Refresh your landscaping today with some of our favorite all-season plants! 

In the Pacific Northwest, a temperate climate means only one thing: your landscaping should look nice year-round. Sound intimidating? There are actually many evergreen plants well-suited to the job, and we’re here to help you find the right options for your property.

Today, we’re coming at you with 10 of our go-to plants, including the grasses, flowering shrubs, herbs and trees that we can’t get enough of.

Oh — and as an added bonus, these babies are hardy and easy to maintain so you can focus on your business and let us take care of the seasonal sprucing up. 

Grasses

Maiden Grass

Available in a variety of colors and sizes, Maiden Grass is a hardy ornamental grass that will add dimension to any landscape. Maiden Grass varieties such as Miscanthus Sinensis “Grosse Fontaine” can get quite large (up to 8 feet!), so it can be great for adding privacy and separation to expansive properties or lifting the landscape along high facility walls. 

If you’re looking for a pop of color, Miscanthus “Purpurascens” has a beautiful red tone in summer that deepens to purple in the fall.

Blue Oat Grass

This neat little grass has a stunning silvery blue color and is a great addition to perennial borders and rock gardens. A bit larger than Blue Fescue, Blue Oat Grass is a forgiving alternative that grows 18-30 inches tall. 

Blue Oat Grass will keep its color year-round and welcome tall, golden seed heads from June to August. Try a new cultivar ‘Sapphire’ or ‘Saphirsprudel’ that offers improved rust resistance and an even more bright silver-blue color.

Ground Cover

Creeping Juniper

A popular choice as ground cover in commercial landscapes, Creeping Juniper is well-loved for its ability to tackle the most difficult landscaping hurdles. Steep hills and weeds don’t stand a chance against Creeping Juniper’s ability to get comfortable in any environment.

Creeping Juniper also comes in a wide array of stunning colors and shapes for any project. In particular, the ‘Blue Rug’ variety has beautiful silver-green evergreen foliage and a superior full growth pattern.

Creeping Sedum

If you’re looking for a plant that can survive just about anything, just about anywhere, Creeping Sedum is a great option. Known for thriving in neglect, this beautiful succulent comes in a plethora of distinct varieties, from red and green foliage to flowering pinks and yellows. 

Also known as stonecrops, Creeping Sedums can be used on rock walls, steep hills and rock paths as well as borders. And don’t worry about watering, once established sedums are happy and self-sufficient in well-draining soil.

Shrubs

Fragrant Sweet Box

Aptly named for its intensely fragrant blooms, the Sarcococca shrub is a beautiful addition to any shade garden. With thick green year-round foliage, the Sweet Box comes alive in late winter when tiny white flowers cover the shrub, spilling a lovely sweet scent into the air around it.

The flowers give way to bird-attracting red berries that, in some varieties, turn black later in the season. It is also deer and rabbit resistant and requires little maintenance save from some light pruning to keep its shape.

Pacific Rhododendron

This native beauty is the state flower of Washington and, with its bold and beautiful flowers, is a statement-maker in any garden. Thick, leathery foliage provides color year round, but the true magic happens in late spring, when the shrub welcomes large brightly colored red, pink and purple blooms (depending on variety).

Though hardy in this environment as a northwest native, Pacific Rhododendron requires a more acidic and moist environment to thrive. But through proper introduction and consistent maintenance including a spring slow-release food, the rhododendron will become a beloved addition to your landscape.

Barberry

There’s a lot to love about Barberry. It’s deer-resistant, extremely hardy, not picky on sunlight, and available in a plethora of colors and sizes. One of the most popular shrubs for these reasons and more, Barberry is defined by little thorns that cover the entire plant. So, if you’re trying to keep visitors on the path, using Barberry as a dense privacy-hedge or border will no-doubt keep them out of your landscaping.

We love the columnar, dark and edgy Helmond Pillar Barberry, but if you’re looking for that classic Barberry pop of red — the Orange Rocket Barberry is acclimated to colder temperatures and has a unrivaled fiery color.

Sunshine Ligustrum 

Defined by year-round yellow-green foliage, Sunshine Ligustrum thrives in full sun and is a wonderful addition to just about any landscaping project. This variety of ligustrum is sterile and doesn’t bloom, so it’s both low-maintenance and great for people who suffer with seasonal allergies.

Ligustrum can be used and shaped in a variety of great ways, from containers and hedges to cones and ball-shapes. It’s drought-resistant and pest-resistant, though deer may come to much from time to time.

Herbs

Lavender

You may think of France or Spain when you see lavender, but it’s actually a beautiful and versatile option for Pacific Northwest gardens. With its distinct purple aromatic blooms, Lavender attracts both bees and butterflies and offers a dazzling display wherever you plant it. 

Use it to soften the edges of a walkway or highlight an entry point at your property. Lavender is also a great seasonal container plant. For a more bushy, boxwood-like plant, keep the English Lavender variety well-pruned. ‘Phenomenal’ Lavender offers the traditional French look of this beloved herb and is hardy in the upper reaches of the Pacific Northwest.

Trees

Dwarf Japanese Maple

Japanese Maple may not technically be an “all-season” plant as it loses its leaves in December, but we couldn’t help ourselves. This beautiful tree provides a spectacular display of color from spring to late fall. We love the height and dimension it adds to every landscape, and it truly is unrivaled in pure beauty, with a delicate branching structure and small, thin leaves.

Japanese Maples vary in color from green and yellow to red and purple. If you’re looking for a statement maker, the ‘Red Dragon’ variety is a sun-tolerant option that’s a gorgeous shade of deep red-purple.

MSNW is your provider of landscaping maintenance and design. We’re available to help you create a stunning all-season garden to impress visitors year after year. Reach out today at 360.366.4600 to learn more about how landscaping can help your business thrive.