IF YOUR GARDEN looks good in February, it will look good all year. One of the main components of a winter-attractive garden design is the use of structural evergreens to help anchor and define your space and carry it through the seasons.
The last three years of extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme drought, and extreme humidity have whittled down our Austin planting palette of tough structural evergreen plants considerably. This is my list of the top ten most indestructible evergreens, with an emphasis on smaller plants that work well in urban gardens.
1) Yuccas. Did you know that yuccas even grow in Wisconsin? They’re not just a desert plant! There’s a yucca that fits nearly every sun exposure, but they all require a well drained soil. Yucca pallida works well in part sun, and yucca rostrata adds dramatic height in full sun. Colorful varieties such as “Color Guard” add visual interest all year.
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2) Sabal minor. Dwarf palmetto is a native palm that forms a trunk underground before it pushes out top growth, making it extremely cold and drought tolerant (for a palm) once it’s established. Its broader leaves are a good foil for more finely textured plants and lend tropical flair.
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3) Whale’s Tongue agave (A. ovatifolia) and Squid agave (Agave bracteosa) have been the most cold tolerant of the various agave species. Just make sure they’re in well drained soil and kept dry in the winter.
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4) Dwarf sterile nandina cultivars. New nandina cultivars stay compact and also don’t produce the berries that poison birds. Check out varieties “Firepower” or “Nana” for evergreen winter color. Nandinas in general grow in a skinny upright fashion, so if you want the look of a fuller bush, buy a few and group them.
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5) Ornamental grasses and sedges. There’s an ornamental grass for nearly every situation. Try our native inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) in the shade or to help hold a slope in place, or Lindheimer/Big Muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri) for a large statement grass. Check out Webberville sedge (Carex perdentata) for areas that transition from sun to shade. Sedges work particularly well planted en masse and interplanted with various seasonal bulbs— rain lilies, lycoris, naturalizing daffodils, etc.
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6) Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora). While our native mountain laurels did sustain some freeze damage during our extreme cold three years ago, most mature trees were able to bounce back. This is also an excellent firewise plant if you’re in an area that backs to greenbelt. And you can’t beat the purple fragrant spring flowers!
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7) ‘Micron’ dwarf yaupon. This yaupon is a fabulous substitution for boxwood, which is susceptible to blight. It’s extremely drought tolerant once established, and the cold didn’t phase it. The one thing to keep in mind is that the wood is brittle and if you have dogs who like to play roughhouse, they can easily smash it to smithereens without even trying.
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8) Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) and Heartleaf Skullcap (Scutellaria ovata) as a combo. The Heartleaf Skullcap forms an attractive fuzzy grey-green winter groundcover before it blooms in the spring, and Turk’s Cap tends to be slow to return in the spring, filling in just in time to hide the skullcap as it goes dormant for the summer. I like to interplant the two for year-round interest.
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9) Yaupon hollies (Ilex vomitoria). Both “Will Fleming” and “Pride of Houston” (see photo above) did well through drought, heat, and cold. “Will Fleming” does require regular pruning to keep it neat looking and not floppy, but well-maintained ‘Will Fleming’ hollies did just fine during our ice storm
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10 ) Tangerine Beauty crossvine (Bignonia capreolata 'Tangerine Beauty') - I have nothing bad to say about this incredibly useful cultivar of our native crossvine. It likes sun. It likes part shade. It'll even grow in full shade, though you won't see the same fullness or flowers. It's not terribly picky about soil, as long as it gets regular water for the first year while it gets established.
While crossvine did freeze down to the ground at 5 degrees, it shrugged off 14 degrees this past winter and burst into full bloom right on schedule this spring. I use it a lot on custom built trellises where evergreen privacy screening is needed, but there's not room (or the patience required) for a traditional hedge, or in situations where I previously would have used a clumping bamboo (another casualty of the last 3 years). Crossvine has the ability to cover an 8' tall screen in less than two seasons, and unlike most of our other vining options, it has a graceful draping habit, which means a lot less work to keep it looking neat.
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11) Rocks. I kid, I kid, but I don’t kid. Using permanent hardscape elements such as brick walkways, interesting sculptural rocks, stone edging, birdbaths, or fountains help define your space and give you something to look at no matter what the weather throws at you. It’s worth spending the time and money to make sure your permanent elements are attractive and installed properly. ❦
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Lori is an Austin garden designer and gardening coach. Contact her at: 512 921 5908; loridauldesign@gmail
