The Best Dwarf Evergreens for Winter Containers

Choose a hardy, attractive centerpiece that can stay in its pot for several seasons

No garden is complete without at least a fewcontainers for seasonal gloss . I always specify locations for planter when I make a Modern landscape purpose , with the intention of keeping them filled in every season . Although many gardeners keep their containers fill withannualsin summer and cut greenery in wintertime , there is another option . Planting a gnome evergreen plant that can continue in its pot for several time of year will provide bodily structure andtextureevery month of the yr .

When choosing anevergreenshrub or tree for an out-of-door plantation owner , appear for cultivars that are unfearing one zone colder than your area . In other wrangle , if you survive in Zone 5 , your selection should be fearless to Zone 4 or below . Growing conditions for plant in a container are harsher than they are for plants in the ground , so additional resilience is necessary .

Your next decisions are artistic : Are you looking for something tall and stately , low and spread , or something entirely dissimilar ? Here are a few options to get your search started .

Boxwoods look formal and tidy

If you need a plant that is easy to make out and has a authoritative looking , a boxwood ( Buxusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) is a perfect pick . My two favorites are ‘ Green Velvet ’ , which has a ball form , and ‘ Green Mountain ’ ( pictured ) , which has a loosely pyramidal form . Having used these almost solely for over 20 yr , I can manifest to their hardiness and resilience in container . Among the most normally used evergreens for containers , box loan themselves to being lop to almost any shape or size , or they can be will in their natural form . A coat of anti - desiccant spray applied in early wintertime will help abridge foliar damage and dehydration .

For cool, silvery color, choose a dwarf blue spruce

If you ’d like to to add together some cool silverish - blue color to your container , gnome spruce offer many attractive options . ‘ Glauca Globosa ’ blue spruce ( Piceapungens‘Glauca Globosa ’ , Zones 2–8 ) makes a bold statement in a great container , perhaps even more dramatic than when it is plant in the ground . Elevated by a pot , the blue leaf becomes a sculptural statement , and the tree diagram ’s ability to be make a motion around your garden spaces is a bonus . restrained to slow growing , it can stay happy in the same pot for many class .

A dwarf Mugo pine delivers big texture in a small package

Striking and ornamental , pine are useable in a divers variety of build . ‘ Sherwood Compact ’ mugo pine ( Pinusmugo‘Sherwood Compact ’ , Zones 2–7 ) is a dwarf variety that remain under 3 feet improbable and broad , making it sodding for drop anchor a container design . This exceptionally hardy and compact mugo pine is perfect for a container in full sun . strategical spring candle pruning can be used if you opt to keep its compact form even more condensed .

Whichever selection you make , adding evergreens to your containers will transubstantiate your garden by extend its beauty into every season .

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Marti Neely , FAPLD , own and operate Marti Neely Design and Associates in Omaha , Nebraska .

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