Low-Growing Evergreen Shrubs in Full Sun in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Mid-Atlantic States

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 3 is designated as the mid-Atlantic region and includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. One challenge of growing plants in this region is the disparity of hot, humid summers followed by very cold winters. Shrubs that thrive in full sun but also survive cold winters must be tough, resilient plants. The high humidity in the mid-Atlantic promotes the spread of disease, so resistance to disease is a desirable feature of shrubs.

Heaths and Heathers

• Heaths and heathers are very valuable garden species, according to Alex Niemiera of the Virginia Cooperative Extension. They exhibit variation in foliage and flower colors and provide year-round interest. Butterflies and hummingbirds are drawn to their flowers. Spring heath (Erica carnea) grows slowly and fills in garden areas as a low-growing ground cover. White, pink or red flowers cover plants in winter and spring. Scotch heather (Calluna vulgaris) is also covered with white, pink or red flowers, but their bloom time is during summer and autumn. Planting heaths and heathers provides gardens with year-round flowers.

Fruiting Shrubs

• Although fruiting shrubs also produce flowers, since flowers precede fruits, they are grown primarily for their berries. Some species of cotoneaster are deciduous, but bearberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri) is evergreen. Its red fruits can be very showy, according to Niemiera, and they last throughout winter after ripening in autumn. Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is a native holly in the mid-Atlantic that has high disease resistance. As its name implies, it bears black berries, unlike the traditional red holly berries.

Conifers

• Conifers are usually thought of as tall evergreen trees, but many are low-growing evergreen shrubs. Some chamaecyparis species exceed 50 feet in height, but dwarf “Hinoki” false cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa “Nana Gracilis”) and “Baby Blue” false cypress (C. pisifera) only reach 6 feet in height with an equal spread. They are focal-feature landscape specimens, often planted at full-sun entrances to homes. With superior insect-, disease- and drought-resistance, these evergreens are outstanding performers for mid-Atlantic states.