Add colour with evergreens
They’ll add interest as well as dazzling tones to your garden
With our gardens packed with colour still it’s so easy to forget that in just a few months the scene will have changed dramatically – and when autumn and winter arrive we rely on evergreens for colour and shape to maintain the interest.
The idea of evergreens often conjures up thoughts of dense, dull, dark green blobs in the landscape but there are many shrubs that are elegant and colourful – and many flower too, so they pay rent all year round and bring brightness to the garden in the colder seasons. Look out for variegated forms of common evergreens, and don’t dismiss conifers just because leylandii has given the whole group a bad reputation! Many are small, if not exactly dwarf, and if clipped from an early age, can be valuable components in small gardens.
When considering what evergreens to plant, think about the shape of plants and the texture of foliage as well as the colour. They can add a lot of interest to your garden, ranging from the fine foliage of conifers and small-leaved abelia, to the bold, glossy leaves of aucubas and fatsias. There are evergreens for every position and many grow happily in shade. Ivy is available in a mind-numbing array of possibilities and is useful for ground cover in areas where little else will grow. Variegated vincas will also do the same job but without the prospect of them climbing your walls!