet in full sun. While it is most at home as an understory shrub, it can also tolerate sun. One of evergreen huckleberry’s most interesting characteristics is its dual nature under different light conditions. It provides beautiful color variations throughout the year, with deep wine-red new shoots contrasting with the rest of the dark, glossy green foliage and pale pink flowers in the spring, berries that change from red to dark purple in the summer, and lush green foliage throughout the fall and winter. Evergreen huckleberry is an especially attractive and adaptable native shrub.