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Due to their all-year appeal, vigorousness and long life, evergreens are worth their
small additional cost over deciduous trees which lose their foliage during winter.
Evergreens have a wide range from broad-leaved shrubs, such as laurel and rhododendrons
to cone-bearing pines and distinguished spruces.
Markedly effective as windscreens, the giant spruces and firs are commonly used
not only for their attractiveness, but also for their shape. Furthermore, they do
well without much sunlight, which causes them to be excellent choices for fundamental
planting.
Here are some highly conventional evergreens to select from (in alphabetical order):
Cedar
The decorative Arbor Vitae, such as cedar, produces the flat evergreen branch frequently
used in floral arrangements during the Christmas season. It thrives best in moist,
protected areas. While it can be trimmed to any size or shape, untrimmed it will
form a broad 35 to 50 feet tall pyramid.
Fir
Strong, resilient, and drought-resistant, the Douglas fir grows quickly and compactly.
The best fir selection for wind breaks and privacy, its high pyramid makes a good
lawn element. White fir has an attractive silvery color, while balsam fir, AKA the
Christmas tree, is noted for its special fragrance and lustrous foliage.
Hemlock
The hemlock tree/shrub, with feathery foliage, is most effective when planted in
a grove with others. The Canadian hemlock can be easily sheared for symmetrical
effect.
Juniper
The tall species of juniper, for example the formal columnar juniper and the upright
juniper, are quite useful in planting. As a spreading evergreen, the Pfitzer juniper
is best used for banks, edgings and ground cover. Its green feathery foliage grows
quickly, will tolerate crowding and at maturity stands 8 feet high, and up to 12
feet wide. Ground-covering junipers include creeping, prostrate, Sargent, and Waukegan.
Pine
The most generally known evergreen is the pine. Renowned for its long, soft, light
silvery-green needles, the white pine can reach 80 feet when mature. In addition
to the white pine, the red pine is great for backgrounds and wind breaks. A broad,
compact tree, the ponderosa pine is used for protection and ornamental screens.
The Austrian pine (black pine), popular in the Midwest, has a rich, green color
and spreading branches.
Spruce
Short and wide, with light blue-green needles, the white spruce reaches 70 feet
and is good for general landscaping and privacy screens. Although it suffers in
drought and heat, the Colorado blue spruce is a hardy tree. Red cedar, on the other
hand, is a fine decortive evergreen for hedges and windbreaks because it withstands
dry weather, plus the thick green foliage has a bronze color in winter.
Probably the most commonly planted wind breaks evergreen, the Norway spruce is hardy.
A slow grower, it has short needles of dark green and is compact and pyramidal in
shape. The Black Hills variety grows to 40 feet in time, and is hardy and drought-resistant.
Yew
With its thick, glossy needles and dense, upward-reaching branches, the yew is useful
as both a shrub and tree. Although it grows well in sun and shade, it’s best
used as a single feature against a wall of the garden rather than as foundation
planting. The low-spreading bushy dwarf yew can be clipped, while other varieties
such as the upright yew and Japanese yew are tapering or conical plants best used
for hedges.
Protection
Since evergreens tend to be adversely affected by dry, hot summer weather, they
should be watered every 10 to 14 days during this time of year. Be sure the water
reaches at least 6 inches deep.
An excellent way to protect the evergreen from loss of water in dry weather is with
a mulch of grass clippings or peat moss.
To help an evergreen thrive, pruning in the late spring is recommended, making sure
that the inner branches will develop.
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