What is an evergreen plant?
A tree, shrub or flower is deciduous if it sheds its leaves, petals or fruits for part of the year. In the northern and southern hemispheres, this change largely begins in autumn.
But not all plants go through this change. Species that maintain their leaves through autumn and winter are called evergreens. These plants can make a great addition to your outdoor plant collection if you’re looking to keep colour in your garden, patio or balcony all year round. This blog showcases everything you need to know about evergreen plants for autumn and how to maintain them.
Our favourite easy-care, evergreen outdoor plants for autumn
To help brighten up your garden in the greyest of winter months, we’ve put together a list of our favourite evergreen, easy-care outdoor plants for autumn to add vibrancy to your outside space. Whether you have a small balcony or a large garden, these versatile plants can be kept in a plant pot or planted in a bed of soil, so work well in any outdoor space no matter how large or small.
The Euonymus Plant, often called Green Spire Euonymus, is an evergreen shrub that is commonly grown as hedging, climbers or ground cover in gardens across the UK. It maintains its dark green, glossy foliage all year round and in early summer the Euonymus blossoms small green flowers, followed by orange berries. This easy-care outdoor plant can be grown in a pot or a soil bed and is happiest in a sunny spot that gets some light shade throughout the day. Because it's quite compact the Euonymus would work well in the smallest of outdoor spaces, be it a patio, balcony or even on a doorstep.
The Red Cordyline, commonly called Cabbage palm, is an evergreen shrub with beautiful burgundy-purple, large spiky leaves that fan outwards from its base. Because of its bold colour and striking shape, it is often used as a focal point in many gardens. Native to New Zealand, the Red Cordyline grows naturally in a range of climatic conditions making it a hardy outdoor plant that can adapt to the British climate. It will do best in a sunny spot and only needs watering when its soil is dry to touch.
The Bay Tree, also known simply as Bay, is an evergreen shrub that is very popular in British gardens. It’s dark green, aromatic leaves are a source of several spices that are popular in Mediterranean dishes. Once removed from the plant the bay leaves can be dried or used fresh in cooking. As an outdoor plant, the Bay Tree thrives in plant pots that have drainage holes in the bottom, like this recycled plastic outdoor plant pot. To see your Bay Tree at its best, keep it in a sunny spot outside and only water it when the soil has dried out.
The Festuca Glauca, also commonly called Blue Fescue, is an evergreen, ornamental grass with finely-textured, bluey-grey foliage. This unique looking grass will add textural interest to your outside space and can be kept in a pot or planted in a soil bed, working well on your balcony or in your garden. It’s extremely robust and will keep its vibrancy throughout the year, even in the harsh frosty winter months. As a low-maintenance outdoor plant, the Blue Fescue requires very little attention. It will grow best if kept in a sunny spot outside. It is drought tolerant, meaning it needs very little water.
Last but not least is the English Lavender. One of the most popular outdoor plants seen in gardens across the globe, it is famed for its purple, fragrant flowers that stay in bloom all year round. Despite its name, the English Lavender hails from the Mediterranean and will grow best positioned in a sunny spot outside, in either a plant pot or in a bed of soil. Being drought-tolerant, it’s important not to overwater Lavender, waiting for its soil to dry out between each time.
For more outdoor plants view our full collection here.
For more information about how to maintain and look after your plants throughout the seasons, why not take a look at our guides covering: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.