A wonderful plant that is probably not very well known is the Evergreen Dogwood. Most Dogwoods are deciduous but the Evergreen variety is long flowering and has leaves all year round; a beautiful tree in the garden.
Common name: Evergreen Dogwood or Himalayan Dogwood
Botanic name: Cornus capitata
Description: An evergreen tree that is long flowering and grows to about 6-9m (20-30′) tall, depending on the soil and rainfall. Flowers are creamy yellow followed by red fruit.
Best climate: Evergreen Dogwood is best suited to the cooler zones of Australia south from Sydney and Perth and in the mountainous zones along the Great Dividing Range.
Best look: A feature tree in the garden, particularly in a cottage garden.
Long flowering with smallish greeny-yellow flowers that mature into a creamy yellow and fade to a faint pink through the cream.
As it is grown from a seedling will take about six years before flowering.
When a young tree the leaves can hang a bit through winter, appearing in trouble but this is its normal growth style.
fertile, well-drained soil in cool, moist tablelands
protect from dry winds
water well in summer
The Evergreen Dogwood may be difficult to find at your local nursery so ask them to order it in for you. It costs around $18 for a 20cm (8″) pot and $40 for a 25cm (10″) pot.