Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
a lot of flowers mentioned in the link seem to be annuals that you put in and pull out for the "winter". some potentially more permanent and evergreen plants that you might also consider include heaths (calluna) and heathers (Erica), various hollies some smaller (ilex crenata and I. x meserveae) and some larger (the native I. opaca and the introduced I. pedunculosa among others), evergreen wax myrtles (myrica), Oregon grape (mahonia), pyrocantha with pretty red berries, hardy camellias (especially the "Ackermann hybrids"), several evergreen magnolias (sweetbay/m. virginiana ssp. australis and bullbay/southern magnolia---m. grandiflora), dwarf cherry laurel (prunus "zabeliana", "schipka", and "otto luyken" and taller types (native p. caroliniana), the big leaved large shrub/small tree viburnum rytidophyllum (there are smaller evergreen types like "conoy", "eskimo" and x pragense), common box (buxus) and sweet box (sarcococa), mountain laurel (kalmia latifolia---state flower of new jersey I think), pieris japonica ("lily of the valley shrub"), various evergreen azaleas ("glenn dale" and "satsuki" for example) and even some of the "Christmas" and "Lenten" roses (hellabores)---and that's just for starters. there's a surprising number of evergreen trees and shrubs worth trying in zone 7b---especially with a (cold wind) sheltered spot. hope this helps at least a bit. good luck.
Last edited by georgeinbandonoregon; 10-02-2015 at 11:57 PM..
Reason: more info.
I am in 7b, too. I mentioned in another thread that a particular heuchera, Lime Rickey, stays bright (lime) green all year long. It's very pretty to see in the winter (when it's not covered in snow...). The plant slowly gets larger over time. It has pretty little white bell-like flowers in the spring.
LoriNJ, goes to prove that there are indeed plants that are "green" all year available in your zone (and my contention is that are a fair number of other plants of all sorts that also fit that description and fulfill that purpose IF people are willing to do some research and follow that research all the way to doing some actual planting!!!). would also add that along with the evergreen broadleaved plants I mentioned earlier there are of course a variety of big and small conifers (pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, yews, cedars, junipers, etc.) that also can and do provide "green" in the winter from tall specimen plants to low groundcovers.
There are a really surprising variety of trees and shrubs that are hardy in 7b. Cypress, juniper, willows, japanese maple, thuja, holly, elderberry, and even many types of gingko tree and bamboo.
Grasses that stay evergreen include yucca, black mondo grass, and some lighter grassy types of bamboo.
There are a really surprising variety of trees and shrubs that are hardy in 7b. Cypress, juniper, willows, japanese maple, thuja, holly, elderberry, and even many types of gingko tree and bamboo.
Grasses that stay evergreen include yucca, black mondo grass, and some lighter grassy types of bamboo.
actually, don't think that Japanese maple (acer palmatum) and elderberry (sambucus species) or ginkgo are evergreen even here in zone 9 (in fact that maple and the ginkgo are especially favored for great fall color most everywhere they're grown) so don't know if either are a great addition to the "winter green" type garden in even cooler zones than mine. OTOH and FWIW there are indeed true evergreen maples (a. faberi, a. oblongum, a. paxii, a. sempervirens, a. laurinum for example) but most of these are rather tender to cold and at their best/most reliably evergreen and hardy only in milder climates (USDA 8 and up).
just in case anyone's interested there are also evergreen dogwoods (cornus species) and one of them c. angustata (aka c. elliptica and c. kousa var. angutata) should be well worth trying in USDA zone 7.
Last edited by georgeinbandonoregon; 10-06-2015 at 07:27 PM..
Reason: more info.
Any recommendations on plants I can establish that will give me a green landscape in winter in zone 7b? Green grass as well?
Nelly Steven Hollies, Southern Magnolias, Some cold hardy varieties of Palm Trees/and or Palmettos, Southern Pines should all grow well and thrive in your hardiness zone, cool season grasses may grow some during many of your typical Warmer Zone 7 winters as for warm season grasses those probably will be browned out until the oppressive heat and humidity of spring and summer arrive in your zone, Hope You found my suggestions helpful
LoriNJ, goes to prove that there are indeed plants that are "green" all year available in your zone (and my contention is that are a fair number of other plants of all sorts that also fit that description and fulfill that purpose IF people are willing to do some research and follow that research all the way to doing some actual planting!!!). would also add that along with the evergreen broadleaved plants I mentioned earlier there are of course a variety of big and small conifers (pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, yews, cedars, junipers, etc.) that also can and do provide "green" in the winter from tall specimen plants to low groundcovers.
Yes. The Lime Rickey was a little worse for wear after that horrible winter we had last year (some leaves looked a little "burned" by the cold), but the darn thing was still bright green all winter and got even bigger this summer.
OP, consider planting a few primrose and see what happens. The ordinary, run-of-the-mill type that you can often find dirt-cheap at Lowes or HD at the end of the season will do just fine. I plant mine in a semi-sheltered area near my foundation. I can't tell you how many times I have gone outside and seen a little yellow bloom on a primrose in December! Definitely warms my heart. My husband's aunt has had the same experience and she is in Zone 7a. The leaves are dark green and tend to stay that way except in the most horrible of winters. Just don't plant in bright, direct sun. The summer heat and direct sun will kill most primrose off. Believe it or not, a couple of my primrose are actually getting bigger and looking very good as the days and nights are getting chillier.
Hellebores also usually stay green (and you can see their buds formed in dead of winter!). But I will note that last winter was really tough on my hellebores; one darn near died, but is OK now. Some of the leaves turned grey and/or brown and fell off. Very unusual.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
