boxwood Archives - Nature Center at Greenburgh

Evergreen landscape plants provide winter interest and year-round structure. Or, at least they should. But way too often, they totally fail at that function.

In general, suburban landscapes use too few species of evergreens, and often the wrong evergreens in unattractive ways. The same non-native shrubs — boxwood, taxus, privet, Asian azaleas and junipers – are repeated house-after-house, often clipped into shapes too strange to be natural and too tight to provide shelter for birds. Whether it is a failure on the part of developers and builders, or the nursery and landscape industry, or homeowners themselves, the result is dull, repetitious, and sterile landscapes. The over-use of non-native shrubs also sadly results in a lack of food and shelter for birds, insects, and other animals, all of whom depend on native plants.

But it is an easy fix! There are so many great native evergreens.

The last four blog posts in this series on American Evergreens featured Eastern Red-cedar, American junipers, Eastern White Pine, and American Rhododendrons, all excellent plants for suburban landscapes. But there are more! Browse through the posts linked below for more photos and information about each of these evergreen options:

American Holly (Ilex opaca) is a magnificent tree that grows slowly, eventually reaching 40 feet tall. It provides a dramatic evergreen backdrop for flowering shrubs and is a dense, year-round privacy screen. Its foliage provides essential shelter and its berries are prime food for birds. Be sure to plant a smaller male holly in the area to assure a good show of berries all winter. Click here for more information.

American Holly in fall and winter landscape

Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is a great substitute for boxwood. It looks very much the same, but is better adapted to our climate and soil conditions in the Northeast, so it does not have to be coddled in burlap all winter to protect it from ice and salt. Cultivars like ‘Shamrock’ and ‘Compacta’ are slow-growing, smaller than the species, and suitable for smaller properties or as foundation plants. Inkberry may be pruned as easily as boxwood and used for hedges. Older shrubs can get leggy with age, so underplanting Inkberry with smaller shrubs or perennials is a great idea. For more information and photos, click here.

Inkberry, here in its natural shape, doesn’t need winter protection

Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca), a majestic large tree in the wild, is more commonly seen as a dwarf cultivar ‘Conica’ that is very slow growing and attractive as an evergreen foundation plant, or even in a patio container. It is Christmas-tree-shaped and can provide a formal, vertical element in the garden. More info here.

Alberta Spruce, in front of Inkberry, provides a backdrop for bright Crabapple fruit in winter

Globe Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is an alternative to tightly-clipped boxwoods for homeowners who prefer that spherical look. Rather than watering and fertilizing non-native shrubs only to shear off the new growth every year, naturally globe-shaped cultivars of our native Arborvitae are a better idea. Cultivars named ‘Hetz Midget,’ ‘Tater Tot, ‘Little Giant,’ and ‘Golden Globe’ require no fuss to hold their shape, and may provide better ecological resources than boxwood topiaries. More info here.

Globe Arborvitae at 5 years, never pruned, with natural-form Inkberries in the background

*Thuja occidentalis* ‘Hetz Midget,’ summer and winter, doesn’t need pruning or wrapping

Leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana or L. axillaris), sometimes called “Doghobble,” is a fabulous understory shrub that should be used much more often. As a substitute for invasive pachysandra or ivy in a shady wooded area, it is without equal. It is low-growing, maxing out at 2 to 3 feet tall and spreading out gradually 3 to 4 feet wide. It is beautiful, foolproof, very deer resistant, and reliably evergreen. Plant it under trees, along fences, and in shady parts of your yard where deer are usually a problem. For a full description and more photos, click here.

Leucothoe and Rhododendron in a woodland garden

With all of these choices, suburban gardeners can add so much diversity to their yards! Native shrubs enrich the environment while adding beauty and variety to the landscape.

So, don’t stick with the same-old, same-old that you see around the neighborhood! This spring, plant more shrubs! Expand your tree and shrub plantings out into your yard, and update your foundation plantings with native shrubs.

Make next winter more interesting. Try American Evergreens!

THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, NATURE CENTER at greenburgh. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

Recently in Around the Grounds, we featured native shrubs that add splashes of color to the winter landscape. (Read our Winterberry and Red Osier Dogwood posts here.) While brilliant berries and colorful bark are important for winter interest, evergreen shrubs are the backbone of the garden, providing structure throughout the year. And, as we remind ourselves, green is a color, too!

Unfortunately, our suburban landscapes tend to use a very limited repertoire of evergreen plants. We think there are better and more interesting choices than boxwood and taxus for residential foundation plantings. Take a look at some of the evergreens we’ve used at the Nature Center:

Inkberry shrubs define the edge of our patio garden all year

One of our favorites is the native Inkberry (Ilex glabra). Inkberry resembles boxwood, with similar dark green, shiny leaves. And, like boxwood, it can be pruned into a hedge, or a sphere, or any shape Edward Scissorhands might fancy. We prefer to let it take a natural, rounded shape with dense branches as hiding places for songbirds.

Inkberry looks similar to boxwood or Japanese holly, but is hardier

Unlike boxwood, Inkberry is adapted to our climate because it is native here. Boxwood originated in southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia; all climates very different from ours. Gardeners here are advised to wrap boxwood with burlap in winter to protect it from cold, wind, and salt – not a great look for “winter interest.”

Unlike Inkberry, boxwood needs protection from winter weather

Inkberry is not only cold-tolerant, even to temps below zero, but it enjoys our acidic soil and doesn’t mind sitting in water after heavy rainfalls. It is deer-resistant and salt-tolerant. It does prefer full sun, but can handle some shade. The straight species will get 6 to 8 feet tall, but it can be sheared and shorter cultivars are available.

We’re not sure why so many suburban dwellers like plants pruned into ball shapes, but we do know a native evergreen that will take that shape without any help! Growers have developed cultivars of our native Arborvitae that grow naturally into a ball shape without pruning.

Globe Arborvitae grows in a spherical shape

Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), also known as Eastern or Northern White Cedar, is very familiar as a tree; often used as a hedge or screen. It is native to our region and has wildlife value as a nesting site and seed supply for birds. Be advised that it is also famously attractive to deer. Some sellers of Globe Arborvitae claim the shrub is more deer-resistant than the tree, but we planted it close to a busy patio just in case. There are numerous cultivars of Globe Arborvitae available, with varying maximum sizes and slight color variations. Because we always prefer native plants, we would choose this little shrub over either boxwood or taxus – and we don’t have to prune it!

On our patio, Globe Arborvitae echos the rounded form of Inkberry

Another delightful evergreen shrub developed from a native tree is Pinus strobus ‘Soft Touch’ or Dwarf Eastern White Pine. ‘Soft Touch’ makes a great foundation plant. It is slow-growing, eventually taking a flattened shape no more than 2 feet tall, and wider than it is tall. It stays a lovely bright green all winter long. Its needles really are soft to the touch, and it’s hard to resist giving it a pat every now and then.

Dwarf White Pine ‘Soft Touch’ at the Manor House foundation

At the entrance to the Nature Center, we use another dwarf evergreen as a container plant. Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’) also was developed from a very large native tree, the White Spruce. This dwarf variety is very slow-growing and maintains its classic Christmas tree shape without pruning. It can live for years in containers, but should eventually be given some space in the landscape. It can become a 10-13 foot tree in time, so we will have to turn ours loose on the grounds in a few more years.

Consider adding winter’s native greens to your landscape

This blog is authored weekly by Cathy Ludden, conservationist and native plant educator; and Board Member, Greenburgh Nature Center. Follow Cathy on Instagram for more photos and gardening tips @cathyludden.