Home | Home & Family | Gardening
Because of their year-round appeal, robustness and longevity, evergreen trees rightfully dictate a slight higher price relative to deciduous trees which lose their leaves during the cold season. Evergreens have a wide scope from wide-leaved shrubs, such as rhododendrons and laurel to cone-bearing pines and distinguished spruces. Markedly excellent as wind screens, the giant spruces and firs are widely used not only for their attractiveness, but also because of their form. Moreover, they do well without much sunlight, which causes them to be excellent choices for foundation layout. Following are some very renowned evergreens to select from (alphabetically presented): Cedar The ornamental Arbor Vitae, for example cedar, yields the flat evergreen branch frequently used in floral arrangements at Christmas. It is best in moist, protected spaces. Although it can be cut to any size or shape, left alone it will form a broad 35 to 50 feet tall pyramid. Fir Hardy, resilient, and drought-resistant, the Douglas fir grows rapidly and compactly. The best fir selection for windbreaks and screening, its tall pyramid makes an excellent lawn element. White fir has a lovely, while balsam fir, AKA the Christmas tree, is noted for its special fragrance and shining 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 very useful in planting. As a spreading evergreen, the Pfitzer juniper is best used for banks, edgings and ground cover. Its green feathery foliage grows fast, will tolerate crowding and at maturity stands 8 feet high, and up to 12 feet across. Ground-covering junipers include creeping, prostrate, Sargent, and Waukegan. Pine The most widely known evergreen is the pine. Noted for its long, soft, light silvery-green needles, the white pine can reach 80 feet at maturity. In addition to the white pine, the red pine is splendid for backgrounds and wind breaks. A broad, compact tree, the ponderosa pine is used for protection and decorative 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 does poorly in drought and heat, the Colorado blue spruce is a hardy tree. Red cedar, on the other hand, is a fine ornamental evergreen for hedges and wind breaks because it withstands dry weather, and the thick green foliage is bronze tinted in winter. Probably the most widely planted wind breaks evergreen, the Norway spruce is hardy. A slow grower, it has short needles of dark green and is compact and pyramidal shaped. 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 element 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 - 14 days during this time of year. Be sure the water reaches at least 6 inches deep. A good 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.
Article Source: http://www.urarticles.com
Click Landscaping Design for more info on landscaping design. Click Authoring Info for the author's website. Copyright 2009 Ron King. You can reprint this article if the resource box is left intact and the links live.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
