Evergreen Trees: How to Choose an Evergreen for Your Yard

Evergreen trees are a hardy type of tree with multilayered branching and green leaves that hold their foliage year-round (unlike deciduous trees, which shed their foliage in the winter). Evergreen trees usually have needle-like leaves that grow in whorls on their branches (like pine or spruce trees) or broadleaf foliage (like holly trees). These trees typically prefer acidic soil types.

Some evergreen trees are conifers that reproduce by dropping seed-packed cones, while others simply drop their seeds at the end of a growing cycle. Plant evergreen trees as privacy hedges, specimen plants, or cultivate a mini-forest in your backyard.

Most evergreens are low-maintenance plants that maintain year-round color with little intervention. Here are ten of the most popular evergreen trees that growers love:

1. 1. American arborvitae: American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is an evergreen tree with several practical landscaping uses. Gardeners often plant them in rows as a windbreak or privacy screen; their dense growth habit makes them perfect for shaping into a decorative topiary. Arborvitae is a conifer tree with dark-green foliage that grows in a narrow, pyramidal shape to heights between forty to sixty feet tall. Popular cultivars include the ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae and the ‘Thuja Green Giant.’
2. 2. Cedar trees: Cedar trees (Cedrus) are evergreen conifers native to mountainous regions. They require heavy rainfall and well-draining soil to avoid wet roots. Producers most often cultivate these trees for lumber. The eastern juniper (Juniperus virginiana), also known as the eastern red cedar, is a popular cedar tree that can reach heights of fifty feet at maturity.
3. 3. Cypress trees: The cypress tree (Cupressus) is an evergreen conifer with bright-green foliage that grows vertically in a thin, spire-like shape. These evergreen plants reach heights of eighty feet. Several cypress species grow in moderate to warm climates in the western US. The bald cypress is an example of a conifer that is not evergreen, as it sheds its foliage in the winter. Leyland cypress cultivars are especially rapid growers commonly used for privacy screens.
4. 4. Fir trees: Fir trees (Abies) are members of the pine family, growing anywhere between thirty and 270 feet in height. Fir trees have needles that attach to their branches with a suction cup at the needle's end. Their cones grow upwards from the branch, giving them the appearance of balancing on their branches. The balsam fir (Abies balsamea) is one of the most popular evergreen Christmas tree choices in the US.
5. 5. Hemlock trees: Hemlock trees (Tsuga) are evergreen conifers with dark-green foliage and small cones. They are common in North America and Asia, and can grow anywhere from sixty to one hundred feet high.
6. 6. Japanese holly trees: Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) grows as medium-to-large broadleaf evergreen shrubs and trees. They produce small oval-shaped deep-green foliage all year round. In late spring, the shrub blooms small white flowers, and in fall, it produces small blackish fruits. These plants prefer moderate temperatures and cannot tolerate too much heat. They typically grow up to ten feet in height, though some dwarf varieties only grow as shrubs between two and five feet tall.
7. 7. Pine trees: Pines are evergreen conifers with green spiny foliage and cones that grow on the ends of their branches. The pine tree family (Pinaceae) is the largest family of conifers, and the pine tree is the largest genus within the pine family. The pine tree (Pinus) is one of the most recognizable conifers in the US. These trees can grow for hundreds of years and reach 200 feet. The eastern white pine, also known as soft pine (Pinus strobus), can grow up to 200 feet high.
8. 8. ‘Skyrocket juniper’: The Skyrocket juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket’) is a narrow, columnar evergreen tree with a fast growth rate. This juniper cultivar has aromatic foliage with a bluish-green color and scale-like texture. Skyrocket junipers can grow around thirty feet tall in columnar form.
9. 9. Spruce trees: Many spruce tree varieties are coniferous evergreens known for their four-sided needles that grow around the tree’s branches in spirals. Spruces can grow very tall and produce cones that hang from the tips of their branches. The Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens)—notable for its gray-green foliage—is one of the most popular species in the US. Spruce trees vary in their towering heights, from sixty feet to 200 feet.
10. 10. Yew trees: Yews (Taxus) are evergreen conifers with flat green needles. They have ornamental red cones, often shaped into topiaries, making them a popular option for home landscaping. Yew trees can grow between twenty and thirty feet tall, with some reaching around fifty feet.

Here are some factors to consider when searching for an evergreen tree for your property:

1. 1. Climate: To pick the perfect tree for your space, do some online research to find out which evergreen trees can survive in your particular climate and USDA Hardiness Zone. For instance, eastern pines are drought-tolerant and will fare better in drier conditions, whereas cedars are more tolerant of warmer conditions.
2. 2. Function: If you’re looking for privacy screens, choose trees that will reach and cover your windows, such as cypress or arborvitae varieties. If you need evergreens for windbreak capabilities, choose one with denser foliage, such as the Norway spruce (Picea abies), white spruce (Picea glauca), white fir (Abies concolor), or Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii).
3. 3. Planting space: Evergreen trees grow quite tall and need plenty of space to grow and spread, so you’ll need enough room to accommodate your preferred variety. Even if you have the space to fit a large tree, opt for several slightly smaller varieties to optimize the available area.
4. 4. Yard design: A giant, wide evergreen tree in a small yard can make the space look and feel crowded, and tall pointy trees may not work with your current garden setup. Consider the whole design of your landscape before choosing which tree shape would work best with your aesthetic. Different heights and densities can create a layered, unique look.

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