Some plants are evergreen until their 
particular threshhold temperature is 
reached.  These plants are categorized 
as Semi-evergreens and they offer beauty
at a valuable time of the year. True 
evergreens are attractive but offer only 
dull color to the winter landscape often 
taking on a dark greenish or purple color. 
By adding semi-evergreens to your planting 
design,bright greens and reds can be used 
during part of the winter. Usually a zone 5
or 6 winter will finally defoliate this 
plant group by the end of December or the 
First of January. After defoliation, the
will die back to the ground similar to a 
dormant perennial or become a deciduous 
shrub. Actual root death for these plants 
will likely occur if temperatures reach -20,
so most semi-evergreens will not survive in 
zone 3-4. 

Grasses and Some perennials
have attractive dried foliage during the 
winter.  While these plants are not considered 
semi-evergreens, they are an important element
in the landscape.  They offer structure, texture,
and earth-tone colors during the winter. 

The following plants are semi-evergreens 
in zone 5-6:  

Nandina (all cultivars)
Glossy abelia
Red-tip photenia
Silverberry eleagnus
Japanese aucuba
Itea-Sweetspire (persistant fall color)
Hardy palms
Lavatera (malva)
Artemesia (Powis Castle)
Winecups (poppy mallow)
Hellebore (lenten rose)
Bergenia
Epimedium (barrenwort)
Hardy Ferns (some species)
Liriope (monkey grass)
Italian Arum
Cast-iron plant
Heucheria (coral belles)
Hardy Geraniums (some cultivars)
Euphorbia (spurge)
Creeping Sedums (depends on species)
Penstemon (husker red)
Ice plant (delosperma)
Lavender
Rosemary
Lambs ears
Amsonia (persistant fall color)



 
 


Evergreen Groundcover Bamboo(most species)
Fothergilla (flowers early-leaves delayed)
winter damaged evergreen shrubs (most)