Embracing Evergreens

If you love your garden but don’t have the ability, time or inclination for tending it, then designing an evergreen garden is the perfect solution. Evergreens are a lot more versatile and considerably more attractive than you may have realised.

There are many reasons that might lead us to consider a low maintenance garden; with increasingly busy lives, or as we get older, we don’t have the ability to do quite as much in the garden. It’s worth looking at how we can adapt them to give just as much pleasure, but without the back-breaking work of maintaining them.

An evergreen garden will give you year-round colour, as well as adding structure to your garden. Plants can be used as hedging, edging, screening or specimen plants to create a garden for every occasion.

Go to Ground
To minimise the need for weeding plant evergreen ground covering plants and shrubs such as Euphorbia, Hebe ‘Pagei’ or Vinca minor ‘Atropurpurea’ (Dark purple-flowered periwinkle) which bears beautiful deep purple flowers to give a burst of colour to your borders.

Make an Entrance
Junipers planted on both sides of your gateway or access to your path will give a bolder, more formal feeling. They will, however, need annual pruning! If space is limited, define your doorway or path with containers planted with Bay laurels.

Add Colour
Of course, many evergreens also bear flowers!
To add more colour to your garden throughout the seasons, mix in Camellias, Pieris, Rhododendrons, Abelias and Daphne with your non-flowering structural plants to add interest and drama.

Create Privacy
To create a living screen or fence for your plot then Conifers, Yew, Juniper, Holly, Boxwood, Photinia (and if you have lots of space), Rhododendrons are perfect plants choices. If you want (or need!) an instant hedge it is now possible to buy boxwood plants, clipped in a rectangular or square shape, which give a mature hedge instantly when planted!

Add Fragrance
For year round foliage with the added bonus of fragrance choose aromatic herbs such as Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, or Lavender.

With your low maintenance garden created it’s time to sit back and relax, and enjoy your garden from the comfort of your chair safe in the knowledge that it is (almost) looking after itself!

By Nikki Relffe-Arnold