15

You Never Need to Trim

Low-Maintenance

Evergreen Shrubs

Two of the most popular  anise “trees,” Japanese anise (I. anisatum) and Mexican anise (I. floridanum), aren’t trees at all but shrubs. Its spicily scented wood makes it one of the best-smelling evergreens.

1. Anise tree (Illicium spp.)

Beloved for their spring show of 2- to 3-inch blooms in a wide variety of colors, evergreen azaleas also remain popular for their ease of care.

2. Azalea (Rhododendron subsect. Tsutsusi spp.)

During late spring and summer, it produces masses of 1½- to 3-inch white blooms with yellow centers!

3. Bush anemone  (Carpenteria californica)

The shrubs’ flowers, which appear in spring, resemble very small single roses and will be followed by red or orange berries.

4. Cotoneaster  (Cotoneaster spp.)

Clusters of red, orange, or yellow berries appear in late summer and may persist over winter, depending on how hungry the local birds are.

5. Firethorn (Pyracantha spp.)

With their toothy, glossy foliage and red, yellow, or black berries, hollies don’t require much pruning unless you want to control their size.

6. Holly (Ilex spp.)

Mahonia foliage resembles that of holly, especially on M. aquifolium types. Those evergreens range in height from 2-foot cultivars of Oregon grape holly to 10-foot species such as desert mahonia.

7. Mahonia (Mahonia spp.)

Native to the Western U.S. and drought-tolerant, manzanita species typically have small leaves and colorful, orange, purple, or red peeling bark.

8. Manzanita  (Arctostaphylos spp.)

When left unsheared, myrtle makes an attractive and fragrant informal hedge in USDA Zones 8 to 10.

9. Myrtle (Myrtus communis)

This laurel has large leaves, up to 5 inches long, and can grow to 40 feet but only after many years.

10. New Zealand Laurel  (Corynocarpus laevigatus)

Sweet olive and other types of osmanthus shrubs do fine in unclipped hedges, producing unobtrusive white blooms that are fragrant.

11. Osmanthus  (Osmanthus spp.)

Hardy in USDA Zones 7 through 11, It doesn’t require pruning unless you want to limit its height.

12. Summer Holly  (Comarostaphylis diversifolia)

Gardeners who don’t want to be boxed in by the perceived necessity of shearing true boxwood may want to try this sweeter and less demanding variety instead.

13. Sweet Box  (Sarcococca spp.)

Another “sweetie,” this one more closely resembles holly than box and sometimes is called hollyleaf sweetspire for its glossy, spiny foliage which requires little pruning.

14. Sweetspire (Itea ilicifolia)

If grown in well-draining soil, they seldom require care of any kind, making them the lazy gardener’s cup of tea!

15. Tea Tree  (Leptospermum spp.)

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18 Fast-Growing Shrubs to Plant This Fall

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