barn nursery - evergreen shrubs

Arborvitae Emerald

The Barn Nursery • I-24 at the 4th Avenue exit • Chattanooga, Tennessee • 423-698-BARN

Abelia

This old southern favorite is an easy to grow evergreen flowering shrub. The small tubular flowers are white or pale pink and are borne from May to frost. Natural habit is rounded and spreading. They grow equally well in sun or part shade in well drained soil and are extremely drought tolerant when established.

These soft textured, evergreen conifers prefer full sun. Dwarf varieties like Danica and Teddy are good for containers or for the front of the shrub border. Taller types like Emerald and Green Giant, make good screens.

Arborvitae Teddy

Aucuba

Sometimes called the gold dust plant, aucuba has striking yellow and green leaves that can light up a shady area. This evergreen can grow 4 to 6 feet tall. A green variety, called serratifolia, is also available and has large red berries in the fall.

Azaleas come in both evergreen and deciduous types. All bloom primarily in the spring, and some have a second, lighter flush of blooms in the fall. Evergreen azaleas can grow from 18 inches to 8 feet tall, depending on variety. They all want afternoon shade and excellent drainage. The Girard series is especially good for Chattanooga. The flowers are large, range from white to pink, red, and purple, and appear late enough in the spring to be safe from late frosts. Deciduous azaleas are generally hardier than their evergreen cousins. Many deciduous azaleas are native to the American southeast, and others like the Exburies are large flowered hybrids. Most grow 5 to 8 feet tall, some taller, and have a loose, informal appearance. Their flowers can be pink or white, but they also come in yellow, orange, and coral.

Azalea Girard’s Saybrook Glory

Azalea Golden Flare

Boxwoods are classic evergreens that grow well sun or part shade. They can be used as a hedge or foundation plant and take shearing well. They can also be pruned into pyramid shapes for accents or container planting. The shortest variety is the slow growing Dwarf English Boxwood, which grows up to 2 feet tall. It is excellent for low hedges or borders. Taller varieties include the medium sized Wintergreen, Green Beauty and Green Velvet, at 3 to 4 feet, and the American Boxwood, which can grow up to up to 8 feet tall. Boxwoods are hardy and long lived plants and are especially suitable for formal landscapes.

Boxwood Green Beauty

Boxwood Green Velvet

Camellias are large growing broadleaf evergreens with spectacular white, pink, or red flowers. Bloom time varies from September to April. The Japonica varieties have larger leaves and flowers and a stiffer habit than the sasanquas. The best japonicas for Chattanooga flower in early spring. Most japonicas need winter protection to flower well here, but the Ice Angels series, including Betty Sette, is hardy down to -10 degrees and will grow even on the mountains. Sasanquas tend to bloom in the fall. Their leaves and flowers are slightly smaller than the japonicas and they have a looser, informal structure. Good sasanqua varieties include the single red Yuletide, and the pink Kanjiro. All camellias prefer afternoon shade and protection from strong winds. Most will grow at least 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, with some topping 12 feet.

Camellia Japonica Betty Sette

Camellia Sasanqua Kanjiro

Camellia Yuletide

The atlas and deodar cedars are the most common for the Chattanooga area. Both are large conifers with elegant layered branching. They prefer full sun and grow 40 to 60 feet tall. Atlas cedars are available with green or blue-green needles in and upright or a weeping form, which is shorter. Deodar cedars have a fluffy, dense habit that is good for a large screen or an accent plant. They are fast growing, and have an elegant, open branching structure with age.

Cedar Atlas

Cedar Atlas Cones

Cedar Deodara

Cedar Weeping

Blue Atlas

False cypress are a huge group of conifers that can by tall or short, green, blue or gold, and have a wide range of shapes. All prefer full sun and good drainage. The best ones for our area include the gold mop cypress, a 3 to 5 foot tall mound of cascading, feathery gold foliage. The fernspray cypress, a handsome pyramidal small tree with gracefully arched branches and deep green fern-like foliage, grows to 9 feet tall. The slender hinoki false cypress grows 8 to 12 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Its deep green foliage and intricate branching make it a good accent plant.

Cypress - Fernspray False Cypress

Cypress - Hinoki False Cypress

Cypress - Leyland Cypress