21 Small Evergreen Shrubs for Low-Maintenance Color

POCO LOCO® ABELIA (Abelia grandiflora)

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Zones: 6-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Low mounded habit
Height/Spread: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

This colorful abelia delivers season-long interest with vibrant yellow and orange spring foliage that shifts to green with pink-red new growth. Light pink, fragrant flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds in summer. Its compact, deer-resistant form is ideal for borders, edging, or containers.

"Who doesn't love a shrub with multiple seasons of interest! And in the summer, pollinators love the beautiful pink bell-shaped flowers. " — Heidi Grassman, Garden Crossings

Learn more about growing abelia.

TATER TOT® ARBORVITAE (Thuja occidentalis)

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Zones: 3-8
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Globe-shaped habit
Height/Spread: 2 feet tall and wide

The tidy rounded growth habit and fine green foliage adds structure and texture to the landscape. Use this smaller shade-tolerant conifer as low formal hedging, in containers, as pathway edging, or to divide garden rooms.

Learn more about growing arborvitae.

‘GREEN GEM’ BOXWOOD (Buxus hybrid)

Zones: 4-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Compact ball-shaped habit
Height/Spread: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

With dense green foliage and a rounded habit, this versatile boxwood variety has many uses in the landscape. Grow as topiary, in foundation plantings, containers or hedging. Keep this broadleaf evergreen shrub neatly clipped for a formal appearance or allow it to grow naturally for a softer look.

Learn more about growing boxwood.

‘GREEN SPIRE’ EUONYMUS (Euonymus japonicus)

Zones: 6-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Upright columnar habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 8 feet tall, 1 to 2 feet wide

This broadleaf evergreen produces small glossy dark green leaves that create a lush backdrop. The upright narrow habit is suitable for privacy screening, as hedging and for tight spaces such as side yards. Use as privacy screening along a patio, deck, or property line. Plants are tolerant of hard shearing.

‘GOLDEN MOP’ FALSE CYPRESS (Chamaecyparis pisifera)

Zones: 4-8
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Mounding spreading habit
Height/Spread: 2 to 5 feet tall, 4 feet wide

Finely textured gold foliage has a slightly weeping habit, adding elegance to Asian-style or formal landscapes. Growth habit of this dwarf conifer is slow, and coloring is best in full sun. Use as a focal point, hedging, or in a mixed border.

Learn more about growing false cypress.

‘NANA’ DWARF BALSAM FIR (Abies balsamea)

Zones: 3-6
Exposure: Full sun
Growth habit: Low spreading habit
Height/Spread: 1 to 2 feet tall, 1 to 3 feet wide

This exceptionally hardy conifer produces finely textured dark green needles with pale green new growth. Plants are slow growing, just 2 to 3 inches per year, with a low mounding habit. Suitable for rock gardens, bonsai, as a ground cover, and for Asian-style landscapes.

WINTER HEATH (Erica carnea)

Zones: 5-8
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Mounding spreading habit
Height/Spread: 4 to 12 inches tall, 12 to 24 inches wide

Low growing evergreen plants produce dense needle-like green or gold foliage, some with bronze tints. Clusters of bell-shaped white, pink, or purple flowers bloom from winter to spring, depending on the variety. Use this broadleaf evergreen as a ground cover along a slope, in containers or rock gardens. Needs good drainage.

GEM BOX® INKBERRY HOLLY (Ilex glabra)

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Zones: 5-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Compact ball-shaped habit
Height/Spread: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

Fine dark green foliage with red new growth in spring lends fine texture and color to smaller spaces. This dwarf broadleaf evergreen holly has a lush dense growth habit, making a good alternative to boxwood. Plant in containers, as low hedging, to divide garden rooms, or massed in the landscape.

Learn more about growing holly.

JAPANESE SKIMMIA (Skimmia japonica)

Zones: 5-9
Exposure: Partial sun to shade
Growth habit: Upright bushy habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 4 feet tall, 4 to 5 feet wide

With four-season appeal, Japanese skimmia is a broadleaf evergreen with glossy green oval leaves. Clusters of fragrant white flowers appear in spring, with female plants producing bright red berries that persist into winter. Plant this semi-shade lover in a woodland border, foundation planting, or as hedging.

‘BLUE STAR’ JUNIPER (Juniperus squamata)

Zones: 4-8
Exposure: Full sun
Growth habit: Compact mounding habit
Height/Spread: 1 to 3 feet tall, 2 to 4 feet wide

‘Blue Star’ juniper is grown for the attractive silvery blue needles that provide colorful contrast to gold, purple or green foliage plants. This dwarf conifer is slow growing, making it suitable for small spaces. Plant in a rock garden, Asian-style landscape, container, or mass along a slope.

Learn more about growing juniper.

‘ELF’ MOUNTAIN LAUREL (Kalmia latifolia)

Zones: 4-8
Exposure: Partial sun
Growth habit: Upright bushy habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide

Native to eastern North America, mountain laurel produces showy clusters of delicately patterned bell-shaped flowers in shades of pink, white, or red. Oval, glossy green leaves of this broadleaf evergreen resemble rhododendron foliage. ‘Elf’, a slow growing dwarf variety with white flowers, is suitable for small spaces. Plant in a woodland border, as a stand-alone specimen, or in a container.

DWARF MOUNTAIN PINE (Pinus mugo var. pumilio)

Zones: 2-7
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Upright spreading habit
Height/Spread: 2 to 5 feet tall, 3 to 6 feet wide, depending on the variety

Mountain pine is grown for its graceful structure and attractive candelabra-like new growth in spring. While the straight species can reach up to 20 feet tall, many are dwarf varieties suitable for small spaces. Plant this slow-growing conifer in a rock garden, foundation planting, Asian-style landscape, or train as a bonsai specimen.

‘RAMAPO’ RHODODENDRON (Rhododendron 'Ramapo')

Zones: 4-8
Exposure: Morning-only sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Compact bushy habit
Height/Spread: 1 to 3 feet tall, 2 to 4 feet wide

Rhododendron is a popular spring flowering shrub in varying sizes and flower colors. ‘Ramapo’ produces clusters of bell-shaped lavender flowers, with thick oval green leaves that are lightly fragrant. This dwarf broadleaf evergreen is exceptionally hardy, suitable for mass plantings, containers, or low hedging.

Learn more about growing rhododendron plants.

‘LITTLE GEM’ NORWAY SPRUCE (Picea abies)

Zones: 2-8
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Dwarf compact habit
Height/Spread: 10 to 18 inches tall, 12 to 24 inches wide

Finely textured green needles grow on dense mounding plants. The slow growth rate, just 1 inch per year, makes this dwarf evergreen conifer suitable for a small space, rock garden, container, or massed in the landscape. Deer resistant and moderately drought tolerant.

STONEHENGE DARK DRUID® YEW (Taxus x media)

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Zones: 4-7
Exposure: Full sun to shade
Growth habit: Compact mounding habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide

This dwarf yew is grown for the soft ferny foliage and moderate size that is especially versatile in the landscape. Tolerant of a wide range of light conditions, use this evergreen conifer as a substitute for boxwood. Grow in containers, as low hedging, in a foundation planting, or mass planting.

LITTLE JOHN DWARF BOTTLEBRUSH (Callistemon 'Little John')

Zones: 8-11
Exposure: Full sun
Growth habit: Rounded compact habit
Height/Spread: 3 feet tall, 5 feet wide

This compact evergreen features red bottlebrush-like flowers from spring into summer, with sporadic blooms in mild climates. Blue-green citrus-scented foliage and a tidy habit make it ideal for foundation plantings, borders, or containers. Drought-tolerant once established and a magnet for hummingbirds.

JAZZ HANDS MINI® CHINESE FRINGE FLOWER (Loropetalum)

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Zones: 7-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Low mounded habit
Height/Spread: 10 to 12 inches tall, 3 feet wide

This compact loropetalum forms a colorful groundcover with deep purple foliage that holds its color year-round. Bright pink fringe-like flowers add striking contrast in mid-spring. An easy-care, deer-resistant shrub ideal for borders, containers, or mass planting.

Learn more about how to grow Chinese fringe flower.

LA VIDA MAS® INDIAN HAWTHORN (Rhaphiolepis indica)

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Zones: 8-10
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Compact mounded habit
Height/Spread: 1 to 2 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet wide

Unlike traditional Indian hawthorns, this reblooming variety produces sweet pink flowers from spring through fall. Glossy evergreen foliage adds year-round appeal, while its compact, disease-resistant form thrives in heat, drought, and even coastal conditions. Ideal for borders, mass plantings, and containers in Southern gardens.

Learn more about how to grow Indian hawthorn.

SWEET & LO™ SWEET BOX (Sarcococca hookeriana)

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Zones: 5-9
Exposure: Partial to full shade
Growth habit: Low mounded habit
Height/Spread: 18 to 30 inches tall, 2 to 3 feet wide

This shade-loving evergreen forms a dense, glossy green groundcover with fragrant, two-toned white and pink blooms in late winter to early spring. Its jasmine-scented flowers attract early pollinators, while purple stems add subtle interest. Ideal for shady borders, underplantings, or massing in woodland-style gardens.

GLOW POP® JAPANESE HOLLY (Ilex crenata)

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Zones: 5-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Growth habit: Compact rounded habit
Height/Spread: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

With vivid lime-gold foliage that holds its color in full sun, this tidy dwarf holly adds a bright pop to borders, edging, or containers. Fast-growing and low maintenance, it offers year-round interest and works beautifully as a small hedge or foundation accent. Female plants may produce black berries if a male is nearby.

Read more on how to grow holly bushes.

PAISLEY PUP® DOGHOBBLE (Leucothoe fontanesiana)

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Zones: 5-8
Exposure: Partial shade
Growth habit: Upright arching habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 4 feet tall, 4 to 5 feet wide

This native broadleaf evergreen stands out with its striking variegated foliage in shades of green, pink, cream, and bronze. Fragrant white bell-shaped flowers appear in spring, attracting pollinators. Deer-resistant and shade-tolerant, it’s a charming solution for borders, slopes, or woodland gardens.

"Perfect for transforming difficult spots into a lush, colorful canvas that needs virtually no maintenance." — Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs