Evergreen Shade Tolerant Trees

Reasons to grow: A hard working conifer that gives value for money throughout the year. The thin thread-like hanging foliage is bright yellow in summer, deepening to rich gold in winter, and looks good planted in front of dark green evergreens. Young plants can be clipped in late spring to keep them in shape.

Reasons to grow: This evergreen conifer is one of the most useful trees you can grow in a shady garden. Its dark green feathery foliage provides the perfect foil for other plants and it can be clipped and trimmed to form hedges and topiary shapes. Male plants produce yellow cones in spring whilst female ones bear red berry-like fruits in autumn. Yews are slow growing but the growth rate can be increased by watering well in the early years.
Caution: all parts are toxic to humans and animals.

Reasons to grow: Yes, we know it's another yew but they are such good trees for shade that it's worth including another, particularly as it has a different form and colour to the Common Yew. The Irish Yew is an easy to grow, low maintenance evergreen that has a dense, upright form, and this one looks especially good all year round with its golden yellow foliage. Its neat columnar habit and slow growth rate make it an invaluable specimen plant in even the smallest of gardens. In late summer it produces bright red berry-like fruits which contrast well with the foliage.
Caution: all parts are toxic to humans and animals.

Reasons to grow: An invaluable, many branched, evergreen tree or shrub with glossy leaves. Female trees produce berries, ranging in colour from golden yellow, through red, to near black, in autumn. Hundreds of cultivars are available so there should be one to suit every garden - it's just a matter of choosing the right one!

In general, the variegated forms do best with higher levels of light so these are not suitable for a very shaded spot. If you want berries (and Christmas just wouldn't be the same without swags of holly) you will need to plant both a male and a female holly, unless you choose a cultivar such as 'J. C. van Tol' or 'Pyramidalis' which do not require cross fertilization to produce fruits. If in doubt about the sex of a particular cultivar, ask for advice from your nursery or plant supplier. Do not rely on the name alone - after all, who would guess that the cultivar 'Silver Queen' is male?

Reasons to grow: Glossy, dark green, holly-like leaves (sometimes spiny) with the added bonus of small white sweetly scented flowers in late summer and autumn.

Reasons to grow: Although not fully hardy, this slow-growing tree is tougher than it looks and is an excellent evergreen for a sheltered position. Attractive leathery green leaves are arranged in neat spirals at the ends of spreading branches, and unusual, petal-less green flowers are borne in spring. Each flower has numerous stamens that radiate outwards like the spokes of a wheel - hence the name. The whole plant has a rather primitive look and makes an interesting architectural garden feature.