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Evergreen shrubs for winter structure

A garden made entirely of herbaceous perennials disappears in November, and the shrubs that hold their leaves are what stop it. Sprint 18 authored the foliage field and could not query it, so this list was filtered on lifecycle instead — which returned every woody plant in the catalogue, because a shrub is a perennial whether or not it has any leaves on it in January. Sprint 19 made persistence queryable and the question now selects on the fact it is actually about.

How this list was built

Generated from the catalogue by the same engine that powers What can I grow? — 16 of the 27 shrubs and conifers qualify. It is published because it names a question people ask, returns enough plants to be useful, does not return most of the group it is about, and rests on fields that are actually populated. Lists that fail any of those are on the coverage page instead.

16 plants
PlantTypeLightSpacingMin. pot depthIn a container
Californian lilacCeanothus thyrsiflorusOrnamentalSome care neededFull sun150–250 cm60 cmmarginal
CamelliaCamellia japonicaOrnamentalSome care neededPartial shade, Dappled shade150–250 cm40 cmwell suited
Christmas boxSarcococca confusaOrnamentalStraightforwardFull shade, Dappled shade, Partial shade75–100 cm40 cmwell suited
EscalloniaEscallonia rubraOrnamentalStraightforwardFull sun, Partial shade75–150 cm60 cmmarginal
FatsiaFatsia japonicaOrnamentalStraightforwardFull shade, Dappled shade, Partial shade150–250 cm40 cmwell suited
FirethornPyracantha coccineaOrnamentalStraightforwardFull sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade120–200 cm70 cmmarginal
HebeHebeOrnamentalStraightforwardFull sun, Partial shade45–120 cm25 cmwell suited
LavenderLavandula angustifoliaOrnamentalSome care neededFull sun45–90 cm25 cmwell suited
MahoniaMahonia × mediaOrnamentalStraightforwardPartial shade, Dappled shade, Full shade150–250 cm40 cmmarginal
Mexican orange blossomChoisya ternataOrnamentalStraightforwardFull sun, Partial shade120–180 cm50 cmworkable
OsmanthusOsmanthus × burkwoodiiOrnamentalStraightforwardFull sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade75–150 cm60 cmworkable
PierisPieris japonicaOrnamentalSome care neededDappled shade, Partial shade120–180 cm40 cmwell suited
RhododendronRhododendronOrnamentalSome care neededDappled shade, Partial shade150–300 cm35 cmwell suited
SkimmiaSkimmia japonicaOrnamentalSome care neededPartial shade, Dappled shade, Full shade75–100 cm40 cmwell suited
ViburnumViburnum tinusOrnamentalStraightforwardFull sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade150–250 cm45 cmworkable
YewTaxus baccataTree or shrubStraightforwardFull sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade, Full shade50–400 cm120 cmworkable

This is one cut through shrubs, which compares every one of them on foliage, size and container suitability — including the ones this list rules out, and why.