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Evergreens: Always in Season

Evergreens are plants that retain their leaves and thus their green color all year long. The evergreen family, including evergreen shrubs, evergreen trees, vines and ground covers, is divided into two groups based on leaf shape.

narrow-leafed evergreens: The leaves of narrow-leafed evergreens are known as needles and are the most recognizable because of their use during the Christmas season. Narrow-leafed evergreens include pines, junipers, firs, spruces and hemlocks. Most needle evergreens are also conifers. Conifers are members of a plant type that produces cones in which the plant's seeds are stored. These evergreens are hardy and able to grow anywhere in the United States.

broad-leafed evergreens: As the name indicates, broad-leafed evergreens refers to any evergreen with leaves wider than needles. Because this group of evergreens produces flowers or fruit, broad-leafed evergreen plants are popular for landscaping. Popular broad-leafed evergreen plants include azaleas, hollies, boxwoods, ivy and magnolias.

Caring for Evergreens

Planting and caring for evergreen trees or evergreen shrubs takes time and money. Choose the right types of plants for your yard before you make any purchases.

Before buying evergreen trees or evergreen shrubs, measure the space that you have available for planting and calculate the sizes of the plants when they reach maturity. This will ultimately determine the type and size of evergreen that you’ll need for your project.

Generally, evergreens, especially newly planted ones, thrive in rich, moist soil. As they grow, some evergreen trees, like cedars and pines, can handle drier soils. However, remember that evergreens do not drop a significant number of leaves in the winter and, therefore, continually have water evaporating from their leaves. Consequently, evergreens must be watered even throughout the winter season.

Consider your climate before choosing an evergreen tree or evergreen shrub. Warm and temperate climates sustain broadleaf, flowering evergreens like azaleas and gardenias, while cooler climates are better for narrow-leaf evergreens like pines and firs. A garden center expert should be able to tell you which evergreens grow best in the climate that you live in.

Evergreen Uses in the Garden

Evergreens can be a great addition to any garden. The plants are both durable and attractive. Evergreen shrubs are often used as privacy hedges and add a decorative touch around the home. They do, however, require a great deal of care to maintain their attractive appearance, as they need to be trimmed on a regular basis to keep the shape that you desire.

Evergreen trees are also great for landscaping as they require little water and remain green throughout the year. There is typically little maintenance involved in caring for evergreen trees. However, evergreen trees are conifers and do occasionally have cones that drop to the ground, requiring some light maintenance.

Pruning Evergreens

While many types of evergreen trees and shrubs need very little pruning, some need to be pruned on a regular basis. Frequent pruning of these evergreens is necessary to prevent overgrowth onto driveways, walkways or other structures around your home.

Before you start pruning evergreen trees or evergreen shrubs, follow some basic steps to ensure that you do not damage your plants. Many evergreens can be pruned any time of year without harm, except during freezing weather.

Prune spruce and fir when buds are dormant.
Prune pines when buds are in the "candle" (new growth) stage.
Try your best to make pruning cuts so that lateral buds or branches cover the cuts.
Pruning the top leader of spruce and fir makes them prone to storm damage and destroys natural shape.
Vigorously growing evergreens require frequent pruning to keep them under control.

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