In the garden: Three great evergreens for your plot

These are the shortest days of the year, as we move closer to Christmas and the winter solstice tomorrow, December 21.

The day represents the rebirth of light and the return of the sun, as day length will gradually lengthen over the next few weeks when the seasons turn once more from darkness into light.

It is a time for some armchair gardening, that is for sure, as the weather is usually either wet or frosty. More recent years has seen the wet and windy weather prevail at this time of year.

Gathering from the garden and creating some indoor decorations is traditional in December, and it is a great time to consider planting some evergreen shrubs that will provide attractions in the coming years.

They give the garden structure and backbone for the winter months, and come in very handy for foliage contributions in floral arrangements right throughout the year.

Winter is a good time to consider the garden, when the deciduous leaves have dropped and the place is bare and stripped back. There will be ample opportunity over the next few weeks to review what works and what might be missing.

Then the spring is the time to plant, getting roots into the soil before growth begins.

Here are a few suggestions for good evergreens that can be planted in a garden of any size as their height and spread can be controlled to suit the space.

Bay laurel is a great evergreen shrub with scented foliage which can be used in the kitchen as well as providing excellent foliage to add to arrangements.

Native to the Mediterranean region, this plant has associations with Greek mythology and wreaths made from bay laurel were used to crown Olympic winners. The plant is associated with victory, honour, and high status!

It has waxy dark green leaves and makes for a good plant in a pot, and could even be decorated with lights for the festive season.

Bay laurel can often be seen clipped into a standard globe or upright pyramidal shape at either side of shop fronts or restaurants. It lends itself well to topiary and can be kept to quite a compact size.

Left to its own devices, it can get to 10 metres tall with a similar spread. With its origins from a warm climate, it prefers a sheltered location in full sun or partial shade.

A free-draining soil will do nicely and feed it in springtime with chicken manure pellets to keep the leaves looking dark and healthy.

It also makes an attractive hedge with evergreen foliage providing a good screen year round.

Eucalyptus have lovely, textured silvery foliage ideal for adding a seasonal frosting to arrangements. The problem with these large trees, native to Australia, is that they rapidly grow tall so the beautiful foliage is often out of reach.

The younger foliage is often more silvered, with more interesting textures than the mature foliage. The solution is to coppice the stems so that new growth will reappear at ground level, creating a bush rather than allowing the trunk to grow up and out of reach.

Eucalyptus perriniana has attractive young foliage arranged around the stem and is a good one to consider for coppicing. It needs a sheltered site and free draining soil in full sun to do best.

The best time to coppice is late winter or early spring, just before the plant comes into active growth.

It is a great way of keeping the foliage accessible, and keeping these fast-growing trees at a manageable size. Left unpruned, this tree can get to about 10 metres tall and about a 6 metre spread.

Hebe are an under-rated shrub, native to New Zealand, that provide a vast array of different coloured and textured evergreen foliage. Many have a good compact habit which makes them easy to maintain as they go quietly about providing year round structure and colour in the garden.

Hebe ‘Red Edge’ is a small evergreen shrub getting to 60cm height and spread. It will do best in full sun or partial shade on a well drained, not overly rich soil.

It has blue/grey foliage edged with red which becomes more notable when the temperatures lower in winter. Lilac flowers fade to white in June and July and are popular amongst pollinators.

The foliage is interesting at all times of the year, providing texture and colour in the garden throughout the winter months. A great shrub for low maintenance with its compact growth habit.

Another hebe of note is Hebe ‘Wiri Mist’, a larger shrub getting to about a metre in height and spread. Small, elliptical, bright green leaves adorn this shrub all year round.

White flowers are produced in June and July, which are attended in numbers by pollinators and provide valuable nectar and pollen sources during the summer months.

Again, it is easily maintained as it has a compact, open-rounded growth habit. It will grow best in full sun and a well-drained soil.

In addition to all of the cultivated foliage, there are plenty of native plants traditionally used to decorate the house. Most popular of all are holly and ivy, the red and black berries adding texture and pops of colour.

The bare branches of birch can be decorated with some lights to give that festive feeling!

Enjoy decorating the indoors with the fruits of the gardening year from the outdoors this Christmas, and remember that the best time to plant a tree or shrub is yesterday - so get those books out and get planning for some new year planting!

Happy Christmas!