What type of evergreens to plant

Planting: We recommend planting your Thuja trees 8 to 10 feet apart to achieve a taller height closer to 50ft.

If you have a small yard or wish the height to be around 30ft or less, the trees can be planted 5 to 6 feet apart to form a hedge. Thujas do not generally need fertilizer. You can fertilize in the early spring and early fall Espoma Holly Tone or a general evergreen tree fertilizer. Tip Blight: A fungus that attacks weak or damaged areas on the Thuja. The infected needles on the tree begin to die and then eventually spread to the branches. The color of the leaves also turns from green to yellow, and before dying, they turn brown.

You can prevent this disease from spreading by pruning off infected parts and using a fungicide. Leaf Blight: This fungus attacks the leaves on arborvitaes and can be recognized by the dark brown to black circles on new leaves during the spring. Eventually the leaves turn brown and by fall, all the leaves on the tree will drop off.

You can prevent leaf blight with a copper spray application in the summer and early fall. Juniper Blight: Commonly affects red cedar and juniper trees.

However, this disease can also attack Thuja Trees. The disease causes the branches to die back. Dieback will start at the tips of the shoots on young trees. If this is not treated, the tree will eventually die.

You can use fungicides containing copper and propiconzole. Hollies are evergreens that are best distinguished by their glossy foliage. The leaves are typically saw-toothed, or indented on the ends. Depending on the species some hollies are deciduous, and some push out flowers and or berries.

The berries ripen in winter and provide a nice red color contrast to your landscape. However, the fruit is not edible and should not be ingested, though they are good food sources for wildlife.

Similar to Spruce Trees, Hollies have become associated with the Christmas season. Varieties like the Nellie Stevens and American Holly are used as ornamental parts of the landscape during the holidays. Hollies are relatively slow growing evergreens. Though they can reach heights of 15 to 25 feet depending on the variety. Planting: Space your Holly Trees 5 to 25 feet apart, depending on the variety and the mature size of the plant.

They like full to partial sun and moist well-drained acidic soil. You can use compost as fertilizer for these trees in the spring. It is recommended to spread it around the outer most branches, and then add 2 inches of mulch to help the tree retain moisture. Canker: This disease causes sunken areas on the stems called cankers. These cause the trees to eventually die. In order to save the trees, it is recommended that you prune off any infected branches.

Tar Spot: Infection can occur during the spring when temperatures are moist and cool. It starts off as yellow spots on the leaves, and they eventually turn brown to black in color. As a result, the leaves either get holes or fall off.

It is best to remove any infected leaves before the infection spreads throughout the tree. Chlorosis: Another infection that can affect Hollies is Chlorosis, which is an iron deficiency and can lead to the disease. It causes light green to yellow leaves with dark green veins.

It is best to reduce the pH levels in your soil or treat it with supplemental iron-fortified fertilizer. Juniper trees are lush evergreens with scale or needle like leaves. These drought tolerant evergreens are also called cedars, though they are not actually cedar trees. These trees are species of the Juniperus in the Cupressacea family. Depending on the variety Juniper trees can average heights of 15 to 20 feet.

Juniper trees can be planted in almost anywhere, with one exception. We do not recommend planting Junipers in your yard if there are apple trees in your yard or nearby. Apple trees sometimes become infected with cedar-apple rust. They grow well in a variety of conditions and promise beautiful spring blooms. Better yet, the difference between a shaggy azalea and a well-formed one is only a matter of basic pruning. I prune azaleas in the spring immediately after flowering, but will remove obnoxious or form-ruining shoots of growth as late as September.

We have a guide on growing azaleas , complete with recommended cultivars , so check it out for more suggestions! Choosing an evergreen variety is important for year-long performance.

The evergreen azaleas tend to have thicker, leathery leaves while the deciduous varieties have a softer and more delicate leaf.

It produces little more than a soft evergreen foliage and the occasional red and toxic red berry, but its performance in the garden is stellar. Some birds will eat the seeds of the yew, but the seed passes harmlessly through the digestive tract of the animal and causes no trouble.

I had a family of sparrows living in a yew bush at my last apartment and they made great use of the branches as shelter, and surely nibbled on whatever berries they could find. These tend to be pretty resistant to most ailments as well, which makes them an excellent worry-free evergreen shrub option for your yard. The Taunton spreading yew T. It tends to maintain a modest height of about 4 feet, and is happiest when it gets to go a little wild.

Hicks Yew, available from Nature Hills. For a more formal and solid hedge, check out Hicks yew T. It reaches a height of nearly 12 feet, and responds well to heavy pruning for growth as a formal privacy hedge. Euonymus for all of us! Most folks are familiar with the Euonymus variety known as burning bush , but the evergreen varieties of this plant are where Euonymus is at its best.

The handsome colors of this evergreen shrub are also easy to work with in the garden, and add plenty of variety and stable year-round color to your yard. For a shorter option, try Emerald Gaiety E. Not only does it offer a more modest height and spread than others, its soft colors promise to highlight and never detract from the rest of your garden.

This evergreen shrub can even become a climber if provided with the right supports, like a trellis or arbor! The Mugo pine is great in rock gardens and gardens with an Asian theme, but it will thrive in just about any dry and rocky area.

Hardy and self-reliant, this is the perfect option for the garden when you want to plant it and forget it. Sometimes known simply as Pieris or japonica, this is a lovely show-off of an evergreen shrub. These evergreen shrubs prefer a shady spot where they will be protected from drying winds, and like to set roots into acidic soil.

Well-draining soil is preferred, to prevent nasty fungal infections, and this species is susceptible to many of the same conditions as azaleas. Its colors are similar to that of Leucothoe and the two could make an interesting pairing in the garden. The Mountain Snow Pieris P. It maxes out at a height of about five feet and has a similar spread, but the real appeal is the bright red foliage it develops on its new growth.

Really a fantastic sight to behold in your own garden! For a more restrained option, check out the Cavatine Pieris P. Its height of about two feet with a similar spread requires no special pruning, and its foliage maintains a green color accented with beautiful flowers. A short row of Cavatine is jaw-dropping when in full bloom. This species offers a variety of evergreen options, and plants are usually quick to fill up space in the yard.

Still others can be pesky to prune, like the leatherleaf variety, because they produce an irritating sort of dust on the leaves. Zones: , depending on variety Exposure: Full sun Mature size: Varies widely, from low growers at 3 feet tall to large trees in excess of 70 feet. Learn more about growing arborvitae shrubs and trees.

Zones: , depending on variety Exposure: Full sun to partial shade, depending on variety and location Mature size: 1 to 8 feet tall and wide, depending on variety Bloom time: Peak bloom generally mid-spring, some as late as July; reblooming varieties with a second flush in late summer. Learn more about growing rhododendrons and azaleas.

YEW Taxus spp. Zones: Varies, Exposure: Full sun to shade Mature size: Varies by cultivar; 3 to 20 feet tall, 1 to 10 feet wide. Zones: Varies, Exposure: Full sun Mature size: Varies by cultivar; smaller varieties 2 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet wide; larger varieties to over 25 feet tall and 7 to 10 feet wide.

Learn more about growing juniper shrubs and trees. OREGON GRAPE Mahonia aquifolium Zones: Exposure: Partial to full shade Mature size: 3 to 6 feet tall with a spread of 2 to 5 feet Bloom time: Spring This native of western North America will provide color throughout all four seasons, producing cheery yellow flowers in spring, edible grapelike clusters of dark blue berries in late summer, and shiny green leaves that turn bronze red in the fall.

Learn more about growing holly. BEARBERRY Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Zones: Exposure: Partial to full sun Mature size: Up to 1 foot tall with a spread of 3 to 6 feet Bloom time: Spring This tough-as-nails low-growing shrub, often called kinninnick, has small, rounded glossy leaves and produces clusters of pink-tinged white flowers in spring followed by red berries that last all winter.

Zones: , depending on type Exposure: Full sun to partial shade Mature size: 2 to 10 feet tall, 2 to 8 feet wide. Bloom time: Spring to fall An under-appreciated, eye-catching shrub. Learn more about growing abelia shrubs. Zones: Varies, Exposure: Partial to full sun Mature size: Varies by type; 2 to 4 feet tall and wide to 30 feet tall and 25 feet wide. Bloom time: Varies by type; some in spring, others in summer Yuccas are extremely drought tolerant, slow growers that need little maintenance.

Learn more about growing yuccas. I give my consent to be emailed I give my consent for my email activity to be tracked. Most types can be sheared into a hedge, ball form, or left to grow in a more naturalized shape. Look for newer, disease-resistant varieties that don't need coddling. Against this plant's deep green shiny leaves, showy flowers in brilliant purples, pale pinks, and snowy whites pop.

Once grown only in warm climates, some new varieties are cold-tolerant. They prefer dappled shade and are nice as a hedge or accent plant.

This shrub has dense, finely textured foliage and attractive reddish bark. There are both low-growing and upright varieties. These conifers come in a startling array of options from dwarf to gigantic.

With small, rounded leaves and many interesting forms, Japanese holly boasts a strong architectural form to add as an accent to your garden or in pots flanking your front door. Interesting needles and showy cones are the hallmark of many types of fir trees.

Dwarf evergreen shrub varieties of fir form a carpet and work well in rock gardens, while upright types make a sensational focal point.

This hardy pine works beautifully in rock gardens, mass plantings, and mixed with other broadleaf plants. Colors range from deep green to gold. Why We Love It: Unique forms and slow-growing so it doesn't crowd everything else out in a hurry. These evergreens have a striking form and elegant blue-green foliage. Some grow quite tall, so read the plant description before buying. This low-care shrub has bright flowers that appear in late winter to early spring and become blue to black berries by late summer to fall.