Regional Picks: Unusual Evergreens – South

1. Mountain Laurel

Name:Kalmia latifoliaand cvs.

USDA Hardiness Zones:5 to 9

Size:8 to 15 foot tall and wide

Conditions : Full sun to fond shade ; moist , humus - plenteous , acidulous , well - run out soil

Yes , mint bay wreath will , indeed , prosper in southern coastal garden . Clusters of cup - shaped pink blooms make it one of our most showstopping native shrubs and a guarantee garden conversation piece . Give it room to spread and conditions akin to those it prefers in the wild — moist spate slopes or cool , fishy riverbank — and you will be rewarded with a elegant , beautiful , modeled shrub . employ mulch to serve retain soil wet and to keep its root cool . For the best results , seek out nurseries that pass around it from local populations .

2. Purple Anise

Name:Illicium floridanumand cvs.

Zones:7 to 9

Size:6 to 10 foot grandiloquent and 5 to 8 foot wide

condition : Partial to full shade ; moist to pie-eyed soil

visitant to your garden will do a two-fold - take when they spot the starburst maroon bloom of this tough aboriginal shrub . Purple anise occurs naturally in moist , shady woodland ravine and near stream , make it an excellent choice for wet areas in your yard . locate purple anise where its flowers may be appreciated up near , or naturalize it in your woodland garden . In sunnier area , keep the plant slopped . Many unusual cultivars are uncommitted , with edition in heyday color and foliage diversification . The fragrant leave make this evergreen insubordinate to browsing cervid .

3. Moonglow®Sweetbay Magnolia

Name:Magnolia virginiana‘Jim Wilson’

Zones:5 to 10

Size:15 to 35 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide

consideration : Full sunshine to partial shade ; medium to sloshed , productive , acidic , well - drain soil

With its attractive , upright , multitrunked social system and silver gray - backed leaves that foam in the pushover , Moonglow ® sweetbay magnolia is a true ocular pleasure as a patio or specimen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . This flyspeck form of our native sweetbay magnolia is well suitable for pocket-sized space and is also more inhuman tolerant . Its stinker - scented , creamy white blooms are declamatory than the species , and the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has no disease or insect problems . Moonglow ® will tolerate a range of soil conditions , including smashed area and crushed spots in your garden . Its bright red seeds are showy and attractive to wildlife .

4. ‘Emily Bruner’ Holly

Name:Ilex‘Emily Bruner’

Size:15 to 20 infantry tall and 10 to 15 feet broad

condition : Full Lord’s Day to fond tone ; moist , well - drained soil

Having once garden for Emily Bruner , I ’ll always have a soft place for this profusely fruiting female holly . Along with an attractive columnar form and showy , dark light-green leafage , low-toned - care ‘ Emily Bruner ’ holly also has a coarse texture that induce it to stand out in the landscape a bit more distinctly than , for exercise , the democratic ‘ Nellie R. Stevens ’ holly . It is handsome as a specimen , in group , or as a screen for a property strain . And it ’s cervid resistant , to boot . To secure berry production , works nearby a manful pollinator , such as a ‘ John T. Morris ’ or ‘ Edward J. Stevens ’ holly ( I.‘John T. Morris ’ or ‘ Edward J. Stevens ’ , Zones 6–9 ) .

Patricia Drackett is director of The Crosby Arboretum at Mississippi State University in Picayune .

Photos : ( 1 ) , Carl Johnson ; ( 2 ) , Bill Johnson ; ( 3 ) , Doreen Wynja ; ( 3 ) , Jerry Pavia ; bottom right

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Regional Picks: Unusual Evergreens – Northeast

Regional Picks: Unusual Evergreens - Midwest

Regional Picks: Unusual Evergreens - Southern Plains

Regional Picks: Unusual Evergreens - Northern California

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