Evergreen Trees

As a rule evergreen trees and shrubs are more costly than their counterparts, but they are generally thought of as well worth the extra cost. This is due to the fact that they maintain their beauty year round and evergreens are more reliable and live longer. Evergreens can range from small broad leaf shrubs used to decorate the house up to large tall pine.

America is full of the most common evergreen tree, the Pine tree with it's long soft needles and rapid growth. At maturity they reach heights of sixty to eighty feet. Each evergreen has a unique use. The Red Pine is most useful in decorating backgrounds and windbreaks due to it's texture. The Ponderosa Pine has it's best use as a windbreak and ornamental looks. The Australian or Black Pine is most often found in the Midwest because of it's spreading branches.

For use as a windbreak the Norway spruce is popular because it grows very fast and is hardier than most evergreen trees. It has a shape like a pyramid with short dark green needles. If you want a tree that is very tough and drought resistant than the Black Hills Spruce tree is the one for you. It is slower than the Norway in growth but can reach heights of forty feet.

If your landscape design calls for a tall windbreak than the White Spruce will give you heights of up to sixty to seventy feet. The Colorado Blue Spruce is hardier than the White Spruce but is susceptible to extreme heat and drought conditions.

If you are concerned about cold winters than the Red Cedar evergreen tree handles cold weather very well. It can be used as an ornamental, hedge or windbreak.

For windbreaks the best overall evergreen tree is the Douglas Fir. We know it best as a Christmas tree but it provides great screening, has a pyramid shape and looks great in landscape designs. Another Christmas tree use of an evergreen is the Balsam Fir, which has a delightful fragrance and unique appearance. In contrast the White Fir tree has an attractive silver appearance.

One of the most versatile family of evergreen trees is the Juniper and is planted for it's tall upright texture as a background and the smaller spreading types such as the Pfitzer Juniper are used for edging and ground cover. Another versatile evergreen is the Yew which has thick glossy needles and upward reaching branches. The Yew can be used as a shrub or tree that grows well in shade or sunlight.

Keep in mind that evergreens as a whole are sensitive to a number of weather and climate conditions, from heat to drought and freezing temperatures. They need to be watered about every two weeks and be sure that the moisture reaches down at least six inches. Applying a layer of mulch will help keep in the moisture. When pruning do it in late spring and early fall.