Mention the word evergreen, and most people conjure images of trees, usually cone-bearing trees. But more than trees can be evergreen; shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants can also be green year round. And there are some gorgeous native evergreen plants that can be used to keep your garden beautiful through the dark days of winter.
But first, a bit more about the term 'evergreen'. In reality, evergreen plants don’t stay green forever. They do shed their leaves, just not once a year like deciduous trees. Some grow and shed their leaves over a period of months while others can take decades. Great basin bristlecone pine leaves (needles) can keep individual leaves for up to 45 years! (Of course, the tree itself can live for up to 4,700 years.)
So, why are some plants evergreen? There are a number of reasons and they’re all related to long-term survival.
If you’re a plant, paradise is a place with relatively constant temperatures, moisture, nutrients and sunlight (think the tropics). But say you’re a plant in a temperate climate where temperatures can be cold, where the amount of sunlight dwindles and where winter weather can desiccate your leaves. Then fall is the time to cut your losses by dropping your foliage.
However, some plants have adapted by having leaves that are smaller, leaves that are waxy and even leaves that contain a kind of plant anti-freeze (high sugar concentrations). You may also be able to get by on lower amounts of soil nutrients. And that means you don’t have to shed your leaves all at once (and expend energy in the spring to regrow them all). You can make it through the dark days of winter.
Our environment would be a much poorer place without evergreens. In addition to providing a visual reminder of fresh, green life, they also provide cover, shelter and forage for wildlife and help provide soil structure and protection from erosion.
Below are some suggestions of native evergreens that are worth making room for in your garden.
TREES
- Arbutus menziesii (arbutus): The only native evergreen broad-leaved tree. The bark is gorgeous, the dried berries provide winter food for birds and the green leathery leaves a respite from the grey skies of winter.
Native conifers:
- Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir)
- Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock)
- Thuja plicata (western red-cedar)
- Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce)
- Abies grandis (grand fir)
- Pinus contorta var. contorta (shore pine)
SHRUBS
In areas where there is a consistent amount of moisture (but not standing water):
- Gaultheria shallon (salal): A familiar face from the florists, salal is a terrific choice with its glossy oval leaves. Birds benefit from the dried berries throughout winter as well.
- Mahonia nervosa (dull Oregon-grape): With its vaselike sprays of foliage, it’s a lovely addition to any garden. The winter foliage sometimes turns red or purple, providing an extra element of colour in the dreary months.
In areas where drainage is good, other shrubs are a good fit.
- Mahonia aquifolium (tall Oregon-grape): The taller sibling of dull Oregon-grape, this species also has berries that persist through the winter and has glossy holly-like leaves – without the prickles!
- Linnaea borealis (twinflower): The sprawling stems of twinflower can provide a lovely groundcover – over time – or provide graceful accents year round.
- Vaccinium ovatum (evergreen huckleberry): This shrub has some of the prettiest little leaves around. Small and perfectly ovate, they are a lovely shining green throughout the year. Occasionally, they can be tinged red on the edges.
- Arctostaphylos columbiana (hairy manzanita): Reminiscent of arbutus with its lovely red bark, this shrub has fuzzy little oval leaves that provide great texture.
- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick): This makes a beautiful groundcover with its stiff shiny leaves. Bright red berries can persist through the winter, providing colour and food for birds.
- Pachystima myrsinites (Oregon boxwood): A beautiful compact little shrub, it’s low growing enough that it could even be a groundcover. And, in spring, it’s got beautiful little ruby red blossoms.
- Rhododendron macrophyllum (Pacific rhododendron): Our own native rhodo, it may not be as showy as some of the imports, but it’s ours! And still provides some lovely green in the wetter months.
FERNS
We’re fortunate to have a number of evergreen ferns, each with their own charming character.
- Blechnum spicant (deer fern)
- Polystichum munitum (sword fern)
- Polypodium glycyrrhiza (licorice fern)
- Pentagramma triangularis (goldenback fern)
- Cryptogramma achristoides (parsley fern)
HERBACEOUS PLANTS
There aren’t a lot of native evergreen herbs that are available for purchase. The two most often seen are:
- Asarum caudatum (wild ginger): Beautiful dark green heart-shaped leaves can provide a lovely presence. In summer, they produce unusual sepia-coloured flowers. Over time, can form a great groundcover.
- Cornus canadensis (bunchberry): With their tiny hosta-like leaves, bunchberry has to have some of cutest foliage around. In late spring, early summer, their dogwood-like flower is fresh and lovely. In fall, shiny red berries provide some colour.
Author: Dawn Hanna, President, NPSBC
For more information on gardening with native plants, please go to the Native Plant Society of BC’s website at www.npsbc.org.
