Southern Evergreen Shrubs for Landscapes

3 to 5 Feet Tall

• Viburnum davidii "David viburnum" is a smaller evergreen shrub well suited to foundation planting. It is also commonly used as an accent plant or groundcover in landscaped areas. It makes a good informal hedge but do not be harshly shear it. Plant several females with a male for the best show of tiny, white flowers and ¼-inch, bright-blue fruit. It is hardy in USDA zones 7 through 9. Rhaphiolepis indica "Indian Hawthorn" is hardy in zones 8 through 11. This evergreen shrub produces light-pink or white flowers in early the spring, which are followed by small, dark-blue berries. Indian Hawthorn grows slowly, is easy to maintain and tolerates light salt spray. It is useful in foundation and border landscaping or for short hedges. Plant it in partial shade or full sun.

6 to 8 Feet Tall

• Choisya ternate "Mexican Orange" is hardy in USDA zones 8 through 10 and may do well in zone 7. It produces clusters of fragrant, white flowers for three to four weeks in early spring or summer. This shrub is used in foundation landscapes, as a specimen plant, and in mixed shrub borders or hedges. Plant it can be planted in full sun in zone 7 needs light shade or afternoon shade in zones 8 through 10. Nandina domestica "Heavenly Bamboo" is hardy in zones 6 through 9. This shrub is evergreen in warm, Southern climates. In the spring, it is draped in large panicles of white flowers. The flowers give way to berries that start green and ripen to red. It is used as a central focus in a landscaped area, as a foundation shrub, and in mixed shrub hedges in sunny or shady locations. This shrub is invasive in Florida. Check with the local county Extension agency before planting it.

8 to 12 Feet Tall

• Agarista populifolia "Pipestem" produces white 1/3-inch flowers in late spring that emit a light, sweet fragrance. It is hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9. This evergreen shrub is well suited to shady woodland landscapes or a shady corner in the yard but also grows in partial shade. Multiple Pipestems planted in a row form a hedge. Ternstroemia gymnanthera "Cleyera" is grown for its glossy foliage that emerges red gradually changing to dark green. This evergreen shrub is hardy in zones 8 through 10. Plant it in partial or full shade as a specimen plant in a landscape or as a foundation plant. Multiple shrubs in a row form a hedge.

15 Feet Tall

• Michelia figo "Banana shrub" is a classic Southern shrub. It is used as a specimen plant or on the corner of the house at the end of a foundation planting. In late spring or summer, it produces 1-1/2 inch diameter off-white flowers that emit a sweet, bananalike fragrance. The glossy, green to yellow-green leaves remain attractive all year. Plant them in full sun, partial shade or full shade. They are hardy in zones 7 through 10. Elaeagnus pungens "Thorny elaeagnus" blooms in late fall and early winter. The flowers are not showy but they have a sweet fragrance similar to gardenias. This evergreen shrub makes a good specimen plant in large, sunny or partially shady landscaped areas. Its salt spray tolerance makes it well suited to shoreline landscapes. They shrubs are hardy in zones 7 through 9.