Evergreen Plants

Some gardens look magnificent in October and bare by June. If you would rather skip the off season entirely, evergreen plants are the answer: foliage that stays put in July, borders that never go threadbare, and pots by the front door that look welcoming in every month of the year.

Building a garden around evergreens is less about individual plants and more about coverage. Aim to have at least 60 to 70 percent of visible planting hold its leaves year round, then use flowering or deciduous accents for seasonal highlights against that steady backdrop. Foliage variety does the decorative work: glossy deep greens, silvery greys, lime new growth and burgundy tones can make an all evergreen bed look layered and colourful without a single flower. Most evergreens sold in Australia are comfortable across a wide climate band, but in humid summer regions give dense growers space for airflow to limit fungal spots, and in dry regions mulch generously because plants in leaf year round never get a dormant break from water demand.

• Feed in early spring and again in late summer, since evergreens push growth across a long season
• Tip prune little and often instead of hard cutting once a year to keep foliage dense to the ground
• In pots, refresh the top 5cm of potting mix each spring rather than repotting annually
• Group plants by water needs so a single irrigation schedule keeps the whole bed happy

When the job calls for height, canopy or serious screening, step up to the evergreen trees and plants collection, which handles the taller end of the same brief. Two dependable performers worth reading up on are viburnum, a hedging staple covered in our viburnum care guide, and star jasmine, the evergreen climber and groundcover explained in the star jasmine care guide. To shortlist by position, height and maintenance level, the plant finder does the filtering for you.