Evergreens carry the garden through winter when everything else is bare. Pick the right ones and you've built the year round privacy structure that frames every other planting.
Six evergreens cover the spread for most Australian gardens. Refined feature trees, dense screening hedges, soft natives, fragrant Mediterranean classics. Each does a different job.
What matters when picking evergreens
Mature size first. An evergreen in the wrong spot becomes a permanent problem. Form next. Upright for narrow spaces, rounded for corners, weeping for soft screens. Foliage texture for visual variety, leaf size for scale.
Climate match matters more for evergreens than deciduous. They're working all year and can't drop the leaves and reset if conditions get hard.
Six evergreens worth knowing
Each works as a feature tree, screen or both, in standard suburban and acreage gardens alike.
How to combine evergreens
Layer by height and form. Tall upright behind, mid-rounded in front, low dense at the base. Mix glossy and matte foliage, different leaf sizes, different greens. The variety is what makes a planting look designed.
Repeat species across a long bed for rhythm. A line of Bay trees down a fence, repeating Murraya at intervals, a Magnolia anchor at each end. Repetition reads as intentional.
Maintenance
Most evergreens need one or two prunes a year. Time pruning after major flowering for species like Magnolia and Murraya. Prune Ficus Hillii and Waterhousea twice yearly for tight hedges.
Apply 7-10cm of mulch annually. Water through the first two summers, then most of these species coast on natural rainfall.
FAQs
What's the best evergreen for narrow yards?
Magnolia Coolwyn Gloss or Ficus Hillii. Both stay narrow when managed.
What evergreen suits dry sites?
Olive and Bay. Both Mediterranean species, both drought tolerant once established.
Can these be grown in pots?
Bay, Olive and Murraya all suit large pots. Use at least 50L volume.
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