Broad-leaved evergreens are ornamental landscape plants with comparatively broad or wide leaves that remain green throughout the year. Some of the most attractive plants for landscape beautification are found among the broad-leaved evergreens. Many of these plants can and should be used in northern landscapes.

At the present time, too few are found even in areas where they can be planted successfully.

Rhododendrons, including azaleas, are the most spectacular of this group of plants. Their magnificent floral displays in late May and early June are a sight to behold, and their rich, broad evergreen leaves add interest to the landscape throughout the year.

Holly is a must for gardeners of distinction. The blue holly cultivars produce bright red berries for the fall and Christmas season. It must be remembered, however, that only the female holly plants produce fruit. Male plants must also be grown for pollination and fruit production to occur. The dark bluish-green, spiny leaves of the blue holly produce interesting patterns in form and texture.

The smaller leafed Japanese holly is excellent for foundation and low hedge plantings. Its bright, shiny evergreen foliage is most pleasing to the eye, particularly when the leaves glisten in the sunlight following a rain.

The evergreen euonymus is available both as a ground cover and a shrub and has leaves in many sizes and with considerable variation in marginal variegation of two and three tone leaf color.

The boxwood is a good choice for formal clipped or informal evergreen hedges and foundation plantings. In most cases, boxwood looks better when it is allowed to grow unclipped in a natural fashion.

Broad-leaved evergreens can serve the landscape in many ways. They can be used in shrub borders and foundation plantings, and the larger plants make excellent specimen plants. As ground covers, broad-leaved evergreens offer one of the most extensive uses of all evergreens.

Periwinkle (Vinca minor) has been an old standby for years, as has Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis). The hardy selected cultivars of English ivy (Hedera helix) can also be used if they are not subjected to south and west exposures that are completely open. These ground covers can be grown in sun or deep shade as long as they do not have to compete with a competitive root system, such as that of a Norway maple.

Broad-leaved evergreens tend to look their very best when used in naturalistic plantings with a few deciduous shrubs and trees for contrast.

Curt Peterson, Ph.D., is a landscape designer and garden specialist from Union Springs. He can be reached at curt.peters@hotmail.com