Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Holds its leaves through winter for year-round green and cover, 6–12 in tall and for loam ground.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Ohio · Zones 5–7
Native Evergreen Plants in Ohio
Native shrubs, groundcovers, and ferns that hold their leaves through winter for year-round green, screening, and cover. Every species here is genuinely native to Ohio and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Ohio's humid continental climate across Eastern Corn Belt & Allegheny Plateau, not a generic list. Local standouts include Foamflower and Inkberry Holly. Evergreen natives carry the garden through the bare months, giving structure, privacy, and winter shelter for birds when the deciduous plants have dropped their leaves. Site broadleaf evergreens out of harsh winter wind and afternoon sun to prevent leaf scorch, and water them deeply going into a dry fall so they enter winter fully charged.
The plants
5 native species for Ohio
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Year-round foliage for privacy and shelter when the rest of the garden sleeps, spreading 4–8 ft and for sand, clay, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Keeps its foliage all winter for cover when the deciduous plants are bare, 4–8 in tall and for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
An evergreen anchor that never goes bare, 3–6 ft wide and for sand and rocky ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Green in January as in July, for screening and winter cover — happy in rocky and loam soil and good through zone 9.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Evergreen
Sourcing
Where to find these in Ohio
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.