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10 award-winning (AGM) low-maintenance evergreen plants

Every garden needs a structure that looks good year-round and acts as a foil for other, more ephemeral beauties. This is where tough evergreen plants come in

Low-maintenance evergreen plants include many shrubs, but there are also some very useful perennials. These winners of the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) are all good choices and offer a long season of interest, which is important as containers tend to be placed in prominent positions. Most of the plants in this selection are best planted in the ground, but you can still grow them in large containers for at least 5-10 years.

Vertical and horizontal

Spindle ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ occasionally produces a few small, inconspicuous greenish flowers
Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ is one of those shrubs that is all too often overlooked. This is because it’s reliable and largely gets on with growing in your garden without much need to look after it! The golden foliage cheers in winter and creates a low mat of leaves, typically 50-60cm high. For vivid contrast and winter interest, use it to underplant the dogwood Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’. Hardiness rating H5.

Hidden attractions

In winter, sweet box is covered with inconspicuous, very sweetly scented flowers
Sarcococca confusa rustles in the wind, highlighting its elliptical light-green leaves and wiry stems. It’s a confidently handsome evergreen that can even be clipped into domes to add texture in the border. It’s also one to consider planting near a doorway, as in the depths of winter, the inconspicuous blooms sweeten the air for weeks at a time. It thrives in most soils, apart from those that are waterlogged. Height is about 1.2-1.5m but can grow taller. Hardiness rating H5.

Outside the box

Osmanthus delavayi is a dense, rather slow-growing medium-sized evergreen shrub 
Many of us are looking for tough, easy-to-grow alternatives to box. Osmanthus delavayi won’t form a hedge, but is great for balls and domes at least 1m tall. It will make a rounded shrub of about 2.5m tall unless you give it an annual trim after flowering. The fragrant, pure-white blooms appear in April and May, making a striking contrast with the dark green leaves. This shrub prefers sun but will tolerate light shade. Hardiness rating H5.

Drought-busting colour

Spider flower ‘Canberra Gem’ produces deep pink flowers in clusters from winter to summer
In late spring, rhododendrons sock you in the eye with their full-on saturated flower colour. That makes them a great choice if you have rich soil that stays moist all summer. However, if your garden soil is on the dry side, choose Grevillea ‘Canberra Gem’ instead. Its blooms are as saturated in deep pink-red and their curiously curly, shrimp-like form makes for a great talking point. Height to 3m, but can be pruned after flowering. Hardiness rating H4.

Helping hands

It’s impossible not to fall in love with Fatsia japonica’s palmately lobed leaves
Fatsia japonica is one of the most viewed plants on the RHS website, and our plant experts agree it’s a worthy garden addition, awarding it an AGM. Adaptable in sun or shade, its hand-like leaves have a glossy shine that brightens up any garden corner. It reaches up to 4m tall, but it’s slow-growing and will take a hard prune in mid spring when necessary. The leaves are also loved by flower arrangers for their long vase life and good structure. Hardiness rating H5.

Long live Chelsea

Bright-green leaves and white flowers distinguish Choisya × dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’
Launched with fanfare at the 1989 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Choisya × dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’ has certainly lived up to the hype. It has neat, glossy evergreen leaves and a scattering of scented white blooms in early summer. It’s perhaps no surprise that it has been such a success, as it was bred by talented Peter Moore for Hillier nurseries in Hampshire. Just choose a sunny spot and avoid waterlogged soils to enjoy it in your own garden. Height up to 3m, but easily pruned after flowering. Hardiness rating H4.

Leaves to never forget

The leaves of Bergenia ‘Sunningdale’ turn to shades of red and bronze in autumn
The common name of elephant’s ears might suggest the leaf shape of Bergenia ‘Sunningdale’, but that’s not the whole story. The joy of ‘Sunningdale’ is the elegantly arching spring flowers. Bold and magenta-pink in tone, the blooms are offset by ruby-coloured stems and the red undersides of the leaves. As a fan of BBC Radio 4’s long-running The Archers, I often muse about it growing in the garden of the infamous Linda Snell as a reminder of her time in Sunningdale, Surrey. I wouldn’t put it past her, anyway, and I think others should follow her example! Flowers to 50cm, leaves around 30cm tall. Hardiness rating H7.

Reliable flax

Phormium ‘Yellow Wave’ is a perennial with arching, strap-shaped leaves to 1m in length
Grasses are all very well, but sometimes you don’t want plants that die back to the colour of straw in winter. That’s where Phormium ‘Yellow Wave’ comes in. The yellow-striped leaves of this low-growing New Zealand flax look fresh all year round. After a few years, you’ll also see yellow blooms in the height of summer, which are about 1.2m tall. It’s also pretty tough, having survived all the cold winters of the last 30 years in Birmingham – the lowest dipping below -10°C. Hardiness rating H4.

Time-approved favourite

Camellia ‘Anticipation’ has flowers that resemble peonies in shape
Spending time with a plant gives me a good understanding of how truly worthy it is. After more than 30 years, I can say that Camellia × williamsii ‘Anticipation’ is a cracker. Mid-green leaves set off the pom-pom pink blooms in April and May. It’s also good at ejecting faded flowers, ensuring the display stays fresh. This camellia is a neat grower (better, in my opinion, than the ever-popular ‘Donation’) and responds well to a little clipping after flowering. It can grow to 4m – just look at the one at RHS Garden Wisley on Battleston Hill – but I’ve kept it nearer 1.5m with ease. Hardiness rating H5.

Evergreen royalty

You can recognise Mahonia × media ‘Winter Sun’ by its long, spiny, pinnate dark-green leaves
If you want an easy shrub with scented blooms in the run-up to Christmas, Mahonia × media ‘Winter Sun’ is a fine option. The yellow flowers form a golden crown when they glisten in the low winter light. Adding to this are the geometric, spiny leaves that are a brilliant burglar deterrent when planted on a boundary. Thankfully, the little pruning it needs isn’t painful. The trick is to grasp the smooth stem and not the leaves, and then make your cut. Height to 3m. Hardiness rating H5.

RHS hardiness rating

The system of hardiness ratings enables gardeners to understand the hardiness of plants and gives a guide to the best growing conditions.

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