Evergreen shrubs for shade
Evergreen shrubs that hold structure in a shaded border.
Evergreen shrubs in shade are the workhorses of a difficult spot: they give a border permanent structure and a green wall to look at through winter, exactly where deciduous plants leave a gap. The difficulty is that many glossy-leaved evergreens want sun and grow thin, leggy and sparse in low light, leaning towards what light there is. Choose genuinely shade-tolerant kinds, plant in autumn or spring, enrich dry soil with leaf mould, and keep them watered until rooted. Trim lightly to keep them dense rather than open. The shrubs here hold their leaves and a solid shape in reduced light, from scented winter Sarcococca and bold Aucuba and Fatsia to dependable Viburnum tinus and Mahonia, giving a shaded border year-round body and screening.
Border Builder is a garden border planner for iPhone and iPad. Pick from the 67 plants below and it works them into a full plan: how many of each, where they go, and how the bed reads through the seasons.
67 plants for this
- Aucuba 'Gold Dust'Aucuba japonica 'Gold Dust'
- AzaleaAzalea japonica
- Azalea 'Girard's Fuchsia'Rhododendron 'Girard's Fuchsia'
- Azalea 'Karen'Azalea 'Karen'
- Azalea 'Stewartstonian'Rhododendron 'Stewartstonian'
- BoxBuxus sempervirens
- Boxwood 'Green Gem'Buxus 'Green Gem'
- Boxwood 'Green Velvet'Buxus 'Green Velvet'
- Boxwood 'Winter Gem'Buxus 'Winter Gem'
- Bush AnemoneCarpenteria californica
- CamelliaCamellia sasanqua
- Camellia 'Adolphe Audusson'Camellia japonica 'Adolphe Audusson'
- Camellia 'Donation'Camellia x williamsii 'Donation'
- Camellia 'Professor Sargent'Camellia japonica 'Professor Sargent'
- Camellia 'Shishi Gashira'Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira'
- Camellia 'Yuletide'Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide'
- Cascade Oregon GrapeBerberis nervosa
- Cavatine Japanese AndromedaPieris japonica 'Cavatine'
- Cherry LaurelPrunus laurocerasus
- Compact native hollyIlex aquifolium 'Myrtifolia'
- Creeping Oregon GrapeMahonia repens
- David ViburnumViburnum davidii
- Dwarf Canadian hemlockTsuga canadensis 'Jeddeloh'
- Ebbing's silverberryElaeagnus x ebbingei
- English HollyIlex aquifolium
- English YewTaxus baccata
- EuonymusEuonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold'
- Evergreen HuckleberryVaccinium ovatum
- False Holly 'Goshiki'Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki'
- Fatsia 'Spider's Web'Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web'
- Firethorn 'Red Column'Pyracantha 'Red Column'
- Florida AniseIllicium floridanum
- Florida LeucothoeAgarista populifolia
- Franchet's cotoneasterCotoneaster franchetii
- Garden PrivetLigustrum ovalifolium
- Gem Box InkberryIlex glabra 'Gem Box'
- Golden privetLigustrum ovalifolium 'Aureum'
- Holly oliveOsmanthus heterophyllus
- Japanese AraliaFatsia japonica
- Japanese holly 'Dark Green'Ilex crenata 'Dark Green'
- KohuhuPittosporum tenuifolium
- Late cotoneasterCotoneaster lacteus
- Leucothoe 'Curly Red'Leucothoe axillaris 'Curly Red'
- Leucothoe 'Scarletta'Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Scarletta'
- Mahonia 'Charity'Mahonia x media 'Charity'
- Mexican HoneysuckleJusticia spicigera
- Mountain Laurel 'Olympic Fire'Kalmia latifolia 'Olympic Fire'
- Oregon GrapeMahonia aquifolium
- Pieris 'Mountain Fire'Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire'
- Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'
- Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla'Rhododendron x 'Nova Zembla'
- Rhododendron 'PJM'Rhododendron 'PJM'
- Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans'Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans'
- Russian cypressMicrobiota decussata
- SalalGaultheria shallon
- Skimmia 'Rubella'Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'
- Soft Caress MahoniaMahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
- Spindle 'Emerald Gaiety'Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety'
- Spindle 'Green Spire'Euonymus japonicus 'Green Spire'
- Spotted LaurelAucuba japonica 'Variegata'
- Sweet BoxSarcococca confusa
- Tea OliveOsmanthus fragrans
- Upright Plum YewCephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata'
- Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price'Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price'
- Yellow AniseIllicium parviflorum
- Yew 'Densiformis'Taxus x media 'Densiformis'
- Yew 'Hicksii'Taxus x media 'Hicksii'
Common questions
- What evergreen shrubs grow in full shade?
- Sarcococca, Aucuba, Fatsia japonica, Viburnum tinus and Mahonia keep dense foliage in shade and give a dark border year-round structure.
- Why is my evergreen shrub leggy in shade?
- Too little light makes it stretch and thin towards the brightest gap. Choose a shade-tolerant variety and trim lightly each year to keep growth dense and compact.
Related collections
Evergreen plantsEvergreen shrubsEvergreen plants for shadeEvergreen groundcover plants