We are used to seeing trees lose all their leaves and go dormant during a particular season, mostly during the winter. It has become a common occurrence. Many people might not even know some trees do not go dormant, nor do they lose all their leaves during a particular season. In this article we will see 13 different Types of Evergreen Trees with pictures.
If you’re still wondering, these trees are evergreen trees, and as the name implies, they stay green and full all year round – impressive. How are they able to achieve this lushness throughout the whole year? Evergreen trees have adapted its growing pattern to help it stay green all year round. It loses its leaves steadily throughout all the seasons against doing it all at once in a particular season and going dormant.
While evergreen trees stay the same all year, deciduous trees showcase the different seasons through their appearance. Deciduous trees move from lush growing greens during spring to vibrant shade during the fall and bare branches in the winter.
Just like the bamboo plant, evergreen trees can act as windbreaks and privacy screens in your yard. Its leaves are dense and can provide shelter for birds and butterflies during the winter.
One unique feature of the evergreen plant is its ability to thrive even in poor soil. Because its growth spreads out throughout the year, it can continue to grow minimally with inadequate soil nutrients.
Three things make the classification of evergreen trees; their evergreen nature, leave pigmentation, and arrangement. There are a lot of evergreen varieties that will match the different climatic conditions. Typically, many tropical rainforest trees will stay evergreen throughout the year, which bodes well for your tropical garden.
Evergreens do not shed their leaves and stay green all year. Conifers such as pine, Douglas fir, Scots pine, Monterey Pine, Cyprus, Citrus trees, Thuja evergreen trees, spruce, Fraser Fir cedar evergreen trees fall within this category. Evergreens may add drama to landscapes, particularly in winter, when they provide stunning backgrounds against a covering of white snow.
Types of Evergreen Trees
As it is for most of my growing articles, I want to make your work easier. There are over a thousand evergreen species, and I know the confusion about one or two trees to plant would be enormous. You know I cannot leave you in such a dilemma. That is why I have come up with this piece to show you some popular varieties and their characteristics.
#1. Douglas Fir
This tree typically grows alone but can still be a good sight when massed with others. It produces needle-like leaves that grow directly from the branches. Its leaves are blue-green or yellow and hang singly on the branch. The Douglas fir can grow up to 80 feet tall and be a great addition to your landscape.
#2. Pinyon Pine Evergreen Trees
Pinyon pine is a slow-growing evergreen tree that takes up to 60 years to reach its low 7 feet height. It is a relatively small pine tree but can grow as wide as its height.
It is also long-lasting as it can live for a whopping 600 years. Its yellow-green needles can grow up to 2 inches long and stay on the tree for up to 8 years.
It also produces cones that contain the popular pine nuts. The tree loves to grow in the dry land, and just like other desert plants, it requires minimal maintenance.
#3. Scots Pine
Scotland claims this tree as its national tree. This tree is sometimes incorrectly called Scotch pine. This is a rugged evergreen tree that grows up to 50 feet tall and 30 feet wide.
Its needles experience a change in color during the winter, from blue-green in the summer to yellow-green during the winter.
The rugged nature of the scots pine makes it capable of growing in extreme conditions. It is, however, susceptible to pine wilt nematodes, especially in the Midwest.
#4. Monterey Pine
This is a huge evergreen tree that can grow up to 100 feet tall. Even though this is a versatile tree, it is best suited to warmer climes.
When growing this plant, consider its size and make sure it gets ample growing space. Please keep it away from power lines and anything that can impede its growth.
Unlike the pinyon pine, this is a fast-growing tree that grows more than 30 inches per year. It is neither frost nor extreme heat tolerant.
#5. Cedar Evergreen Trees
Even though many trees are classified as cedar, there are only four valid species of this evergreen tree. This is another large evergreen tree growing up to 100 feet tall and producing dense needle-like leaves that grow in clusters.
Their cones are oval-shaped and are 5 inches long and brown when mature.
Temperate regions are the best climatic conditions for the cedar tree. The tree is not tolerant of extreme weather conditions.
#6. Cypress
This evergreen conifer produces scale-like foliage that can come in yellow-green, blue-green, or deep green hues. The cypress tree is quite large at about 130 feet when mature. This will provide a massive privacy screen and landscape for your yard.
It grows best under full sun and in well-draining land.
Their ornamental values and timber-making stems are just a few of the qualities that make this tree popular, especially in Asia. They love growing in warmer climates and are heat tolerant. They, however, cannot survive in cold regions.
#7. Citrus Trees
Citrus trees are small trees with a humble 30 feet height. Citrus trees grow best in warmer climates, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow them in colder regions. In colder areas, they can be grown in containers where they are kept outdoors in the summer and moved indoors during the winter, preferably before the first frost.
Bear in mind that growing in containers will limit the plant’s growth. Its smaller size can be a good thing, as it’ll make it easier to move it around when planting in colder regions. This tree produces creamy white and sometimes pink flowers.
#8. Thuja Evergreen Trees
This landscaping tree is another container evergreen. Its shoots grow out as a single plane, making it easy to grow in containers. Depending on species, you can have thuja plants with larger cones and thicker foliage.
Sometimes called arborvitaes, they can reach heights of 40 feet, and 10 feet for dwarf species. Their slender shape makes them the right landscape plant.
#9. Fraser Fir
The Fraser fir is native to the southern parts of the Appalachian mountains. They are grown commercially as Christmas trees because of their symmetrical shape and fresh fragrance. Its needles last a long time before dropping off and can retain their softness even after being cut.
It thrives in moist areas with rich, well-draining land. It prefers cold and temperate places during the summer with a fair amount of rainfall as it needs a lot of water to grow.
Do not let rain hinder you from developing this unique tree; you can install an irrigation system and water it during any droughts.
#10. White Spruce Evergreen Trees
This evergreen tree is used as a Christmas tree because of its distinct shape, short and firm needles, and even spaced branches. The tree can grow up to 60 feet tall and spread to about 20 feet.
The tree forms a pyramidal shape and is an excellent source of food and shelter in the wild.
White spruce loves to grow under full sun and in loamy, well-draining soil.
A slightly acidic and moist ground will give the white spruce tree the best chance for growth.
#11. Gum Trees
Gum trees can grow up to 100 feet tall in a comfortable environment. They produce fruits called gum nuts. Gum trees are native to Australia and have adapted to being fire-resistant because of the numerous fires that have plagued the Australian wild in recent times.
It produces scented foliage due to its oil glands. This tree’s fantastic feature is its ability to form new colorful barks every year, shedding the old bark. They are a flowering tree that can produce either a white, yellow, red, or pink flower.
#12. Olive Trees
This list without mentioning olive trees would be incomplete. The popular olive trees grow up to 45 feet in height and are native to warm regions. Olive trees are evergreen and are grown commercially for their olives, used to make olive oil. They have narrow grey-green foliage, which is silvery on the other side. When they are young, you need to water them generously as they gain tolerance when they grow.
#13. Norway Spruce Evergreen Trees
This is a native Europe evergreen plant with a robust root system that can withstand strong winds. This large tree is fast-growing, grows about 2 feet a year, and can reach a height of 100 feet. It is a large tree, so it is best to give it ample space to grow. It is drought tolerant and can grow in moist ground.
Lastly
I cannot list all the evergreen species, but I have given you a list of some famous and vast species that can grow in many climatic conditions. It is best to check with your local garden authorities for the best variety to grow in your region.
Most of the evergreen trees are low maintenance plants that do not need much attention to grow. They also last for decades, some for centuries before they die. This is a plant that can serve you throughout your lifetime.
What are you waiting for? Start planting.
