10 Blooming Evergreens: Flowering Evergreens For Year Round Color

Every garden should have evergreens to provide year-round color and visual interest. In addition to some of the typical evergreens, like spruce trees or boxwood hedges, you can find flowering plants that hold onto their leaves all year. Add greenery and pretty blooms with these evergreen flowers. 

Flowering Evergreen Trees

These trees provide glossy, green leaves all year in the right climate, as well as pretty spring flowers: 

1. Southern magnolia. For southern states, this tree is a classic. Magnolia grandiflora are native beauties, but they do take several years or growth before they begin blooming. 
2. Mandarin orange. In a warm climate, this fruiting tree is evergreen. They also produce tasty fruit and white spring flowers that attract pollinators and have a gorgeous fragrance. 
3. Rhododendron. Most species of this forest-growing evergreen flower are shrubs, but some grow as small trees. Rosebay can grow up to 12 feet (3.6 m), while McCabe rhododendron may ultimately become 50 feet (15.2 m) tall. 

Flowering Evergreen Bushes

Use evergreen flowering shrubs as hedges or borders, or in a more natural state in a native bed or planting. 

1. Azaleas. Most botanists consider this showy shrub a subspecies of rhododendron. They produce masses of bright flowers in a range of colors. 
2. Mountain laurel. This is a large shrub that prefers partial shade. Native to the eastern U.S., it is evergreen and produces unusual and showy spring flowers. 
3. Rosemary. In climate zones 7 through 10, this woody herbal shrub remains evergreen. It produces delicate lavender flowers that attract pollinators. A similar option is lavender. Both can be shaped into hedges or borders or left to grow naturally. 
4. Chinese fringe flower. Enjoy early spring flowers on this evergreen shrub that grows up to three feet (.9 m.) tall. 

Flowering Evergreen Ground Cover

As a grass alternative, try these evergreen ground covers that stay green all year and bloom in winter or spring. 

1. Winter heath. Growing no taller than about six inches (15 cm.), this evergreen plant produces striking purple flower for months, including in the winter. 
2. Creeping myrtle. Also known as periwinkle, this is a vine that many people use as groundcover in shady areas. It has evergreen leaves in zones 4 through 8 and produces delicate, blue-purple flowers.
3.  Creeping phlox. For masses of flowers and evergreen leaves in a sunny location, try this plant. While the leaves are evergreen, the showy masses of bright flowers are the stars. 

When choosing flowering evergreens, keep in mind that some are deciduous in colder climates. Some may also be invasive in your area, so do your homework first.