An evergreen tree chart to help you decide what species of tree is best for your needs.
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Common Name
|
Latin Name
|
Sun
|
Soils
|
Zones
|
Height
|
Notes
|
|
Austrian Pine
|
Pinus nigra
|
 
|
salty soils, clay soils, wide range of soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
60ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
tolerant of wind and extreme cold, road salt, air pollution, drought, dry conditions
|
|
Bald Cypress
|
Taxodium distichum
|
|
rich wet soils, swampy soils, flooded areas, marshes
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Zones 5-10
|
70ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• bare root seedling
southern species famous for flourishing in swamps and marshes with near-constant standing water, great for water features, deciduous, golden fall colors
|
|
Balsam Fir
|
Abies balsamea
|
|
rich soils, swampy soils, sandy soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
90ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
popular Christmas tree, attracts small wildlife, almost identical to Fraser Fir and Canaan Fir
|
|
Black Hills Spruce
|
Picea glauca 'Densata'
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|
sandy soils, light soils
|
Zones 3-6
|
80ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
wonderful ornamental, nearly immune to pests & disease, slow growing, sharp needles
|
|
Black Spruce
|
Picea mariana
|
|
rich soils, swampy soils, darker soils, wetlands
|
Zones 3-6
|
30ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• bare root seedling
northern species, prefers wet soils and wetlands, perfect around ponds and streams, good for tight spaces
|
|
Canaan Fir
|
Abies balsamea var.
phanerolepsis
|
|
rich soils, swampy soils, darker soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
50ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• bare root transplant
popular Christmas tree, resists Phytophthora root rot [rampant in the Carolinas], attracts small wildlife, nearly identical to Fraser Fir and Balsam Fir
|
|
Canadian Hemlock
|
Tsuga canadensis
|
|
rich soils, clay soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
70ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
can be aggressively pruned and sheared
|
|
Colorado Blue Spruce
|
Picea pungens 'Glauca'
|
|
wide range of soils
|
Zones 3-6
|
100ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
popular for Christmas, great for privacy, deep root systems, sharp needles
|
|
Concolor Fir
|
Abies concolor
|
|
rich soils, sandy soils, clay soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
150ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
fast growing, popular ornamental and Christmas tree, soft lush needles
|
|
Douglas Fir
|
Pseudotsuga menziesii
|
|
rich soils, swampy soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
200ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
popular for Christmas, soft needles, fire resistant trunks, pleasant aroma
|
|
Eastern Red Cedar
|
Juniperus virginiana
|
|
lighter soils, sandier soils, drier soils, poor soils
|
Zones 3-9
|
40ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
grows from Canada to Florida, dense growth, rot resistant wood, great for wildlife, very sharp needles, requires little water, does poorly in rich, wet soils
|
|
Fraser Fir
|
Abies fraseri
|
|
slightly acidic soils, rocky soils, sandy soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
80ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
popular for Christmas, needs good drainage, soft needles with silver undersides
|
|
Leyland Cypress
|
x Cupressocyparis leylandii
|
|
wide range of soils and pH levels, drier soils
|
Zones 6-10
|
50ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• bare root transplant
fast growth, can be aggressively pruned, great for privacy, small possibility of blowover in stormy winds, moderately drought tolerant
|
|
Japanese Fir
|
Abies firma
|
|
wide range of soils clay soils, poor draining soils
|
Zones 6-9
|
60ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• n/a
resists Phytophthora root rot [rampant in the Carolinas], resists common pests and diseases, drought and heat tolerant, dense growth
|
|
Meyers Spruce
|
Picea meyeri
|
|
light soils, heavy soils, acidic soils
|
Zones 3-8
|
40ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
nearly identical appearance to Colorado Blue Spruce, grows quite far south, resists common pests and disease, drought tolerant
|
|
Norway Spruce
|
Picea abies
|
|
rich soils, sandy soils
|
Zones 3-6
|
150ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
fast growing, popular ornamental, deep root systems sharp needles
|
|
Oriental Spruce
|
Picea orientalis
|
|
poor soils, clay soils, rocky soils
|
Zones 5-8
|
50ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• n/a
moderate drought tolerance, dense growth, no pruning, attracts birds and small game, resists common pests and disease
|
|
Ponderosa Pine
|
Pinus ponderosa
|
|
poor soils, clay soils, rocky soils, well drained soils, acidic soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
125ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
tall and straight trunks, loses lower branches, attracts wildlife, resistant to brushfires
|
|
Red Pine
|
Pinus resinosa
|
|
sandy soils, light soils, rocky soils, poor soils
|
Zones 3-6
|
150ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
fast growing, wind tolerant, very adaptable to poor conditions
|
|
Serbian Spruce
|
Picea omorika
|
|
wide range of soils
|
Zones 4-7
|
60ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
gorgeous ornamental, needles feature silver undersides
|
|
Tamarack Larch
|
Larix laricina
|
|
swampy soils, wide range of soils
|
Zones 2-6
|
65ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
soft, deciduous green needles turn golden and drop in Fall, extremely cold resistant, needles used as pine straw mulch
|
|
White Cedar
|
Thuja occidentalis
|
|
wide range of soils
|
Zones 3-9
|
40ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
grows from Canada to Florida, pleasant aroma, resistant to insects, wood is resistant to rot
|
|
White Pine
|
Pinus strobus
|
|
sandy soils, light soils
|
Zones 3-7
|
200ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
provides natural food and shelter for wildlife, desirable ornamental
|
|
White Spruce
|
Picea glauca
|
|
wide range of soils
|
Zones 3-6
|
100ft
|
Seasonally available as:
• plug seedling
• plug transplant
• bare root seedling
• bare root transplant
tolerates extreme wind and cold, likes wetter soils, sharp needles
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