Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Green in January as in July, for screening and winter cover — reaching 6–12 in and hardy in zones 3–8.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
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- By state
- Rhode Island
- Evergreen
Rhode Island · Zones 6–7
Native Evergreen Plants in Rhode Island
Native shrubs, groundcovers, and ferns that hold their leaves through winter for year-round green, screening, and cover. Rhode Island sits in a landscape of Narragansett coastal lowland, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cool, humid, maritime character. The list below — led by Foamflower and Inkberry Holly — is filtered to species genuinely native to Rhode Island and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 6–7. 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 Rhode Island
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Year-round foliage for privacy and shelter when the rest of the garden sleeps, for sand, clay, and loam ground and spreading 4–8 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Stays green when everything else drops — spreading 1.5–2 ft and for sand, rocky, and loam ground, good for winter shelter.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Year-round foliage for privacy and shelter when the rest of the garden sleeps, pink-white bells flowers and reaching 4–8 in.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Evergreen structure and privacy through the bare months, happy in rocky and loam soil and reaching 1–2 ft.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Evergreen
Sourcing
Where to find these in Rhode Island
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.