Evergreen Globe Shrubs

Globe-shaped evergreen shrubs can bring an elegant and well-groomed look to a landscape no matter what the season. These shrubs can make excellent formal hedges, or look striking when framing a doorway, entranceway or drive. While there are a number of shrubs that can be pruned into the desired shape, another option is to select shrubs that grow like this naturally.

The green velvet boxwood is an evergreen shrub that can tolerate annual low temperatures to -25 Fahrenheit. The green velvet requires little pruning to keep its size, and generally reaches a mature height and spread of between 2 and 3 feet. Commonly seen in formal gardens as foundation shrubs or in low hedges, the green velvet does best when planted somewhere sheltered from the most extreme winds and rains.

Thriving in full sun or full shade and almost any type of soil, the broadleaf green velvet has blue-green leaves which turn dark green in the winter months. Known mostly for its cold weather tolerance, hardy nature, uniform growth and globe shape, the flowers and fruits of the green velvet are not noticeable.

Bobazam, an evergreen shrub with the commercial name Mr. Bowling Ball, looks exactly like its name suggests. This slow-growing shrub forms a perfect globe shape, with an adult size of 3 feet across. There is absolutely no pruning required to keep the unique shape.

A member of the white cedar family, this shrub is rated for USDA plant hardiness zones 2 through 7, able to tolerate annual lows down to -50 Fahrenheit. Requiring well-drained soils and at least partly sunny conditions, the bobazam is susceptible to a number of different pests, including caterpillars and scale insects, and diseases including needle blights and several types of fungus infections.

The Eastern white pine is an evergreen tree, and the blue shag is a shrub variety of the tree. Considered a dwarf conifer, the blue shag is a globe-shaped evergreen shrub that has a mature height of about 4 by 4 feet, but can be as small as 2 feet round. Slow-growing, the shrub is rated for zones 3 through 8, meaning it can tolerate low annual temperatures down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The shrub thrives in full sun but can tolerate partial shade, and can adapt to a wide variety of soil conditions. Needles are a blue-green color, with bright silver bands.

The Colorado blue spruce also has a dwarf cultivar. The globe, as its name suggests, it a globe-shaped shrub developed from the bigger tree. With a mature height of between 3 and 4 feet in diameter, the globe still shares a lot with its larger, 85 foot tall brother.

Rated to hardiness zone 2, the globe is well suited for cooler northern temperatures. It requires full sun and well-drained soils, while able to tolerate periods of drought. Needles are blue-green, and the tree is susceptible to pests such as spider mites and aphids as well as diseases including canker and needle blight.