Native, available and easy to grow!
Evergreens anchor gardens. That's why experts advise those gardening in new spaces to start with the bones of the garden or structure often achieved through planting evergreens. It sometimes seems as though there aren't a lot of native evergreens to choose from and sometimes they can be harder to find because most are slow growing.
This is a guide to native evergreen trees we, as home gardeners, can find and plant. It includes evergreens native to areas a bit north and south of the Chesapeake watershed.
Availability is based on online inventories maintained by nurseries, as of the week of this post. If you plan to go to a nursery to pick up one of these plants, please call ahead to make sure the plant you want is available. Trees can still be planted now so long as the ground is not frozen. While these trees can be found now, inventories will be more robust come spring. Many garden centers like Merrifield Garden Center in Falls Church will order trees that are less commonly available. Now is a good time to ask as orders for spring may not yet be complete.
Trees:
American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
Details:
General: tall tree averaging 40' to 60' tall
Light: full sun to part shade
Soil: grows in a range of soils including clay
Moisture: average to moist
Use: specimen tree, screen, urban tolerant
Cultivars: many cultivars alter size and shape including small globes and shorter spires
Notes:
also called northern white cedar, white cedar
Morton Arboretum lists a number of cultivars
Sources:
Garden Centers: Merrifield Garden Center, Patuxent Nursery, Sun Nurseries, Valley View
Native Nurseries: Nature by Design, Unity Churchill Nursery
Online: Direct Natives
American Holly (Ilex opaca)
Details:
General: tall tree growing 40' to 50' tall
Light: full sun to part shade
Soil: prefers acidic and well drained but grows in a range of soils
Moisture: dry to wet
Uses: specimen tree, screen, urban tolerant
Cultivars: reportedly up to 1000 cultivars!
Notes:
Male and female trees. Drupes are produced on female trees. A male tree should be planted within 100 yards of female trees to ensure berries
Grows in the wild primarily as an understory tree
Larger trees for sale often have multiple trunks; planting younger trees can make it easier to grow a straight, single trunked tree if desired
Sources:
Garden Centers: Merrifield Garden Center, Patuxent Nursery, Sun Nurseries, Valley View
Native Nurseries: Heartwood Nursery, Herring Run Nursery, Kollar Nursery, Unity Churchill
Online: Direct Natives
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
Details:
General: tall tree averaging 60 to 80' tall in ideal conditions
Light: full sun to part shade
Soil: prefers sandy, peaty acidic and well drained
Moisture: prefers wet but can grow in average to moist soils, not drought tolerant
Use: specimen tree
Notes:
Grows in the wild primarily in the coastal plain along swamps and bogs
Beautiful yet rare in home landscapes
Smaller sized cultivars
Sources:
Garden Centers: Merrifield Garden Center (can request to order)
Native Nurseries: Heartwood Nursery, Nature by Design
Online: Direct Natives, American Beautie(for small 'Top Point' cultivar)
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Details:
General: tall tree averaging 30' to 60' tall
Light: full sun to part shade
Soil: prefers loamy and well drained but grows in a range of soils
Moisture: dry to moist
Uses: specimen tree, screen, wildlife, urban tolerant
Cultivars: several for smaller height, narrower form and bluer color.
Notes:
Male and female trees. Berries are produced on female trees
Grows in the wild in a range of conditions and is often first tree to grow in a meadow
If planted near trees in the apple family, can cause apple rust in trees in apple family
more information about Eastern Red Cedars here
Sources:
Garden Centers: Merrifield Garden Center, Patuxent Nursery, Sun Nurseries
Native Nurseries: Heartwood Nursery, Herring Run Nursery, Unity Churchill Nursery
Online: Direct Natives
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
Details:
General: tall tree averaging 40' to 70' tall
Light: dappled shade to full shade
Soil: prefers good drainage
Moisture: moist
Use: specimen tree, screen, wildlife
Cultivars: several for smaller height
Notes:
experts tend not to recommend for urban areas though successful examples abound
grows in the wild in mountains and some piedmont areas
not drought tolerant
Sources:
Garden Centers: Merrifield Garden Center, Patuxent Nursery, Sun Nurseries
Native Nurseries: Heartwood Nursery
Online: Direct Natives
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Details:
General: tall tree averaging 50' to 80' tall
Light: full sun
Soil: prefers sandy but grows in a range of soils
Moisture: moist to average
Use: specimen tree, screen, wildlife
Cultivars: several for smaller height, narrower form and blue color
Notes:
susceptible to wind damage so not a good choice for near structures or urban areas
dwarf forms such as 'nana' (Pinus strobus 'Nana') grow to a couple feet in height
Sources:
Garden Centers: Merrifield Garden Center (often has dwarf forms), Patuxent Nursery, Sun Nurseries
Native Nurseries: Heartwood Nursery, Laurens Garden Service, Nature by Design, Unity Churchill Nursery
Online: Direct Natives
Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
Details:
General: tall tree averaging 60' to 90' tall
Light: full sun
Soil: prefers moist sandy soils
Moisture: moist to average
Use: screen, wildlife
Notes:
good for sandy areas that are occasionally inundated
prevalent throughout the southeast
very fast growing
Sources:
Garden Centers: Merrifield Garden Center, Patuxent Nursery, Sun Nurseries
Native Nurseries: Nature by Design
Online: Direct Natives
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Details:
General: tall tree growing averaging 50' tall
Light: full sun to part shade
Soil: prefers acidic soils but grows in a range of soils including clay
Moisture: average to moist
Uses: specimen tree, screen, urban tolerant
Cultivars: cultivars for smaller size
Notes:
native to the southeast
creamy white flowers
cultivars for smaller size, typically 30' include 'Teddy Bear' and 'Little Gem' and hardiness
Sources:
Garden Centers: American Plant, Merrifield Garden Center, Patuxent Nursery, Sun Nurseries
Native Nurseries: Kollar Nursery, Unity Churchill Nursery,
Online: Direct Natives
Do you have experience with these native evergreens or cultivars? Please do share. I hope you find once you take into account the available selections in different sizes, you can put together a dreamy wishlist of evergreen trees for your garden!
Happy Gardening.
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