UNSUNG HEROES

In my book evergreen plants are the unsung heroes of our gardens. Take a few minutes to think about it – they give all round structure and shape while, at the same time, provide a perfect backdrop to show at their best any of the colourful seasonal plants we choose to plant in front of them. Evergreen is a general term for a varied group of plants that are a ‘must’ for all year interest in our gardens. It doesn’t take too much working out to understand why they are called evergreens. The name says it all. Quite simply this means that the plant doesn’t lose all its leaves at the end of the growing season. But don’t think that it never sheds any leaves as more than likely the plant gets rid of old leaves as soon as the new one shows through. What it does mean is they don’t have a dormant period in the same way as deciduous plants and by keeping their leaves they can grow at any time during the year, providing the conditions are suitable. Neither does this mean that evergreens are less at risk in the winter. Possibly they are even more at risk despite seeming to cope well with harsh weather. As their leaves are constantly losing moisture they are very susceptible to frost damage. After all only a few North European evergreens such as yew, holly and juniper survived the Ice Age!

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