Zen Garden

• Although Japanese Zen gardens are known for their raked gravel, many also feature evergreens that contrast and stand out on the otherwise harsh landscape. Chinese juniper, well as holly and other shrubs are planted in gardens because they grow slowly, making them easy to prune and sculpt. Additionally, evergreens are favored in Zen gardens because they do not lose their color during the cold times of the year. This makes them as enduring and constant as the stone. Evergreens can frame a Zen garden or act as a specimen, drawing attention to a particular portion of the garden. Although shrubs can be grouped to border a Zen garden, too many evergreens in the garden will detract from the sparse and contemplative feel of the garden.
  
  

Bonsai

• Another popular way to accentuate evergreens in the garden is to raise bonsai. Although many different plants can be miniaturized through bonsai techniques, evergreens work especially well because they can be trained and pruned to hold a specific shape. Holly, cypress, pine, boxwood and juniper are all used for bonsai gardens today. When grown in a garden, bonsai can take on the look of a miniature forest or landscape, with small trees creating a canopy or showing off beautifully pruned trunks. Because bonsai trees come from the same seeds as their larger counterparts, ensure bonsai gardens stay small by pruning both roots and branches often.
  
  

Topiary

• If bigger is better, then a topiary garden is the evergreen answer. Topiary is art made from hedges, bushes and trees. Evergreens such as boxwood and holly are popular choices because of their ability to hold a specific shape. Topiary gardens require a great deal of pruning and attention, but creations can grow as large as 20 feet tall and be pruned to look like a car, a maze, an animal or even an abstract shape.
  
  

Evergreen Screen

• The evergreen screen is a layered garden that uses not only the beauty of several varieties of evergreen, but the practical benefits of the evergreen's stiff and rugged shape. Build an evergreen screen by planting a row of spruce or arbor vitae. in front of this row, plant a selection of evergreen shrubs of different sizes and shades such as Chinese juniper, Montgomery blue spruce, Siberian carpet and Hinoki. Use dwarf varieties to prevent overgrown branches.