Growing an evergreen hedge

evergreen hedge

Choosing evergreen shrubs to grow as a hedge is often a great solution to cut off curious onlookers or simply to mark the limits of a garden.

They have the advantage of keeping their leaves all year round, and bring greenery to the garden in winter.

A hedge of evergreen shrubs will thus have the advantage of staying green all year round, and will not loose its leaves, which will spare you all that working picking leaves up…

But you can also try mixed hedging. A mixed hedge is grown from both evergreen and deciduous shrubs. It has the advantage of being more diverse and offers a greater range of flowers and leaves.

Finally, remember that hedges, both evergreen and deciduous, protect nature and hinder the spread of diseases and parasites.

Which shrubs are best for an evergreen hedge?

Our selection of the 24 best evergreen shrubs to form a hedge

Cherry laurel
cherry laurel evergreen hedge
Photinia
Photinia, an evergreen hedge shrub with red leaves
Spotted laurel
Evergreen spotted laurel as a hedge shrub
Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster, an evergreen hedge shrub that is easy to care for
Spindle
Spindle, with evergreen variegated leaves
Oleander
Oleander, a hedge shrub with evergreen leaves
Bay laurel
bay laurel leaves and fruit, an evergreen
Berberis
Berberis evergreen hedge shrub blooming
Bamboo
Bamboo leaves covering a fence like an evergreen hedge
Wild Privet
wild privet green winter leaves with fruits
Strawberry tree
strawberry tree leaves reaching for the sky
Silverberry
Eleagnus leaf showing a silver-colored evergreen underside
Pittosporum
Pittosporum clump of green leaves
Laurestine
Laurestine leaves stay green in winter, ideal for privacy hedges
Fire thorn
Fire thorn, pyracantha with fruit on an evergreen hedge
Mexican Orange
Mexican Orange, triple evergreen leaves with white flowers
Rhododendron
rhododendron flowers with evergreen leafage
Escallonia
Escallonia green leaves with frost around them
Bottlebrush
Bottlebrush flowers with evergreen leafage
Yew
Yew green leaves with fresh growth
Soap bush
Soap bush flowers with evergreen leaves
Mahonia
Mahonia evergreen leaves with fresh blooms
Honeysuckle
Evergreen and great for hedges, honeysuckle
Holly
Holly evergreen leaves, prickly hedge

Another noteworthy evergreen shrub is St. John’s wort.

Read more about creating hedges

Also about pruning and trimming


Image credits (edits Gaspard Lorthiois): ©ThomBal
CC BY 2.0: It’s No Game, Elizabeth West, Alan Harrison, Mark, Vicki, Ellaura and Mason Brown, S. Rae, Mick Talbot, John Rusk, Andrew Fogg
CC BY-SA 2.0: Matt Lavin
CC BY 4.0: Kim & Forest Starr