Evergreen trees retain their foliage and remain green year-round. Large specimen evergreen trees are categorized as trees that typically grow 35 feet or taller, although we have several smaller & dwarf varieties available. The selection of specimen evergreens is vast, with very different characteristics. It is important to recognize the differences before choosing one of these trees for your landscape. We have listed several of the more popular evergreens we stock at the Nursery.
Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
Cedars make striking garden selections with lovely, textural foliage that comes in a variety of shades and is used quite often for screens and hedges due to its vertical shape. They are a dense, conical to narrow-pyramidal, often single-trunked evergreen tree. They grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade, typically achieving heights of 12 to 30 feet. Scale-like, aromatic, yellow-green to green foliage appears in flattened sprays.
Fir (Abies)
Fir trees have a distinct pyramidal shape and can be identified by their needles. There are similarities to a spruce tree, but fir needles are smooth and flat. Their cones are also unmistakable as they are the only type of conifer cones where the cone grows upwards rather than droops. They can be quite colourful as well, with hues of purple, white, green and dark blue when young. Fir tree bark on a young tree is generally smooth & grey. As it matures it becomes thick, scaly & furrowed, more so than other types of conifers.
Pine (Pinus)
Pine trees have very distinct needle-like leaves and are easily identified as they grow in clusters on the branch, which is different than other types of evergreen trees. They are very smooth, flexible and also tend to be longer than spruce or fir needles. Pine cones are firm and the largest of all conifer species. Most Pine tree bark is smooth when the tree is young and gradually becomes orangey-red as it ages.
Spruce (Picea)
There are many species of Spruce trees, most of which are quite large, with some growing to 200 feet tall at maturity. Spruce trees are needle-leafed and generally conical or cone shaped, especially when they are young. Most of these conifers are long lived with the oldest Spruce on record being 852 years old and is still going strong. They are impressive and stately additions to a variety of landscapes.
