BROADLEAF EVERGREENS

April 27, 2026 Karen Logan

Rhododendron Maximum illustration by karen blackerby logan

BONES OF THE GARDEN

Broadleaf evergreens

Often in spring, it’s easy to get excited about the fresh smells and colors of early spring flowers that first burst to life after winter. But beneath all that seasonal excitement, it’s the evergreens that quietly hold everything together. They are the bones of the garden, the structure and backdrop. While flowers come and go, evergreens carry the landscape through every season. Broadleaf evergreens, in particular, offer year-round texture and depth, anchoring the garden in winter and elevating it in spring, summer, and fall. They don’t just fill space, they give the garden its shape.

Rhdodendrons are wonderful for year round screening

The Benefits of Broadleaf Evergreens

They provide year round interest
Great for privacy screening
Drought resistant, once established
Provides habitats for birds and other small animals
Pollinator friendly!
Great for Martha’s Vineyards climate zone 7A

Most broadleaf evergreens have a spectacular display of spring blooms!

Even better, they don’t all flower at once. Skimmia and Pieris japonica lead the way in early spring, followed by azaleas and rhododendrons creating a long, layered season of color.

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BROADLEAF EVERGREENS

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SKIP CHERRY LAURELS

Skip Cherry Laurels are vibrant evergreen trees that can create dense privacy hedges for any yard. Skip laurels grow to be 10-18 feet tall and 5-7 feet wide, with a moderate growth rate of roughly 24 inches per year. While they thrive in full sunlight, Skip laurels also fare very well in the shade. Their dense foliage is glossy green year-round. In the springtime, you’ll be rewarded with fragrant white blossoms that attract all kinds of pollinators. In fall and winter, Skip laurel trees produce red berries that attract songbirds.

Make excellent privacy screens

Green year-round
Fragrant, white blossoms in spring
Drought-tolerant
Smaller leaves than other laurels that give a neat, compact look
Deer-resistant

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MAHONIA

Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ is a small to medium evergreen shrub growing up to 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide, with an upright form and large fern-like leaves arranged in whorls on sturdy, branching stems. In late fall to early winter, it produces fragrant yellow flower spikes followed by clusters of waxy blue berries loved by birds. A striking focal point in the winter garden.

PLANTING TIP
Plant Winter Sun Mahonia in a sheltered site, ideally with an eastern exposure. It prefers moist, well-drained soil. Plant it where its winter blooms and fragrance can be enjoyed up close, along a path or near a seating area.

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AZALEAS

This spring, our flowering shrubs include the familiar evergreen rhododendrons and azaleas. Azaleas are part of the rhododendron family and represent a diverse genus with many species, including both evergreen and deciduous forms. In general, deciduous azaleas bloom slightly later than evergreen types, flowering on old wood before the new leaves emerge.

Some deciduous, fragrant azaleas:

Azalea viscosum, native swamp azalea: These bloom a little later and often bloom before the foliage emerges, making them extra showy. The fragrant blooms will perfume your entire property, growing 8-10ft tall and 6-8ft wide.
My Mary: A yellow, fragrant, deciduous, spring blooming azalea that attracts pollinators and butterflies, growing 4-5ft tall.
Rhododendron prunifolium: This is a species azalea (not a hybrid). It is a native wild azalea.

There are some deciduous Weston hybrids with viscosum that stay smaller. If an 8ft shrub is too big for your spot try one of these :

Lemon Drop: A yellow blooming fragrant deciduous azalea
Innocence: A white blooming fragrant deciduous azalea

To see these deciduous azaleas in their full splendor they will be blooming in a few weeks at the Polly Hill Arboretum!

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BUXUS (BOXWOOD)

Buxus is an evergreen deer resistant shrub that typically bloom in May. They do best in some afternoon shade and are a great back drop for deciduous plantings. Even though the flowers seem insignificant, they still produce nectar and pollen for beneficial insects.

Buxus sempervirens: This variety has an elegant columnar habit with a soft and lush foliage of ovate, lustrous leaves. Its deep green foliage has shown good resistance to boxwood blight.
Buxus microphylla var. japonica 'Winter Gem' : “An excellent evergreen shrub for small hedges. Among the hardiest of the small-leaved boxwoods, the rich green foliage can acquire a golden bronze hue in cold winter zones, but is one of the first to become green again in spring. Makes a wonderful addition to formal gardens, providing year-round interest.” (monrovia)

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HOLLIES

We love hollies at Vineyard Gardens! Our appreciation traces back to Chuck Wiley, the original owner, who grew up near Fernbrook Nursery in New Jersey, known for its beautiful American hollies (Ilex opaca). That early exposure sparked a lifelong admiration. American hollies are also more deer resistant than many other types, and for berry production, you’ll need both a male and female plant nearby.

American holly, Ilex opaca

“The stout, stiff branches of this pyramidal evergreen bear dark green, non-glossy, spine-tipped leaves. Bright red berries occur on the female plants. Many varieties are grown for ornament, shade, and hedges. You must have both a male and female plant to have berries, The male must be the same holly species as the female and bloom at the same time. This is a slow-growing tree (but slower growing is stronger). Berries are attractive and a good winter food source for birds.” (Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center) The height of American holly grows up to 25ft. They can be pruned to be kept smaller.

Ilex opaca ‘Jersey Knight’: A male cultivar that is considered to be a good pollinator. Typically grows 7-8’ tall and spreads to 3-4’ wide over the first 10 years.
Ilex opaca ‘Jersey Princess’
Ilex opaca ‘Portia Orton’
Ilex opaca ‘Satyr Hill’

Inkberry, Ilex glabra

“A mound-shaped, colony-forming shrub 6-12 ft. tall and wide. Lance-shaped, sparingly-toothed, glossy, leathery foliage varies in color from dark- to light-green both in summer and fall. Inconspicuous flowers are followed by black berries which persist well into winter. This species differs from all other evergreen hollies by lacking spines on the leaves, only having teeth toward the tip of the leaves.” (Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center)

Ilex glabra ‘Compacta’

Ilex glabra ‘Shamrock’

Winterberry, Ilex verticillata

“The leaves of Common winterberry are not shaped with sharp teeth like other hollies and are not evergreen. The purplish green foliage turns black, in fact, with the first frost. The inconspicuous flowers, however, are followed by dense clusters of bright red berries that remain on the branches throughout winter. Winterberry is a globular, upright, medium-sized shrub, typically 6-10 ft. tall. Extremely showy in late fall and early winter when covered with their bright red fruit, these shrubs are either male or female--a trait typical of the holly family. Birds are readily attracted to them.” (Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center)

Ilex verticillata Southern Gentleman
Ilex verticillata Winter Gold
Ilex verticillata Winter Red
Ilex verticillata Little Goblin Guy
Ilex verticillata Little Goblin Red

and even more holly varieties are available!

EVERGREEN TREES AND SHRUBS FOR SHADE

July 19, 2024 Karen Logan

Camellia illustration by Karen Blackerby Logan

EVERGREEN TREES &

SHRUBS FOR SHADE

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Broadleaf Evergreens are known to tolerate shade and many will also grow well in full sun. With their year round foliage they can add interest to your beds, woodland borders or create screening in a shady spot between you and your neighbor. Broadleaf evergreens can give you the privacy you need. They can also create fabulous backdrops to deciduous plants that flower. Plant them young and they will grow larger every year. We also carry several species of smaller broadleaf evergreen shrubs that can take shade. These work well in foundation plantings or in your shrub or perennial beds.

Deer resistant broadleaf evergreens we like to recommend are Pieris japonica, Mahonias and Osmanthus heterophyllus.

Pieris japonica illustration by karen blackerby logan

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EVERGREEN TREE & SHRUB VARIETIES

Azaleas
Leucothoe
Osmanthus heterophyllus (False Holly) : Seldom severely damaged by deer. Looks like holly. We have found the species heterophyllus to be hardy, able to survive in dense shade and they are deer resistant. The flowers are fragrant! We carry a popular variegated variety called Goshiki.
Pieris japonica (Andromedas): Blooms in spring with panicles of beautiful bells mostly in white. We do carry a pink blooming one. Can grow 6-8ft tall and 5-6ft wide. We carry dwarf ones as well. Deer resistant.
Skimmia japonica: Needs a male and a female to be planted together for the female to berry up.
Skimmia reevesiana: Rarely damaged by deer. Does not need a male to cross pollinate like Skimmia japonica.
Prunus schipkaensis (Skip Laurels): They will easily get 6-8ft tall. Good for flowers and for screening.
Photinia fraserii: At the margins of its hardiness zone. It has handsome evergreen foliage. The new growth is reddish and in cold weather the leaves turn reddish again. It can grow over 6ft tall and wide.
Leucothoe, Skimmia and some Pieris japonica are examples of smaller broadleaf evergreen shrubs that can take shade.
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CAMELLIAS & AUCUBAS

Camellias and Aucubas should be planted near foundation plantings or by a stone wall for the heat they absorb during a sunny day. They may get some die back during a very cold winter. Prune the dead ones out in the spring. Camellias have shiny lovely evergreen foliage and flowers that look like Peonies. Aucubas need a male to berry up. Aucuba Mr. Goldstrike will pollinate Aucuba serratifolia, which is known for producing large red, berry like fruit.

Aucuba japonica
- serratifolia
- Mr. Goldstrike
Camellia April Pink

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BUXUS

(Rarely damaged by deer)

Buxus Winter Green
Buxus Green Beauty
Buxus Variegata

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RHODODENDRONS

Roseum Elegans & Catawba Rhododendron get over 10ft tall. Plant them young and they will grow larger each year. Great for flowers and for screening.

Catawba Rhododendron (Native)
Maximum Rhododendron (Native)
PGM Rhododendron
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MAHONIA

(All Native) (Rarely damaged by deer)

Mahonias are also known as Oregon Grape Holly. They bear panicles of purple fruit after flowering that look like grapes.

Mahonia repens
Mahonia Winter Sun
Mahonia Charity
Mahonia Arthur Menzies
Mahonia nervosa
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HOLLIES

Hollies are always a good choice for shade. We carry American, English, Japanese Chinese and hybrid Hollies. Several of the Japanese Hollies (Ilex crenata) are smaller shrubs. Blue Hollies (Meserve Hybrids) are like shrub Hollies instead of tree Hollies and can be pruned and kept a bit shorter. The Hollies need a male to pollinate the female to get the berries. We also grow specialty Hollies from cuttings. Ask at the nursery about our collection.

Meserve Hybrids (Blue Hollies)
Ilex Dragon Slayer

Ilex mes Blue Maid
Ilex Robin
Ilex x Greenleaf
Ilex crenata
- Ilex Steeds (Ocassionally severely damaged by deer)
- Hoogendorn
- Soft Touch
- Sky Pencil

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Pieris japonica

Ilex Dragon Slayer

Ilex Robin

Azalea 'PJM'

Rhodendron screening

Winter Sun Mahonia

Buxus

Skip Cherry Laurel

Camellia

Camellia sasanqua

In general we do not recommend you plant conifers in shade. They may not die but they will grow long and leggy. Your much better off planting a Holly, Mahonia or Osmanthus (if you have deer).

native plant finder

for trees and shrubs

PERENNIAL GROUNDCOVERS

June 28, 2024 Karen Logan

Virginia Bluebells [photo by keith kurman]

PERENNIAL

GROUNDCOVERS

Low-growing, ground-hugging perennial plants are the best low-maintenance ground coverings. Groundcovers bring color, textural interest, plant food/shelter for insects and a great replacement for mulch. They can even be an alternative to lawns. Native groundcovers require no fertilizer and only supplemental watering. There are evergreen groundcovers that cover throughout the winter and help with erosion control. Some groundcovers thrive under canopy of shade others do well in full sun.

WOOD SPURGE (Euphorbia Robbiae): A deer-resistant evergreen groundcover that is spread stoloniferously. A vigorous spreader, blooming in spring on 18” tall stalks. They prefer a little afternoon shade.
PERSICARIA: A taller groundcover with late season flowers, spanning four months from July to October. A vigorous, stoloniferous spreader. We have available Alba, Amethyst Summer and Fat Domino.
SWEET WOODRUFF (Galium odoratum): Sweet Woodruff is a lovely plant that will spread like a groundcover in your garden. It has small white flowers in spring through early summer. It’s vigorous but not aggressive and can coexist nicely with bulbs that will come right up through it. They spread stoloniferously by sending out stolons or side shoots just beneath the soil surface. An ideal ground cover around shrubs and/or as a border accent in woodland gardens. It thrives in rich garden soil, in part to full shade.
HYPERICUMS CALCYNUM (St. John’s Wort): A ground cover with large yellow flowers. It can take partial shade but likes a little afternoon shade. With this groundcover more sun equals more flowers! Hypericums calcynum spreads stoloniferously (through underground stems). If it likes the spot, it will spread vigorously. A pollinator magnet!
PACHYSANDRA: We carry the Japanese spurge, pachysandra terminalis. Our favorite is the native one, Pachysandra procumbens. Pachysandra is considered an evergreen groundcover.
VINCA: We carry Vinca minor Bowles, with the early summer blooming blue flowers and the white flowering Vinca minor. We also carry Illumination, a vinca cultivar with yellow variegated foliage and a blue flower.
EPIMEDIUM, BARRENWORT: A less common groundcover that thrives in shade. This year we have Sunny and Share, Ellen Willmot, Pink Champagne, Red Beauty and Nanum.
FERNS: Ferns can spread nicely like ground covers such as Matteuca struthiopteris (the Ostrich fern), Dennstaedtia punctiloba (Hay Scented Fern) and Onoclea sensibilis. Dennstaedtia punctiloba and Onoclea sensibilis are both hard to find. We don’t have either in stock right now.
GEUM: The native Geum is a good ground cover. Geum triflorum has beautiful seed pods.
THYME: Creeping and wooly thymes are ground covers we like to recommend for sun. Creeping thyme comes in white flowers (albiflorus), red flowers (coccineus) or pink chintz with pink flowers. We also carry creeping lemon and Elfin thyme.
LAURENTIA fluviatilis ‘BLUE STAR CREEPER’ and PRATIA: Two other interesting plants that spread like ground covers.

Wood Anenome Vestal

Sweet Wooodruff

Sweet Woodruff and French Lavender

Virginia Bluebells

Fern

Epimedium new growth

Epimedium x Domino

Viinca, white flower

Pachysandra

Bearberry (native)

Myrtle Spurge

Brunnera macrophylla

Wild Strawberry (native)

Veronica Speedwell

Mayapple

Gingers bloom in early spring. The flowers are hidden beneath the foliage, rarely seen and are pollinated by ants! They are grown for their foliage which spreads and in certain species is evergreen, like the europeum.

EUROPEAN GINGER (Asarum europeum): a spreading perennial ground cover with shiny rounded leaves.

In my opinion there isn’t a prettier flower than a Blue Bell. They spread and form large clumps with beautiful blue flowers in spring. They don’t bloom all summer so it’s a good idea to plant in combination with a later emerging and blooming perennial. The later blooming perennial will fill in the space nicely when the Virginia Blue Bells are past their bloom and dormant until the following spring.

MERTENSIA virginica ‘VIRGINIA BLUEBELLS’: They do best with a little afternoon shade.

Try planting ground covers at the base of your shrubs instead of mulching. Ground covers are very effective at keeping weeds out!

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SUCCESSION GARDENING

Succession Gardening is a new concept in groundcovers where one plant replaces another one that is gone by in the same area. These ‘groundcovers’ may not spread stoloniferously but they will cover the ground where another plant has passed.

Alchemilla, Perennial Geraniums, Hostas, Euphorbia, Lupine, Rodgersia, Cimicifuga, Aruncus, ornamental rhubarb (Rheum), Bronze Fennel, (Foeniculum vulgare), Sanguisorba , Aconitum, Foxgloves and Thalictrum, can all be used as plants that emerge late and will cover up earlier blooming plants. They will grow up, over and fill in the space when early bloomers and cool weather annuals finish blooming and go dormant, like Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)or Bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis).
Enjoy the bulbs in spring and then cover up their foliage with Ladies Mantle(Alchemilla mollis) or Geranium sanguineum album.
Hostas are late to emerge and are also often planted in areas where you have early bloomers that don’t last all summer, like Trilliums, Shooting Stars(Dodecatheons) or bulbs like Crocus or Chionodoxa.
It may take larger plants such as Thalictrum to cover up larger bulb foliage like daffodils or Fall crocus (Colchicum). Even Cammasia foliage can be hidden away after it’s done blooming! The Thalictrum will come right through the messy bulb foliage and cover it right up. You don’t even have to cut it back.

This is an old concept that is being perfected at Great Dixter House and Gardens in England, where Andrew did an internship. This concept also serves to increase the biodiversity of the garden.

PXL_20240517_172236156.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg

Geranium 'Cranesbill'

Foxglove Apricot

Foxgloves

Lupine

Lady's Mantle

Hosta

Thalictrum

Cimicifuga Brunette

native groundcovers

for beauty & biodiversity

ecological gardening

share your habitat

EVERGREENS FOR SCREENING

September 28, 2022 Karen Logan

EVERGREENS FOR SCREENING

Evergreens retain their foliage for a full year or more and are classified as either conifers or broadleaf evergreens. Coniferous plants belong to the phylum gymnosperms which are plants that bear cones instead of flowers as reproductive structures. Their leaves are called either needles or scales. These are adaptations for survival in tough windy droughty conditions, like on top of mountains. While broad leaf evergreens have flowers that produce seeds and belong to the phylum Angiosperms, the flowering plants. They are beautiful and functional! Both conifers and broadleaf evergreens are a wonderful asset to your landscape and for screening.

SCREENING is one of the most requested landscape functions. This can seem like a very simple request however from the grower’s perspective it is much more complex and dependent on budget and environment.

BUDGET: How much you have to spend on screening directly correlates to the amount of time it will take to achieve your end goal. The bigger the tree, grass or shrub, the more expensive it is and the more work it is to install. Faster growing plants are not always an ideal option. A fast growing plant can be weak wooded, suffering from high winds or winter damage, or the plant could be invasive and outgrow its location. Even very large transplants can take a couple of years to re-set their supporting root systems. The most economical and hardiest solution is to start your screening "vision" with smaller plants that can quickly establish themselves with slower growth screening behind.

ENVIRONMENT: The Island may be small but it is very diverse in terrain and habitats. What would work for a screen in Vineyard Haven will not necessarily work for screening on the north shore in Chilmark. There are many different soils, exposures and pests that can modify your choices. Deer are a big problem up island and poor, sandy soils are a problem in Oak Bluffs. Some areas have clay soils that cause poor drainage that can slowly kill off new plantings. Some have ample available water that can cause problems for plants like Juniper that are adapted to poor, dry soils. It may help to remember that what you see above ground is only half of the plant, what goes on below is perhaps even more important.

*Layered screening with large Thuja plicatas that give wonderful privacy*

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CONIFERS WE’D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT

Picea Abies (Norway Spruce). A fast growing evergreen. Growing on average of 13 inches per year! This is ideal for planting on the island because it grows in acidic, loamy, sandy, well drained & clay soils.
Cupressocyparis Leylandii (Leyland Cypress). Grows at least 24" per year. Also ideal for island growing conditions, except for near the shore, where salt and wind can cause irreversible damage.

Pinus Strobus (Eastern White Pine). Prefers acidic, moist, well drained soil. This evergreen grows at least 24" each year.
Thuja plicata Green Giant: We have been carrying this cultivar for years. This specific variety can get up to 60' tall! Many use arborvitae as screening for privacy on their properties, as well as a windbreaker. We have them in several sizes.
Thuja plicata Virginian: This year we received a new cultivar of arborvitae from Worthington Farms, introduced as Thuja 'Green Giants' little sister. Thuja Virginian grows only 15' tall x 6' wide in ten years. Grows 1 to 2 feet yearly. It is also known to be deer resistant! They are beautiful and make great screening. We offer 3 different sizes up to 9'.

BENEFITS OF EVERGREENS

Provide year round interest
Great for privacy screening
Provides habitats for birds and other small animals
Drought resistant, once established
Pollinator friendly!
Great for Martha’s Vineyards climate zone 7A (hardier than zone 7A).

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Pinpoint Blue’