Landscaping for the Front of the House With Small Evergreens

Tall, Slim Corner Anchors

• The downy-needled Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones 6 through 8) offers some smaller varieties such as ‘Yoshino’ that will anchor the corners of a front landscape without overpowering the home site. This beautiful evergreen, which tolerates shade as well as sun, grows to just 12 feet, with a minimal spread of about 6 feet. The denser ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae (Arborvitae, USDA zones 6 through 11) is a cold-hardy cypress that grows as tall as the Japanese cedar but has an even slimmer profile, barely 4 feet. In addition to its utility as a corner anchor, this deep green shrub often functions as a privacy screen for front patios and outdoor entertainment spaces.

Multi-Season Color

• Small in size but big on beauty, some varieties of flowering holly and Japanese pieris are a perfect fit for home-front evergreen landscaping. White blooms, shiny blue-green foliage and showy red fruit characterize the Dragon Lady holly (Ilex x aquipernyi ‘Meschick,’ USDA zones 6 to 8). To cover a windowless foundation, let the Dragon Lady climb to a full 15 feet high. This holly can be easily trimmed and clipped to a shorter stature. The Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica, USDA zones 5 to 10) is a member of the heath family and offers a small variety, the ‘Compacta,’ which reaches just 4 feet high. This lovely little evergreen shrub bursts into masses of showy white blooms each spring.

Interplanted Low Hedges

• Consider a mix of flowering evergreen trees and low-growing or spreading shrubs to provide texture and color to a front landscape while ensuring adequate window clearance. The low-growing and compact green velvet boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Velvet,’ USDA zones 4 through 9) tops out at about 36 inches high, with a spread ranging from 2 to 3 feet. Its globe-shaped form can be trimmed to accommodate low windows and offers year-round visual interest when seen from the street. Interplant boxwoods with a showy variety of magnolia, (Magnolia, USDA zones 5 through 9) such as the ‘Royal Star.’ This shrub produces pink buds, large white flowers and grows to just 15 to 20 feet tall.

Formal Symmetry

• For a lush, more formal appearance, plant a group of Japanese yews (Taxus cuspidate, USDA zones 4 through 7) along the home’s foundation. Three varieties – the dwarf ‘Densa’ and the low-growing Emerald Spreader and Green Wave – reach only 4 feet, but spread to twice that size in a solid, thick mass. The yews respond well to aggressive shearing. The soil must be well-drained and the site sunny for the Japanese yew to thrive. Avoid planting yews in areas where children might play because the plant is toxic when ingested.