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 Evergreen
selection, planting and care
By Melinda Myers
[April 11, 2026]
Screen unwanted views, buffer traffic and other noise, create
privacy and add year-round beauty to the landscape with evergreens.
Combine them with deciduous trees and shrubs, perennials and annuals
for multiple seasons of beauty. Plus, enjoy the seasonal changes as
well as visiting pollinators and songbirds.
Use taller evergreens as a backdrop for flowering plants. Their
green foliage provides a beautiful backdrop for flowers and
fruit-laden plants, ornamental grasses, and fall color. Create a
focal point or vertical interest in a garden bed or landscape with
evergreens that feature interesting form or texture. Group several
together to provide songbirds with shelter and a safe place to raise
their young. |
Don’t let a lack of space deter the
planting of evergreens. Dwarf varieties are perfect for smaller
landscapes and planting beds. Combine these with other small-scale
shrubs, perennials and groundcovers for additional seasonal
interest.
As always, match evergreens to the growing conditions and climate.
Make sure the plants selected are hardy and will thrive in the
sunlight and moisture provided. Junipers are heat and drought
tolerant and animals tend to leave them be. Hemlock is one of the
few evergreens that tolerates the shade and is available in a
variety of sizes and shapes. Give these and other evergreens planted
in an exposed location a bit of shelter from winter winds and sun.
Arborvitaes, yews, false cedar (Chamaecyparis) and rhododendrons are
some of the favorite evergreens of gardeners and deer. Protect new
plantings by surrounding them with a cylinder of hardware cloth sunk
into the ground and at least four feet high. Applying wildlife
protection, including repellents, before critters start feeding
increases the chance of success. Consider applying an organic rain-
and snow-resistant repellent, like Plantskydd (plantskydd.com), at
planting. This odor-based repellent helps prevent damage and its
rain and snow resistance means it needs to be reapplied less often.
Just follow the label directions for the most effective control.
Make sure new plantings receive
sufficient moisture during the first few years as they become
established. Apply enough water to moisten the top 12 inches of soil
when the top four to six inches feel dry. Individual trees need 10
gallons of water for every inch diameter of trunk measured at 4.5’
high. Apply the water to the area under the dripline and several
feet beyond for evergreens.
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Spread a one- to three-inch layer of
woodchips, shredded bark, leaves or evergreen needles over the soil
surface. The finer the mulch material, the thinner the layer needed.
Pull the mulch away from tree trunks and stems of shrubs, perennials
and annuals. Organic mulches insulate plant roots from temperature
extremes, conserve moisture, suppress weeds during the growing
season and improve the soil as it breaks down.
Winter preparation starts at planting
and continues into fall and even winter in milder parts of the
country. Evergreens continue to lose moisture throughout the winter
even when the soil is frozen or dry. Continue to water evergreens,
moisture-loving plants and new plantings as needed when the
temperatures are in the 40s, the soil is dry and not yet frozen or
covered with snow.
Investing time in proper plant selection and year-round care will
help healthy, attractive evergreens thrive for many years.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books,
including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small
Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything”
instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s
Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned
by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com]
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