How to Pick and Plant Variegated Evergreens

In winter variegated evergreen shrubs step out of the shadows and take centre stage. With less competition from surrounding vegetation and flowers they are able to show off their bright foliage to sparkling effect.

For the greatest winter impact variegated evergreen shrubs should be used sparingly. A few well placed specimens can be most effective. Plant too many and your garden will look fussy, garish and tasteless as they vie with each other for attention.

Some of the Best Variegated Evergreen Shrubs

Variegated Holliesare slow growing and make excellent specimens. Here are a few well worth growing.

• Ilex x alterclarensis ‘Golden King’ is a compact female (with hollies Kings are berry bearing females and Queens are males) whose grey-green leaves have bright golden margins.
• The purple stems of Ilex aquifolium ‘Ferox Argentea’ (hedgehog holly) are decorated with thick, leathery, cream-margined leaves covered in spines.
• Ilex aquifolium ‘Silver Milkmaid’ has dark green leaf margins with silver/white centres.

Variegated Ivies are excellent for bringing colour to dark corners and shady walls in winter. They can also be used to give a splash of colour on the ground beneath established trees and hedges where little else will grow.

• Hedera helix ‘Buttercup’ has large, bright yellow leaves. Growing beneath a tree it gives the impression of sunshine breaking through to the woodland floor.
• Hedera colchica ‘Paddy’s pride’ makes good ground cover and wall cover. Its elongated mid-green leaves are splashed yellow.
• Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ is one of the top ivies for ground cover. Give it support and it will climb. The evergreen silver-grey leaves have irregular white margins.

Variegated Euonymus – the undemanding variegated cultivars of Euonumus fortunei are handsome evergreen shrubs which make low, bushy ground cover. They will also climb given the support of a wall.

• The widely grown Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald n Gold‘ has bright green, gold-margined leaves tinged pink in winter.
• ‘Emerald Gaiety’ is compact and bushy with rounded leaves, margined white and marbled grey.
• The taller ‘Silver Queen’ is bushy and upright with glossy, dark green leaves and creamy margins.

Variegated Elaeagnus species reign supreme amongst the variegated shrubs during winter.

• Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’ is very common and recognised by its dark yellow leaf centres.
• Elaeagnus pungens ‘Dicksonii’ is less frequently grown, but is far more eye-catching with broad leaves and golden yellow margins.
• Elaeagnus x ebbingei cultivars are dense, rounded, evergreens shrubs with elegant, elliptical, leathery leaves.
• Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’ produces attractive dark green leaves edged with gorgeous yellow margins.
• Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Limelight’ has silvery young leaves which become marked with yellow and green in the centres with age.

These Elaeagnus can achieve a height and spread of 3.5 metres, but they are slow growing so don’t let their ultimate size put you off adding some star quality to your garden.

Buy Now and Invest in Some Instant Winter impact Plants

So if your garden is lacking sparkle get down to the garden centre or plant nursery and buy three or four of these brightly coloured, variegated shrubs. Provided the ground isn’t waterlogged or frozen they can be planted now for some instant winter impact.