Evergreen plants include what kind of trees

Spruce trees often feature a perfect pyramidal form. These trees are likely to grow to great heights at high elevations. Their needles are usually stiff and sharp. Below are two spruces with very different colors and branching habits. The best aspect of blue spruce is its striking color. This vibrant blue stands out all year round as it gives a stark contrast to the greens offered by other species. In the winter, it is especially noticeable.

Blue spruce also has a consistent pyramidal form. It maintains this Christmas tree-like shape throughout its life. The needles of blue spruce are stiff and sharp.

They cover the majority of each stem and are often painful to grasp. Because of its colorful foliage, blue spruce makes for a great specimen tree. However, it can also grow as a part of a mass planting for privacy or wind screening. Blue spruce also carries the name Colorado spruce. This is because it is native to the Rocky Mountains. Plant blue spruce in acidic soils with full sun. This species is tolerant of harsh winters up to zone 2. Not much pruning is needed since blue spruce has a consistent growth habit.

Prune in early spring if you wish to control growth. Native to central Europe, Norway spruce is a fast-growing conifer. This rapid growth rate is especially prevalent in youth.

They grow in all directions covering the entirety of each stem. The cones are large and long. The hang in the same pendulous manner as the branches. Prune in late winter. For those interested in a dense screen, consider clipping the central leader. This will promote more horizontal growth. It is easy to mistake fir trees for spruces. Many species share the same Christmas tree-like shape. But the needles offer an easy way to tell the difference. While spruce trees are sharp, fir trees are soft.

The fir trees listed here are both great evergreen tree options. One is a staple plant of the Pacific Northwest. The other offers vibrant foliage.

Douglas fir is a massive conifer that is native to the Pacific Northwest. It is one of the most prominent trees in the forests of this area. It can grow in low-lying coastal areas as well as higher mountain elevations. One of the best ways to identify this tree is by the bracts on its cones. These bracts are unlike those of any other conifer.

They have a forked pointed shape like a v or a trident. The needles are thin and short. They can be green to blue-green in color. Sometimes they have a shiny appearance as well. This tree also has a unique branching habit. The mid-level branches are stiff, growing horizontally to the ground. The branches below droop downward, the branches above reach more towards the sky. Because of its extreme mature size, Douglas fir can be challenging to grow in residential settings. Prune in late winter to attempt to control the height.

White fir is native to the mountain regions of the American West. They often grow in rocky soils. In those settings, it can grow much taller than in residential and commercial plantings. White fir offers a consistent color that is similar to the color of blue spruce. The difference between the foliage of these two species is in the feel. If you grab a white fir tree, you will find that the needs are soft and flexible.

The needles of blue spruce are sharp and painful. White fir is generally conical in form. It often has a thin central leader that sticks straight up out of the canopy like a spire. Cedar trees may be best known for the fact that they produce great wood for construction. But you will find that they have many other uses in the landscape as well. These trees make for some of the best privacy screens. While they are overplanted in some areas, it is for good reason.

Their dense evergreen foliage effectively blocks both sight and wind. Eastern white cedar, also known as American arborvitae, has a large native range in the eastern united states.

This plant commonly grows in the wild and in residential and commercial settings. The dense foliage of this tree makes it a top choice for privacy screening. That foliage consists of bright-green scale-like needles. Eastern white cedar typically has a single trunk and a conical form.

At times it is slightly pyramidal. The wood of this tree is rot-resistant making it useful in construction. This use goes back to the indigenous people of North America who used this tree to build canoes. Prune eastern white cedar in spring or summer. This tree can tolerate shearing. Generally, this tree prefers neutral to alkaline soils and areas of full sun. Eastern white cedar is a great option for year-round privacy hedges or windbreaks. Much like the eastern white cedar, western red cedar has wood that is fantastic for building.

It is one of the most commonly used woods in carpentry. Because it is so massive, western red cedar is sometimes called giant red cedar. It can reach hundreds of feet tall but it maintains a narrow pyramidal shape. Like other arborvitaes, this tree can contribute to a quality hedge.

But many consider this to be one of the most attractive cedars, so it is suitable as a specimen as well. The leaves are dark green and lustrous. They consist of small scales. In areas of extreme sunlight and heat the leaves can turn brown at times. While being extremely large, western red cedar is also long-lived. In ideal conditions, their lifespan can exceed years.

Western red cedar prefers cooler areas with moist soils. But, it can both partial shade and full sun. The soil should have a neutral ph. Remember this is a large plant so provide plenty of space. Use pruning to thin branches as needed. The story of hemlock trees is a relatively sad one. Currently, there is a pest called the wooly adelgid that threatens to wipe out the entire population of hemlocks.

But that does not exclude them from our list. Not only are these trees an essential part of their ecosystems, but they are also some of the most attractive evergreens around. Canadian hemlock is a pyramidal conifer native t north America. It tends to grow in moist woodland areas often near bodies of water. The short needles appear in regular intervals along each branch. They have a deep green color. On their bottom sides, they have two whitish bands.

The whitish bands are not to be confused with wooly adelgid. This pest threatens the entire Canadian hemlock species. This tiny insect attaches itself to the underside of Canadian hemlock leaves. As it does, the insects become engorges. In aggregate, they create a wooly appearance.

This pest is an unfortunately common identification feature. Canadian hemlocks are currently dying off as a result. Despite this major issue, Canadian hemlock is a very attractive evergreen tree. In addition to the foliage, it has pleasing bark. That bark is flakey in youth and dark with deep furrows at maturity.

Canadian hemlock grows best in cool, moist, acidic soils. Deciduous plants, on the other hand, completely lose their foliage for part of the year, usually during the winter or dry season depending on location.

There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs; and, they have important roles to play in landscaping—from aesthetic to ecological. Read on to learn more about how and why to include evergreens in your landscaping. Most species of conifers are evergreen e. Evergreens also include several broadleaved plants like some species of oak Quercus agrifolia pictured above , American holly Ilex Opaca , and many from places where there is no frost, like eucalyptus.

Flummoxed by the conifer that loses its leaves? This handy chart shows you how to talk about trees like a pro. Evergreens can be important landscape elements for birds. When the temps drop and the snow flies, birds need thermal cover—that is, a place to get out of the cold and wind.

Even in warmer climates, an unusually cool night can send birds looking for a place to get warm. But in January and February, with no leaves on deciduous trees, shelter can be harder to come by.

You can give birds a place to hide from the cold by adding an evergreen element to your site. Birds naturally seek winter cover in evergreen trees, which have dense needles that offer protection from precipitation and wind.

You can see in the image above just how much an evergreen stands out in a sea of leafless deciduous trees. The Chickadee is sheltering in this evergreen whose leaves help to break the wind.

Without the tree, it would be more exposed. Evergreen trees keep their green leaves year-round. Many evergreens are coniferous trees, or conifers. Typical conifers include pines, firs, cypresses, and spruces. They have tall, straight trunks with regular branches, which often form a symmetrical even-sided shape. Most conifers have narrow, scalelike leaves or sharp needles. Conifers produce cones, but no flowers, and grow in cooler parts of the world.

The oldest living plant is the American bristlecone pine tree. It is about 5, years old.