Small Outdoor Evergreen Plants

Red Bearberry

• Red bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva ursi), also called bearberry and kinnikinnick, is a small evergreen shrub native to North America. It grows up to 1 foot tall and may spread up to 15 feet if you allow it free range. Red bearberry has oval-shaped leaves that appear waxy and dark green on top and light green underneath. The leaves fill and are alternately arranged on the shrub's stems. It blooms from March until June to produce small, bell-shaped, pink or cream flowers. After bloom time, the shrub propogates lushious red berries that remain through the winter. The leaves also turn red to purple in winter. A bearberry purchased from a nursery can be planted as far north as zone 2 where the lowest temperatures reach negative 50 degrees Farhenheit. The shrubs can be grown as far south as the mountain ranges of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Virginia.

Dwarf Hollies

• Dwarf versions of Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta) and Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) exist for landscaping purposes. Dwarf burford is the smaller version of Chinese holly that grows no higher than 4 feet tall and 8 feet across. Its leaves resemble Christmas holly, are up to 4 inches long and each have five sharp points or spines. Chinese hollies generally produce red berries, but this is rare with the dwarf variety. Dwarf pagoda is a smaller version of Japanese holly. Its small, rounded leaves form compact rosettes. The shrub grows up to 2 feet tall. It is commonly used to create bonsai or topiary designs. Dwarf burford is hardy up to zone 6 and dwarf pagoda is hardy up to zone 5.

Creeping Juniper

• Junipers do not only grow as tall trees. Hundreds of varieties of junipers exist including creeping junipers (Juniperus horizontalis) that rarely exceed a height of 18 inches. They spread horizontally and are effective groundcovers in landscape designs. You can also grow these plants in pots if you want to keep them compact. Creeping junipers have soft needles that form scale-like mats. They are also sometimes used as bonsai trees. Several varieties change color in the winter. For example, the gold strike cultivar changes from light green to bright yellow. The andorra variety changes from light green to plum. The blue chip cultivar changes from silvery-blue to purple. Creeping junipers may grow as far north as zone 3.