Garden

[timeless]

My title is very specific to my planting zone, but if your zone corresponds to mine, please chime in with your recommendations.

I'm needing some help choosing a VERY low growing evergreen shrub that requires little/no maintenance.

It's for the pathway up to our front door and will be replacing a horrible evergreen the previous owner to our home planted that really should have been ringing the lawn, not the path to the front door!

I've said we live in Jurassic Park (Oregon) because everything seems to grow much bigger than the cute little info stick at the garden center tells us.

[shoesnbags]

@timeless  I can't help you because I live at the opposite end of the country but you made me laugh.  I always say that WE live in Jurassic Park here on the Gulf Coast because the tiniest patch of soil turns into a jungle if not constantly tended (and weeded).  Interesting to hear the same comment about Oregon. 

Hope you get some good suggestions!

[timeless]

@shoesnbags 

That's so funny!  I really think those little info sticks in our plants need to undergo a "fact check", don't you?!

My so-called, three-foot-by-three-foot, Bowling Ball shrub is nearly five foot high now! 

[Lilysmom1]

@timeless , I don't live in Zone 8 but I do have a recommendation.  Look for a nursery that carries dwarf evergreens.  I have a few and plan to add more.  Photos below show a couple.

You should also check out dwarf Hinoki Cypress.  If you go the dwarf route, they can get pricey.  They are slow growing which is why they are expensive.  They have to keep them in the nursery a fairly long time to get to larger size.

Another option might be Heather.  One of my favorites is Calluna Vulgaris Firefly seen immediately below.

Good luck!

The one below is a Korean Fir, Icebreaker

[nwbabs]

As @Lilysmom1 mentioned @timeless, heather seems to work in my neighbors yard for a walk way path. No clue the variety of heather and they don't know either. It is always green with tiny pink buds for a short period.

We have a rosemary plant beside the driveway that came in a very small culinary pot. It has been planted there for decades, in the sunniest spot on the property. At this point it appears large but easy to manage by using the rosemary in the kitchen. The smell is wonderful when you touch or brush by the plant. 

A little more maintenance (not that much) for some hellabores by our front entry steps. It's a shadier spot and we just thin out or cut back dead looking leaves. It is self-sowing, but not out of control by any means.

High maintenance plants are not for us. Our rhodys and lilac have to be trimmed yearly and that is too much as we age. Good Luck!