15 Best Evergreen and Flowering Shrubs for Hedges (2024)

Gardening

Plants & Flowers

Shrubs

Create Privacy With Natural Borders in Your Outdoor Space

• 01 of 15

  Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata)

  

  Japanese holly looks more like a boxwood shrub than a holly shrub, bearing small, oval leaves. Many cultivars of this broadleaf evergreen are available. For hedge plants, most people select those that reach 3 to 4 feet in height with a similar spread.While this is a hedge with white flowers, it's usually not grown for its small blooms. Instead, it is the decorative fruits that make a showy statement in the garden.

  This is one of the easiest hedges to maintain, requiring a moderate amount of water though it can tolerate drought. It also can tolerate severe pruning, pollution, and poor soil.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White flowers
  • Sun Exposure: Full to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Acidic soil that drains well

• 02 of 15

  English Holly(Ilex aquifolium)

  

  English holly, with its prickly leaves, makes a better hedge plant than Japanese holly if you wish to combine security with aesthetic considerations. This is one type of holly that grows big enough to serve as a privacy screen (the 'Ferox Argentea'cultivar is 15 feet tall by 8 to 10 feet wide).However, note that holly berries are toxic and should be kept away from children and pets.

  Like Japanese holly, this is an easy hedge to maintain. English holly has a fairly slow growth rate, so you won't have to do extensive pruning.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Greenish-white flowers and red berries
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained,slightly acidic, fertile soil

• 03 of 15

  Barberry Bushes (Berberis thunbergii)

  

  Sharp thorns line the barberry's branches, making it a traditional choice for security hedges. Its bright red berries persist through the cold-weather months to provide visual interest in winter. The thorns are present year-round.

  Until recently, barberry had fallen out of favor in North America due to its invasive nature. But the development of new, noninvasive cultivars gives gardeners the opportunity to grow this plant without having to worry about its spread. This shrub can tolerate many growing conditions and requires little maintenance and pruning.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Red berries; some varieties have purple foliage and yellow-orange flowers
  • Sun Exposure: Full to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained soil

• 04 of 15

  Boxwood Shrubs (Buxus)

  

  Boxwoods make a very nice hedge plant. These broadleaf evergreens were adored by aristocratic Europeans for centuries as defining elements informalgarden design. North Americans living in deer country have found a new reason to love boxwood hedges: They are deer-resistant shrubs.

  Boxwoods also are straightforward to care for, especially once they're established. They require a moderate amount of water and annual fertilization. And they tend to grow in a pleasant shape without much pruning.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Yellow-green
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained soil

  Continue to 5 of 15 below.

• 05 of 15

  Mountain Laurels (Kalmia latifolia)

  

  The mountain laurel is another broadleaf evergreen that makes one of the best flowering hedges. It blooms in late spring to early summer with showy, colorful flowers. The pink-flowering types are the most popular.

  Do not try to trim laurels as you would boxwoods. Laurels look best when they are allowed to grow into their natural mature shape.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Rose, pink, white; may have purple markings
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full sun
  • Soil Needs: Cool, rich, moist, well-drainedacidic soil

• 06 of 15

  Yew Bushes (Taxus)

  

  Among needle-bearing evergreens, yew bushes are perhaps the most classic hedge plants. They are popular partly because they tolerate shade. While some yews grow tall enough to serve as privacy screens, yews are slow growers. So don't expect privacy for many years.

  Yew can tolerate some drought but prefers a moderate amount of soil moisture. It also should be fertilized annually. Annual pruning isn't essential due to the slow growth rate, but it can help to promote fuller, more lush growth.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8, depending on the variety
  • Color Varieties: Non-flowering; dark green needles and red berries
  • Sun Exposure: Sun, partial shade, or full shade depending on variety
  • Soil Needs: Well-draining soil with a neutral pH

• 07 of 15

  Lilacs(Syringa vulgaris)

  

  Deciduous hedge shrubs look great while in bloom but are just so-so during the winter. Also, because they drop their leaves and stand naked for part of the year, deciduous shrubs make for less-than-ideal privacy screens. Still, lilacs can make for some of the best flowering hedge plants thanks to their pretty flowers and delicious scent.

  To form a hedge with lilacs, simply plant several of them in a line, and do not fuss with making them conform to precise dimensions.They have a moderate growth rate and will fill out soon enough. If you're looking for small flowering hedge plants, there are dwarf lilac varieties available that might suit your needs.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
  • Color Varieties: Lavender-blue, white, burgundy, deep purple, lilac
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Loamy soil with neutral pH

  See Also

  perfect hedge

• 08 of 15

  Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)

  

  Another deciduous shrub commonly found in hedges is the rose of Sharon. It is a valuable plant for gardeners wishing to maintain acontinuous sequence of bloom because it is one of the late summer-flowering shrubsthat display color during a part of the season when many other plants have already finished blooming for the year.

  Rose of Sharon can be a fast-growing flowering hedge plant in conditions it likes. And if you allow it to self-seed, it can easily form a lush living wall. Pruning isn't a major task, but you can clean up its shape and remove unwanted seedlings.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: White, red, lavender, or light blue
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Rich and moist

  Continue to 9 of 15 below.

• 09 of 15

  Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia)

  

  Forsythia bushesare among the first plants to bloom in spring. You probably will not want to prune them as meticulously as you would, say, boxwood. Most people agree that these early spring-flowering shrubs look best when they're allowed to "have a bad hair day"—i.e., grow in a fairly natural form.

  If you're looking for some of the fastest growing flowering hedges, forsythia might be the choice for you. The larger varieties can gain a couple of feet per year. But there are small varieties too that might suit your needs if you're looking for shorter flowering hedge plants.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Yellow
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained

• 10 of 15

  Privet Hedges (Ligustrum)

  

  Like mountain laurels,privets are broadleaf shrubs that put out flowers, though their whiteflowers are not much of a selling point. Not all varieties of privets are evergreen, and those that are don't grow in all hardiness zones. So check with your local county extension to see whether you can growevergreen privets in your area if you're looking for an evergreen hedge. Also, ask whether they are invasive in your region.

  In the right conditions, privets are fairly easy to grow. They should be watered regularly when they're starting out, but then they can tolerate some drought. They also take well to heavy pruning, so you can shape them to suit your needs.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 7
  • Color Varieties: White flowers
  • Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
  • Soil Needs: Tolerant of a variety of soil types

• 11 of 15

  Azaleas (Rhododendron x Gable Stewartstonian)

  

  As with privets, azaleas can be either evergreen or deciduous, but their flowers are far superior to those on privets. So if you're looking for an evergreen hedge with flowers, see which azalea varieties can grow in your area. Stewartstonian azalea has it all: Its dense branching structure makes it a good hedge plant (in contrast to the Exbury-type azalea, which has a looser branching structure). And it is a shrub that blooms in early spring and offers good fall color.

  Make sure to check your individual variety's growing needs. And provide your azalea with well-draining soil, or it might suffer.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Red, orange, pink, white, yellow, purple
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Fertile, well-drained, acidic, and kept evenly moist

• 12 of 15

  Arborvitae (Thuja)

  

  Arborvitae shrubs are a popular evergreen hedge plant. They have a dense growth habit that makes them good privacy screens orwindbreaks. There aremany types of arborvitae that come in various sizes, shapes, and colors. '​North Pole' and 'Emerald Green' are just about the right size for most landscapes. But 'Green Giant,' which can become 60 feet tall, is likely too big for small properties.

  Pruning needs are minimal, as they grow in a nice natural shape. But you can prune annually to clean up growth and remove any broken or dead portions.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 7
  • Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
  • Soil Needs: Tolerates a range of soils but prefers moist well-drained loams

  Continue to 13 of 15 below.

• 13 of 15

  Canadian Hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis)

  

  Although Canadian hemlocks grow as trees in the wild, they are often sold in shrub form for use in hedges. They are evergreen, so your hedge can provide privacy year-round.

  Canadian hemlocks do well with yearly pruning. But they don't tolerate wind, drought, or high heat very well. Keep the soil moist, but ensure that it has good drainage.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
  • Color Varieties: Small, yellow to light green
  • Sun Exposure: Partial sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Rich, moist, acidic

• 14 of 15

  Acoma Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia x ‘Acoma’)

  

  The Acoma crape myrtle is a hybrid that grows smaller than the main crape myrtle species plant at around 2 to 15 feet high with a slightly smaller spread. Thus, it can make for an excellent flowering hedge with white flowers to add visual interest.

  Only minimal pruning is necessary just to clean up the lower branches. You can also pinch the tips of young plants as they grow to encourage a bushier form. In addition, it's ideal to deadhead (remove the spent flowers) to encourage further blooming.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
  • Color Varieties: White
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Well-draining
    

• 15 of 15

  Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

  

  Ninebark is a fast-growing flowering hedge plant that comes in several size varieties. You can form a small flowering hedge, or get one of the larger varieties that top out at around 10 feet high.

  Ninebark can tolerate many different growing conditions, including clay and rocky soil along with drought. It’s best to prune out around a third of the older or damaged growth after the shrub flowers to improve air circulation and keep it vigorous.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Pink, white
  • Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
  • Soil Needs: Loamy, clay, acidic, well-drained