Garden trends come and go—but the growth of small-space gardens continues to rise. Along with creative greening of small outdoor spaces, homeowners want low maintenance garden designs—and increasingly, they turn to professionals to maintain patio gardens or small landscapes. And, as the demand for container installations—both residential and commercial-- continues to soar, the need to source materials that look fabulous for four seasons can pose a challenge. Fortunately, you’ve found LandscapeHub—a one-stop source for compact evergreens to meet your design needs!
Finding the perfect evergreens to add year-round interest to small-space gardens and containers might seem daunting, but with our brilliant supplier network, you can easily source plants, compare prices, and order with a click of a button—all on one site. We’ve compiled a list of some favorite compact and dwarf evergreens that thrive in a wide-range of zones to get you started—all available through our supplier network. Simply click on the links to see available stock, sizes and prices, then start generating your clients’ quotes today! If there’s a specific compact evergreen you love, use our search function to find it—it’s simple!
If you’re a supplier, consider adding more compact evergreens to your offerings, if you don’t already carry them. The demand for low maintenance plants that provide multi-season interest in smaller landscapes and containers will continue to rise. Customers will appreciate a wide variety of compact, dwarf evergreens available through your company at LandscapeHub.
Compact Evergreens to Anchor Containers
Naturally, most containers change with the seasons, particularly if you’ve arranged a subscription service with clients. Still, a compact evergreen that looks terrific through four seasons anchors your design, allowing you to create beautiful seasonal combinations that complement an evergreen backdrop.
While you may have your favorite dwarf evergreens sketched into designs, LandscapeHub makes it easy for you to compare prices—and save time by ordering them in one place. After all, who has time to chase plants physically or online through multiple sources?
A few favorite compact evergreens for containers include:
Ligustrum sinense ‘Sunshine’‘Sunshine’ Ligustrum
Year-round golden foliage flourishes in full sun. This sterile, non-invasive cultivar works beautifully in containers, as an accent in landscapes, or as a low-growing hedge. Reaches 3-6 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. Zones 6-10.
Ilex crenata ‘Compacta’Compact Japanese Holly
Glossy green foliage requires little pruning to maintain its shape. The petite size (8-12 inches tall, 12-14 inches wide) makes it a perfect choice for containers. Deer resistant. Zone 6-9.
Pinus mugo ‘Slowmound’Slowmound Mugo Pine
A rugged, hardy evergreen with evenly mounded habit and finely textured, rich deep green foliage. Terrific for urban settings, this slow-growing variety rarely needs pruning or maintenance. Grows 1-2 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide in 10 years—maturing at 3 feet high. Zones 2-8.
Small Evergreens to Add Multi-Season Interest to Landscapes
Plants that look terrific all year long—that’s what customers crave. Multi-season garden interest can be as simple as choosing an evergreen with gorgeous texture or selecting a blooming plant with foliage that changes with the seasons. We’ve provided a few of our favorites, below:
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Globosa Nana’‘Globosa Nana’ Dwarf Japanese Cedar
The rounded, dense, somewhat loosely branching green foliage provides terrific texture to garden designs, but it’s the multi-season interest that adds appeal—the green foliage turns rusty red in winter. Stays nicely compact at 2-3 feet tall, about 3 feet wide. Zones 5-7.
Pieris japonica Mountain Snow™Mountain Snow™ Pieris
Showy blooms and gorgeous foliage make Mountain Snow™ a perfect multi-season plant for small spaces. Reaching only 3-4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide, the attractive, pendulous flower buds appear in summer and remain through winter, with beautiful ivory-white flowers finally opening in early spring. New bronze-colored foliage matures to dark green. Added benefits include both disease and pest-resistance, making this beauty a true gem in small gardens. Zones 4-8.
Thuja occidentalis ‘Concessarini’Pancake™ Arborvitae
A fabulous multi-season addition that builds structure in the landscape and adds year-round interest. The low-profile (1-2 feet tall), dense habit needs no pruning, tolerates full sun, resists pests and disease, and offers good drought tolerance once established. Deep sage-green foliage transitions to a beautiful blue in winter. Zones 4-8.
Abelia x grandiflora ‘Conti’Confetti® Abelia
A gorgeous multi-season plant. Vigorous, compact, rounded form with stunning pink, white, and green variegated foliage and spring flowers that attract butterflies. A lovely specimen, Confetti also looks fabulous in containers. Reaches 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. Zones 5-9.
Compact Evergreens for Groundcovers
Whether you’re looking for an evergreen ground color to reduce erosion on slopes or simply want to add continual seasonal interest to garden beds, you’ll find great groundcovers through our partners. A few favorites include:
Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’‘Blue Star’ Juniper
RHS Award winner! The sun-loving, globe-shaped mound of dense, sparkling silver-blue foliage morphs into a pretty purple/heather blue in winter. Drought tolerant once established. At 2-3 feet high and 3-4 feet wide, it’s a great addition to rock gardens or massed as a groundcover. Zones 2-6.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Massachusetts’‘Massachusetts’ Bearberry
The low-growing, evergreen groundcover spreads quickly and uniformly, producing white and pink flowers in spring to early summer. Red berries follow the flowers and last through winter, although birds love the berries. The foliage turns purplish-red in winter. Growing only 6 to 12 inches tall and spreading 3 to 6 feet wide, it’s an excellent groundcover for banks, berms, rock gardens, woodland gardens, and containers. Zones 2-6.
Euonymus fortunei ‘Moonshadow’‘Moonshadow’ Wintercreeper
Deep green leaves with bright yellow centers provide bold evergreen color year-round. Plant in masses for a vibrant groundcover or use as a low hedge or bright edging along walkways. Works well in containers as a “spiller.” Reaches height of 3 feet with a spread of 5 feet. Zones 4-9.
Short-Statured Evergreens for Low Hedges
Whether you need to border a patio space or create a low hedge between properties, compact evergreens offer a low-maintenance solution. They’re also an ideal design element for knot gardens, creating structure for rose gardens, or defining potages. A few favorites you’ll find through LandscapeHub include:
Ilex glabra GemBox®GemBox® Inkberry Holly
A beautiful native alternative to boxwoods for creating low hedges and defining garden spaces. The small, naturally mounded plant offers good branching to the ground, never looking bare-legged. A perfect border plant, reaching only 24-36 inches high. Zones 5-9.
Buxus microphylla ‘Bulthouse’Sprinter® Boxwood
The glossy, evergreen foliage looks attractive all year long, making it ideal for low hedges. A more upright habit than other boxwoods, it also fills in more quickly than other varieties, producing a lush hedge quickly. Reaches 24-48 inches high. Best broadleaf evergreen for shaping and pruning for formal hedges and topiaries. Zones 5-9.
Ilex crenata ‘Soft Touch’‘Soft Touch’ Japanese Holly
A dense, mounded, compact evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves sporting a silver mid-vein, ‘Soft Touch’ makes an ideal low hedge, border, or accent in the garden. Black ornamental berries add interest during winter months. Reaches 2-3 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. Zones 5-9.
We’ve noted just a few of the short-statured evergreen options available for your installations to get you started, but take a look at the wide variety of options available from LandscapeHub suppliers. Search for your favorite cultivars or browse compact and dwarf evergreen options. You’ll find the perfect plants for your landscape and design needs—all with the click of a button!
