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Evergreens in four colours

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  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited May 2023
    Dovefromabove said:
    I don’t see this as a matter of that rather invidious term ‘taste’ … 

     You don't, but I do.  You like the word "woke", I don't.

    Warning on repeats of:  “Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads”

    "This programme reflects the standards, language and attitudes of its time, some viewers  may find the content  offending."

     

     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    edited May 2023
    Houttuynia cordata 'Chamaeleon' ; probably one of the worst plants ever .
    Nearly as rampant as Ground Elder and smells like dried blood when pulled or dug out .
    Agree with B3 , a horrible plant anyway .
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    mitchell.jamiers2luPHP said:

    Hello everyone,

    I have four medium-sized pots in my front garden and I’m looking for recommendations for an evergreen plant or small tree that comes in four different colours and doesn’t change colour throughout the year.

    I previously had four Japanese maples in red, yellow, green and purple but their leaves changed colour throughout the year and they looked dead in winter.

    I don’t mind if they need a lot of maintenance, as long as they maintain the same colour all year round and keep their leaves.

    Thanks in advance.

    Jamie

    Even if a lant is decribed as evergreen it does not mean it does not drop its leaves each year
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Unless @mitchell.jamiers2luPHP comes back with further info, it's pointless replying or offering more ideas  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • jamie77jamie77 Posts: 34
    Dovefromabove said:
    Living plants don’t stay the same … they change through the seasons … even the plainer green ones like holly and bay produce flowers and fresh new leaves that change the appearance of the tree  … it’s what they do … they’re alive. 

    I hope you don’t think I’m being rude … I certainly don’t intend to be …. I’m an artist and I understand how important it can be to achieve a desired effect … but I would re-examine what it is you’re trying to achieve and consider whether plants are actually the best way forward in this case.  

    Good luck 😊 
    Hi Dovefromabove,

    Not rude at all! I appreciate you giving up your time to help me - thank you.

    I am beginning to realise that what I'm after isn't realistic. My wife hinted at this but I always know better of course :)

    I'll settle for a plant that gives subtler colours changes, rather than none at all.

    Thanks,
    Jamie
  • jamie77jamie77 Posts: 34
    Butterfly66 said:
     Pittosporum has various cultivars which have green (several shades), variegated and Tom Thumb which has green new growth which mature to deep purple/brown 

    Hebe cultivars come with greens, purple, silver-grey foliage, bronze foliage. Some of the grey have different hints or edge colours and there are also variegated green& white cultivars

    Euonymus fortunes and japonicus also have different colour ways single colour and variegated


    Hollies also come in various shades of green and variegated. If you don’t want the colour effect of berries you could focus on male varieties
    Hi Butterfly66,

    Thank you for replying. These suggestions are really helpful. I will look into them.

    Best wishes,
    Jamie
  • jamie77jamie77 Posts: 34
    Fairygirl said:
    Acers aren't evergreen so it wouldn't matter how many colours you have, they won't keep their foliage, and the point of them is to have those changing colours through spring to autumn.  :)
    What do you mean by four different colours? Do you mean a species that has four varieties in different colourways? You can get the same plants with different coloured flowers, but even then, it's not likely with most evergreens, especially as they're usually shrubs/trees, and they aren't generally grown for their flowers. Hebes fit that category, although the colour of the flowers is a more limited range, but again, you'd have different sizes and habits within that, so they would all look very different, and they're not all totally hardy depending on your conditions, especially in pots.
    I think that'll be almost impossible. You could have 4 of the same type of evergreen, and with variegated foliage. Many have flowers in spring and berries later, like Ilex [holly] but they don't come in different colours as such - they're mainly green/gold, or green/cream foliage. 
    How big are the pots? In cm/inches. That's also a factor in what will thrive, as well as your rough location and climate, and the aspect of the site, and whether it's sheltered or exposed.  :)
    Hi Fairygirl,

    Thank you for these suggestions - they are really helpful.

    Sorry for not providing enough information. Here are the answers to your questions:
    I'm looking for a species of evergreen that comes in four different colours. 
    The pots are 35 cm in diameter.
    Location is Cambridgeshire, and the front garden is south facing, and exposed. The acers I had ended up with scorched leaves in the summer, and they all died last winter despite my wife making little covers to protect them. I guess I should have mentioned that I need to have fairly hardy plants due to the lack of shelter in the garden.

    Thanks for your help so far.

    Best wishes,
    Jamie
  • jamie77jamie77 Posts: 34
    Lizzie27 said:
    @mitchell.jamiers2luPHP

    Have a look at Osmanthus heterophyllus Aureomarginatus 'Goshiki'. It's an evergreen holly like bush in a mounding shape which has soft green, cream and pinkish leaves which doesn't much change colour except the new growth in Spring.
    It is slow growing though so you will have to be patient, mine's about a 1 m high and the same in width after abt ten years from memory.

    I don't know if you can buy mature specimens which I suspect would be expensive.
    Hi Lizzie27,

    Thank you very much for this suggestion. Looks really good. I've put it on the list of possibilities to run past my wife.

    Best wishes,
    Jamie
  • jamie77jamie77 Posts: 34
    JennyJ said:
    The evergreen Euonymus fortunei is probably the closest to your requirements - plain green, green and white, green and yellow, yellow and green. No reds/purples though, as far as I know.
    Hi JennyJ,

    Thank you for this suggestion and taking the time to reply to me.

    Best wishes,
    Jamie
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