What kind of evergreen

There are some strange anomalies. Many species of holly are deciduous but the most familiar one, European holly, is evergreen despite coming from a region with cold winters. Holly was used as a substitute. One interesting example is the cycad family.

Palms are evergreen too, and grow in many parts of the southern USA. The best gardens use an imaginative mix of species, and evergreens have a place in that mix. Plant a few hardy conifers and no matter how cold the weather there will always be something to look at when you admire the outdoors. Contact Info Need Help? Type below to search. Here's a few quick links you may find helpful Privacy trees Maple trees What's my growing zone?

Planting and caring for evergreens takes an investment of time and money, and so it is important to make the right decisions when choosing these plants for your yard. To choose evergreen trees and shrubs for Minnesota landscaping, you need to be familiar with your growing conditions — hardiness zone, light, soil type, space for planting — and what type and form of evergreen you would like to plant.

Evergreens can be conifers cone-bearing, needle-like foliage such as pine, spruce, juniper, or arborvitae. They can also be broadleaf leaf-like foliage such as boxwood and rhododendron. Nursery grown evergreens are slow growing and can be expensive due to years of care needed to produce well-shaped tops and ample root systems before trees are sold.

More years of care will be required after the evergreen is transplanted to a landscape. If you make the right choice at the beginning, not only will you save time and money, but your landscape evergreens will provide years of pleasure. Some evergreens are tolerant of less than ideal growing conditions. Always choose plants with growing requirements that match the conditions of your landscape. Evergreens come in many different forms: pyramid shape, spreading, open, prostrate or creeping, mounded, rounded, upright, weeping.

Evergreens also provide year-round color and texture in a landscape making them excellent accent plants. This is an important plant characteristics in Minnesota and other areas with long winters. Colorado blue spruce Picea pungens is no longer recommended for Minnesota landscapes due to its susceptibility to several debilitating spruce diseases, most specifically Rhizosphaera needle cast and Cytospora canker. Concolor fir Abies concolor and some white spruce are good large tree alternatives with blue-green foliage to Colorado spruce.

No tree or shrub is completely immune to insect or disease attack, but you can reduce pest issues:. The following is a list of just some of the evergreens suitable for Minnesota landscapes. Be sure to visit your local garden center or plant nursery for more that may be available in your area. Red pine Pinus resinosa : 80 feet tall by 40 feet wide, medium growth rate, upright form, full sun; the state tree of Minnesota. Pinyon pine trees are well-suited evergreens for landscaping as they are slow-growing and can create shrub borders or specimen trees.

These hardy pine trees survive well in warm climates and can survive periods of drought. Pinyon pines are also good trees to grow if you want to harvest their edible pine nuts from the cones. These small pine trees have a wonderful pyramid shape and they grow to 20 ft. Their upturned branches, yellow-green long needles, and small cones make this an attractive species for a landscaped garden. The Japanese Black Pine is an ornamental evergreen tree.

The wide-spreading nature of its foliage and crooked branches of the Japanese black pine gives this evergreen landscape tree an exotic oriental look. This Asian pine species is good for pruning to create beautiful decorative pine trees. It is also a perfect tree to create miniature trees and bonsai trees.

As its common name suggests, these pine trees are identified by their unique black bark. Although called a fir tree, the Douglas fir belongs to the family of evergreen pine trees. These evergreen conifers have soft flat needle-like leaves.

The conical shape of the tree gives it an important ornamental value that adds year-long greenery to garden landscapes. Douglas firs grow to between 70 and ft. They have needles that are 1.

Large tan-colored scaly cones droop down from the branches. The Norway spruce is a fast growing cold hardy evergreen tree. Norway spruces have a distinct pyramidal shape with soft green needles that have blunted tips.

These are fast-growing conifers that can be used in landscaping to create large privacy hedges or a singular specimen tree. Norway spruces are suitable for colder environments and they are popular Christmas trees. Norway spruce trees grow to between and ft. Also called the Alberta spruce, this fast-growing coniferous evergreen tree has a distinctly conical shape. Some mature varieties look like skinny conifers with slightly drooping branches.

These are perfect for foundation plantings, hedges, or as a specimen plant. The pyramidal shapes of the Colorado blue spruce, its blue-green foliage, and sharp spiky branches make this a great addition to the garden landscape.

This ornamental tree grows well in most zones and enjoys plenty of sun. Looking at pictures of this spruce specimen, you can recognize it by the distinct blue color of the leaves and foliage. Colorado blue spruce trees grow up to 49 ft.

The pale brown 4-inch cm long cones contrast well with the silvery-blue foliage. The white fir is a popular evergreen tree in many gardens. From all species of evergreen fir trees, the white fir tree is one of the popular landscaping choices due to its ornamental value.

The light blue-green foliage creates a beautiful contrast with darker colored firs or spruces. This hardy fir tree grows as well in hot climates as it does in cooler ones.

Prized for its beautiful winter-green foliage, the white fir tree grows to between 50 and 75 ft. Fraser fir is a relatively small evergreen tree.

Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Makeover Takeover: Colonial Comeback. Treat Your Family to Homemade Cupcakes.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Alexandra Grablewski Getty Images. Nahhan Getty Images. Diane Labombarbe Getty Images. Joseph Strauch Getty Images. MaYcaL Getty Images. Supersmario Getty Images. Rosemary Calvert Getty Images. OllgaP Getty Images. Dan Rosenholm Getty Images. Meindert van der Haven Getty Images. Steven Wooster Getty Images. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses.