Evergreen shrubs have the capability to keep their foliage and color during the winter when most plants die down. Dozens of flowering evergreen shrubs also have the added advantage of producing colorful flowers. Evergreen shrubs might have tiny, subtle blooms or brightly colored blooms that light up the shrub and surrounding landscape. These plants prefer well-drained soils and are often drought tolerant.
The warty barberry is an evergreen shrub with a slow growth rate and fine texture. Its compact and rounded form is dense with spreading, arching branches. The leaves on the warty barberry are leather-like, dark green and turn a greenish purple to mahogany in the winter. The leaves grow up to 1 ½ inches long and are tapered on both tends with a spiny-toothed edging. The flowers on warty barberry emerge has a yellow to golden color. The fruit comes with the yellow bloom and is a violet color, creating a sharp contrast with the blooms. Warty barberry shrubs grow 3 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. They prefer full sun to partial shade and tolerate a wide range of soil types, making this shrub very adaptable. Warty barberry shrubs are also drought tolerant and very easy to transplant. The USDA hardiness zones are 5 to 7.
Lindley Butterfly Bush
The lindley butterfly bush is a rapidly growing evergreen shrub with medium to fine texture. Lindley butterfly bushes have a large, rounded form with arching branches that create a striking addition to the landscape. The flowers on the lindley are purple to violet in color and grow in upright panicles that range from 3 to 8 inches long. The dark green shiny leaves are narrow and grow 2 to 4 inches long. Lindley butterfly bushes prefer full sun and moist, well-drained soils. They also tolerate a wide range of soils and are drought tolerant, making these lovely shrubs extremely versatile. Lindley butterfly bushes attract butterflies, hence their name, and require a pruning in late winter to early spring to promote new growth. The USDA hardiness zones are 7 to 9.
Camellia is an evergreen shrub with a slow to moderate growth rate and medium texture. Its upright dense form is pyramidal in shape with stiff branches. The dark green leaves are leather-like and grow 2 to 4 inches long. The flowers on the camellia are 3 to 5 inches wide, semi-double to double and emerge in winter or spring. The vibrant colors include white, red, rose and bright pink. Blooms are often variegated, meaning they have more than one color swirled together. Camellia shrubs grow 8 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide, making for a commanding presence to the landscape. They also prefer partial shade and well-drained, moist soil that is acidic in nature. The USDA hardiness zones are 7 to 9.