If you’ve ever dreamt of a garden that’s green no matter the season, fast-growing evergreen shrubs are about to become your new best friend.
I can’t tell you how many plants I’ve ruined over the years (RIP, my once-beautiful fern). But when it comes to evergreen shrubs, I finally found something that works and grows ridiculously fast.
These plants practically grow themselves, and before you know it, your backyard is full of lush, green beauty. And they don’t just survive the cold winter months – they thrive.
So, if you’re tired of waiting for your garden to grow or dealing with the hassle of seasonal plants, it’s time to give these evergreens a try.
1. Grow Boxwood For A Neat And Tidy Look All Year Round
Boxwood shrubs are a classic choice for hedges and borders, known for their dense, dark green foliage. They can be easily shaped into neat, formal hedges or topiaries.
These shrubs are tough, able to endure cold temperatures, and are ideal for creating structured garden features. They grow quickly and offer a year-round, lush appearance.
2. Add A Touch Of Elegance And Privacy With Japanese Yew
The Japanese Yew is a hardy evergreen shrub with green, needle-like leaves. It’s perfect for privacy screens or hedges.
This shrub thrives in a variety of soils and light conditions and is very resistant to cold, making it a superb winter addition to your garden. With a mature height of 8-12 feet, it can create a dense backdrop in no time!
3. Bring Year-Round Beauty With Inkberry Holly’s Glossy Foliage
Anyone who loves holiday decorations is probably familiar with Inkberry Holly. This festive shrub boasts glossy, evergreen leaves that turn a deep purplish-black in the winter months.
What’s even better is that it’s as adaptable as it is beautiful! It thrives in both sun and shade, making it a versatile addition to any garden. It also produces dark berries that bring a touch of holiday cheer, even when the rest of the garden is tucked in for winter.
4. Create Vertical Interest With Dwarf Alberta Spruce
This compact, conical evergreen shrub has dense, bright green foliage that turns slightly golden in the winter.
Dwarf Alberta Spruce is perfect for adding vertical height to a small garden or creating an elegant border. It grows up to 6-10 feet tall and is highly resistant to cold – so it’s a great choice for all those gardeners who live in chilly climates.
5. Form Fast-Growing Hedges With Privet For Instant Privacy
Privet is a fast-growing shrub that can quickly reach 6-12 feet in height, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking for extra privacy to keep those nosy neighbors from peeking into your yard.
It has shimmery, green leaves and produces small white flowers in late spring. This shrub is adaptable to many soil types and can withstand both heat and cold, thriving in most climates.
6. Enhance Your Garden With Vibrant Blooms From Rhododendron
Rhododendrons are stunning evergreen shrubs that bloom in spring with vibrant flowers in shades of pink, red, purple, or white. They thrive in acidic soil and part shade, which makes them ideal for shaded garden spots.
These shrubs grow quickly and create a beautiful backdrop of dark green foliage year-round, while their flowers brighten the garden in the spring.
7. Add Springtime Charm With Pieris Japonica’s Lovely Blooms
Pieris Japonica (also known as Japanese Andromeda), is a fast-growing shrub that features darker leaves and pretty white or pink flowers that bloom in early spring.
This lovely shrub thrives in acidic, well-drained soils and is resilient to colder climates. And it doesn’t need full sun to thrive, so you can plant it even in those dark corners of your garden.
Need more ideas for shaded gardens? These might help you out: 13 Stunning Shade-Loving Flowers That Will Lighten Up Your Dark Garden
8. Enjoy Iconic Red Berries And Bold Foliage With Holly
Holly is an iconic evergreen shrub, known for its spiky green leaves and bright red berries that appear in winter.
It’s a tough, cold-hardy plant that grows well in full sun or partial shade. Holly shrubs grow quickly and provide great winter interest in your garden with their seasonal berries and attractive foliage.
9. Grow Laurel Shrubs To Create A Bold Statement In Your Garden
Laurel (aka cherry laurel) is a popular shrub featuring large, glossy leaves and small white flowers that bloom in the spring.
It grows super fast and can reach heights of 6-12 feet, which makes it absolutely perfect for privacy hedges or background plantings.
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10. Achieve Low-Maintenance Hedges With Boxleaf Euonymus
Boxleaf Euonymus is a compact shrub with darker leaves and a neat, rounded growth habit. It grows to about 4-6 feet tall and can be shaped easily for hedging.
This hardy shrub tolerates a wide range of soil types and is ideal for creating low-maintenance, beautiful borders or garden accents.
11. Brighten Your Garden With Azalea’s Brilliant Spring Blooms
Azaleas are renowned for their vibrant, showy flowers that bloom in spring, with colors ranging from soft pastels to bright hues like red, pink, and purple.
While they may require slightly more care in terms of soil and moisture, their fast-growing nature and stunning blooms make them worth the effort. They are also cold-hardy and evergreen in milder climates.
This might be helpful: Fertilize Your Azaleas This Way To Get More Colorful Blossoms
12. Add Structure And Texture To Your Yard With Juniper Shrubs
Junipers are incredibly versatile shrubs, available in various shapes and sizes – from creeping ground covers to tall, columnar varieties. They feature needle-like leaves and often produce blue or purple berries.
Junipers are drought-tolerant once established and they grow rapidly, thus providing a durable solution for gardens in both sunny and partially shaded areas.
13. Bring Gorgeous Pink Blooms To Shaded Areas With Mountain Laurel
Mountain Laurel is a beautiful shrub that produces clusters of pink or white flowers in late spring. It thrives in acidic soils and part shade, making it perfect for woodland gardens.
It’s cold-hardy and has leathery, dark green leaves that can make your garden look interesting even after the blooms have faded.
If privacy or a touch of greenery is what you need, these fast-growing shrubs will do the trick and beautify your garden all year long.