Identify by feature
Evergreen shrub with leaves: which one is it?
A shrub that stays green in winter and has leaves rather than needles is, in gardens, usually a holly, box, cherry laurel, privet or box-leaved honeysuckle; with large flowers in spring, a rhododendron or camellia.
24 species with this feature
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Holly Ilex aquifolium
Broadleaf tree
Evergreen, glossy leaf with spiny edges; red berries in winter.
NativePoisonous
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Box Buxus sempervirens
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with small, glossy, opposite leaves: the classic low hedge.
NativePoisonous
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Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus
Shrub
Evergreen, large glossy leaf without spines; upright clusters of white flowers.
Invasive non-native: do not plantPoisonous
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Garden privet Ligustrum ovalifolium
Shrub
Semi-evergreen hedging shrub with oval, glossy, opposite leaves.
Poisonous
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Box-leaved honeysuckle Lonicera nitida
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with tiny, glossy leaves on long, thin shoots; widely used for low hedges.
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Japanese holly Ilex crenata
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with tiny, glossy, finely scalloped leaves: the most widely planted alternative to box.
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Firethorn Pyracantha
Shrub
Evergreen, thorny shrub with masses of orange, red or yellow berries in autumn.
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Oregon grape Berberis aquifolium
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with pinnate, holly-like spiny leaves and yellow flower clusters in spring.
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Japanese skimmia Skimmia japonica
Shrub
Low evergreen shrub with aromatic leaves at the shoot tips and red flower buds in winter.
Poisonous
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Rhododendron Rhododendron
Shrub
Shrub with large, leathery leaves and big flower trusses in May; only on acid soil.
Poisonous
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Camellia Camellia japonica
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with thick, glossy dark green leaves and large, rose-like flowers from February to April.
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Bay laurel Laurus nobilis
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with leathery, wavy leaves that smell strongly of herbs: the bay leaf from the kitchen.
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Laurustinus Viburnum tinus
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with opposite, dark green leaves and pinkish-white flower heads in the middle of winter.
Poisonous
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Oleaster Elaeagnus
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with leathery leaves that are silvery-scaled underneath; fragrant little flowers in autumn.
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Japanese pieris Pieris japonica
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with rosettes of glossy leaves, red young shoots and hanging sprays of white bells in March.
Poisonous
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Escallonia Escallonia
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with small, glossy, toothed leaves and clusters of pink, red or white flowers all summer; a favourite hedge by the sea.
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Holly olive Osmanthus heterophyllus
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with holly-like, spiny leaves that, unlike holly, are opposite; fragrant little white flowers in autumn.
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Japanese spindle Euonymus japonicus
Shrub
Evergreen shrub with thick, glossy, scalloped leaves on green twigs; widely used for hedges on the coast.
Poisonous
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Holm oak Quercus ilex
Broadleaf tree
Evergreen oak with dark green, leathery leaves that are grey-felted underneath; on young trees often spiny-toothed like holly.
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Olive tree Olea europaea
Fruit tree
Evergreen tree with narrow, leathery leaves that are silvery grey underneath, and a gnarled trunk.
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Spotted laurel Aucuba japonica
Shrub
Evergreen shade shrub with large, glossy, often yellow-speckled leaves and green twigs.
Poisonous
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Mexican orange blossom Choisya ternata
Shrub
Rounded evergreen shrub with glossy, three-part leaves that smell spicy when crushed, and fragrant white flowers in spring.
Tip: Look at the leaf edge and how the leaves are arranged: opposite in box, privet and box-leaved honeysuckle, alternate in holly and cherry laurel. Cherry laurel is an invasive alien species: choose holly or yew instead.
Continue in the identification key
Torn between two?
- Holly or Japanese holly
- Box or Japanese holly
- Bay laurel or cherry laurel
- Holly or cherry laurel
- Holly or Oregon grape
- Holly or holly olive
- Holly or holm oak
- Box or garden privet
- Box or box-leaved honeysuckle
- Photinia or cherry laurel
- Cherry laurel or Japanese skimmia
- Cherry laurel or rhododendron
- Camellia or cherry laurel
- Cherry laurel or oleaster
- Spotted laurel or cherry laurel
- Laurustinus or garden privet
- Escallonia or box-leaved honeysuckle
- Photinia or Japanese pieris
- Cotoneaster or firethorn
- Oregon grape or holly olive
- Japanese pieris or Japanese skimmia
- Mexican orange blossom or Japanese skimmia
- Camellia or rhododendron
- Escallonia or oleaster
- Olive tree or oleaster