I like the dwarf yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria). I think 'Schillings Dwarf' and 'Nana' might be two of the names. And I would try not to shear it; it makes a nice tidy shape by itself (perhaps a few nips for any odd branch).

Ilex crenata 'Lemon Gem' is a very nice, very densely compact plant (2'x2' or so) that offers lemon yellow new growth that fades to a bright green. A nice contrast against more standard green foliage and no or very little pruning required. Japanese hollies are a lot more cold hardy than yaupons and pretty shade tolerant as well.

I'm not sure if they are hardy - my handy book doesn't say, and the one which might is buried (I'm feeling lazy, with a sore shoulder...), but there are small variegated junipers which SHOULD be hardy, as well as nice, blue-grey ones, there are arborvitae/Thujas which might stay small enough, and there are cryptomerias which are small, variegated or not, and growing in interesting shapes, which might need some shaping, but shouldn't, if chosen and sited well, need shearing or regular pruning.

There are dwarf yews, which lend themselves well to pruning - make topiaries out of them? Even simple ones would be nicely formal - spheres on top of squares, etc., etc. There is always the old stand-by, one of the boxwoods.

I would avoid barberries, both from the thorns which aren't good next to a walkway, and because of their invasive tendencies. If the small nandinas are hardy, 'Firepower' could work, if, that is, the red, winter color worked for you. Would one of the small, evergreen azaleas work?

I am personally crazy about hollies and boxwood. There are dozens and dozens of hollies--as a hedge, I like Blue Princess, Japanese Holly, and China Girl. Boxwood just seems like the ultimate in formal design (check for locally hardy varieties).

I do fancy hollies, but they do grow tall here. How small are these compact hollies?

Most are not small at all :-) 'Blue Princess' can eventually reach 10-12' tall and 10' wide. 'China Girl' is 5'x5'. The dwarf Japanese holly I suggested, Ilex crenata 'Lemon Gem', will be around 2'x2', 'Hellerii' about as tall but somewhat wider. Yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria, will not be sufficiently hardy for you.

I'm looking for some that will remain around 3' or lower.

I've had some small junipers, but they had a problem which continually left sections dead or brown.

How about small bamboo? Too invasive?

Cypress?

Chamaeycyparis obtusa Nana, or Hage,
Dwarf Hinoki Cypress 2x3
Stays small and does not have the fragrance that boxwood sometimes emits.
Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: nana

I just ordered some Dwarf Burford Holly.

I'm still looking for a few more ideas though.

You will love your dwarf burfurdiis. They grow so slowly that you can easily keep them pruned at whatever size you want, and the deep green foliage and berries are beautiful. I would also direct your attention to Soft Touch Holly. It lends itself to a formal setting without being too stiff, and is exactly the size you're after.

I second the motion for Yaupon, Nana (according to Southern Living Garden Book it is fully hardy in zone 7) and for the dwarf Nandinas. Also, Korean Boxwood is an excellent small evergreen. It is slow-growing. I keep mine at 2.5 feet high and wide with one, or occasionally two shearings a year. The truth is, your choices are more limited in the southeast in the very low size range you are specifying for evergreens.

In addition, check out the Encore Azalea website. I just used Autumn Chiffon and Autumn Empress in two designs, and these two would fit your size requirements to a tee. The first is white with pink markings, the other a very rich red-orange.

hey harry

another version of 'evergreen'.. is the conifer family ...

that forum has been posting pix like there is no tomorrow ...

you might want to visit and see what potential there is with conifers...

proper shrub care requires proper maintenance pruning ...

proper choice of conifers .... you might pay a bit more up front... but could be carefree for decades ... but please dont go with dwarf alberta spruce ... its so yesterday ... lol ...

for an entry way ... think MINI conifers... if momma is a 300 foot tall tree [potential] .. a dwarf of her might be a mere 200 feet ... ergo.. think MINI .... its a term of art ...

good luck

ken

Another direction might be some of the small sub-shrubs like lavender or Santolina if they do well in your area. There are others, but I can't dredge the names out of my slow-moving brain this morning. If you research plants for knot gardens you may get some ideas that would be on the shorter end of the range you are looking for. The Canterbury, NH Shaker community used lavender hedges quite nicely near the entrances to some of their buildings, and they are still there, long after the last Shaker has been gone.

One boxwood I really like is edged irregularly in cream or pale gold, probably Buxus sempervirens Elegantissima. Mine is 6 or 8 years old, and very slow-growing, though that may be partly because it's borderline hardy here and if the snow isn't deep it gets killed back some. A couple other variegated forms are near the bottom of the linked page as are some dwarf varieties.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lazy S's boxwoods & other A-B shrubs

This is an old thread, but I'd probably go with 'Otto Luyken' Cherry laurels if they are hardy in your region. Not sure of spelling!

I was reading another post which had this link and I visited around in it.

Many small Hydrangeas available now, could be a cute hedge of blooms on new growth types.

I found some new introductions called Pea shrubs. They sounded attractive, look interesting, stayed about 3ft tall but wider. They look interesting, not something found everyplace. Probably would take trimming lightly well, for a bit of shaping, to get a more formal hedge.

If you click on the Pea shrub photos at the bottom of the page they give more details and information.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pea Shrubs