Evergreens by zone

Zone 2

 Red pine (Pinus resinosa): 80 feet tall by 40 feet wide, medium growth rate, upright form, full sun;
the state tree of Minnesota. Also called Norway pine
 Tannenbaum Mugo pine (Pinus mugo var. uncinata 'Tannenbaum'): 12 feet tall by 6 feet wide, slow
growth rate, compact pyramidal form, full sun
 Norway spruce (Picea abies): 80 feet tall by 30 feet wide, medium-to-fast growth rate, pyramidal
form, full sun
 Russian cypress (Microbiota decussata): 1 foot tall by 4 feet wide, slow growth rate, low spreading
form, full sun to full shade
 Weeping white spruce (Picea glauca ‘Pendula’): 50 feet tall by 10 feet wide, slow growth rate,
vertical form, full sun, drooping branches
 Fastigiata spruce (Picea pungens var. glauca 'Fastigiata'): 15 feet tall by 3 feet wide, slow growing,
narrow columnar form, full sun

Zone 3

 Concolor fir (Abies concolor): 60 feet tall by 24 feet wide, slow-to-medium growth rate,  pyramidal
form, full sun, blue foliage - good substitute for Colorado blue spruce
 Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa): 70 feet tall by 40 feet wide, medium growth rate, pyramidal
form, full sun
 Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris): 50 feet tall by 30 feet wide, slow-to-medium growth rate, pyramidal
form, full sun
 Eastern White pine (Pinus strobus): 80 feet tall by 40 feet wide, medium growth rate, pyramidal
form, full sun to part sun
 Balsam fir (Abies balsamea): 60 feet tall by 24 feet wide. slow growth rate, pyramidal form, full
sun to part shade
 Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca var. densata): 40 feet tall by 35 feet wide, slow growth rate,
pyramidal form, full sun to part sun
 Globe Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Woodwardii’): 6 feet tall by 8 feet wide, slow-to-medium
growth rate, rounded form, full sun to part shade
 Techny Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Techny’): 15 feet tall by 15 feet wide, slow-to-medium
growth rate, pyramidal form, full sun to part shade
 Canada hemlock (Tsuga canadensis): 40 feet tall by 25 feet wide, medium growth rate, pyramidal
form, full sun
 Savin juniper (Juniperus sabina ‘Savin’): 6 feet tall by 5 feet wide - slow growth rate, 5 feet tall by
10 feet wide, compact, upright form, full sun
 Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopularum): 15 tall by 8 feet wide, slow growth rate, conical,
upright form, full sun

Zone 4

 Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) - 40 feet tall by 45 feet wide, medium growth rate, pyramidal form, full
sun
 Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziensii; not a true fir) - 60 feet tall by 35 feet wide,  medium growth
rate, pyramidal form, full sun
 Wilton Carpet juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’) - 1 foot tall by 6 feet wide, slow-to-
medium growth rate, spreading form, full sun, blue-green foliage
  Prince of Wales juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Prince of Wales’) - 1 foot tall by 5 feet wide, slow-
to-medium growth rate, spreading form, full sun
 Green Sargent juniper (Juniperus chinensis sargentii ‘Viridis’) - slow-to-medium growth rate, 2
feet tall by 8 feet wide, spreading form, full sun
 Sea Green juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Sea green’) - 6 feet tall by 6 feet wide, slow to medium
growth rate, arching, spreading form, full sun, bright green year round
 Old Gold juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Old Gold’) - 3 feet tall by 5 feet wide, slow growth rate,
spreading form, new growth is golden yellow, full sun
 Japanese Spreading yew (Taxus cuspidata)  - 5 feet tall by 6 feet wide, slow growth rate, large
spreading form, part sun to full shade
 Japanese Dwarf yew (Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana’) - 3 feet tall by 5 feet wide, slow growth rate,
pyramidal, rounded form, part sun to full shade
 Taunton Spreading yew (Taxus x media ‘Tauntonii’) - 4 feet tall by 6 feet wide, slow growth rate,
spreading form, full sun to full shade
 P.J.M. rhododendron (Rhododendron ‘P.J.M.’) - 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide, slow to medium growth
rate, upright rounded form, part sun
 Purple Gem rhododendron (Rhododendron X ‘Purple Gem’) - 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide, slow
growth rate, compact rounded form, part shade
 Chicagoland Green® Boxwood (Buxus ‘Glencoe’) - 4 feet tall by 5 feet wide, slow growth rate,
oval broad form that sheared for hedge and topiary, full sun to part shade
 Wintergreen Littleleaf boxwood (Buxus microphylla ‘Wintergreen’) - 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide,
slow growth rate, upright and spreading form that can be sheared, copper winter foliage, full sun

Table: Broadleaf evergreens for Zone 4

These broadleaf evergreens do well in Zone 4, but prefer protection from drying winds and bright winter sun.
Common
Botanical Name Name Height Comments
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi common 6-12" Prostrate native shrub with small, thick persistent leaves; small red berr
bearberry may be hard to find at garden centers.
Bergenia cordifolia pig squeak, 12-18" Bronze/red winter foliage; often tattered and brown by spring; early spr
bergenia pink flowers.
Buxus microphylla Korean 2-4' Hardy; good for low hedges and knot gardens; deep-green fine-textured
koreana boxwood foliage persists throughout winter; prefers well-drained soil; protect fro
winter sun and wind; 'Green Velvet' and 'Wintergreen' are good dwarf
varieties.
Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' 2-3' Officially rated as USDA Zone 5; beautiful specimen plant; provide wi
daphne protection; often shortlived but well worth it.
Euonymus fortunei bigleaf under Can be grown as a groundcover, small shrub, or trained to a wall; flowe
vegeta wintercreeper 1' insignificant; needs protection from winter sun; do not plant where it ca
escape into a native area.
Kalmia latifolia mountain laurel 3-5' Marginally hardy in Zone 4; attractive, leathery dark green leaves are
maroon when emerging from the snow in spring; needs moist acidic sit
'Sarah' has large pinkish-red flowers.
Microbiota decussata Russian cyprus 1' x 6' Low radiating arborvitae-like evergreen shrub; fan-like foliage changes
from light green in spring to deep green in summer and bronze-brown i
winter.
Pachysandra terminalis Japanese spurge 6-12" Attractive whorls of evergreen foliage; good for under maple and other
trees; 'Green Carpet' and 'Variegata' are common varieties; needs winte
These broadleaf evergreens do well in Zone 4, but prefer protection from drying winds and bright winter sun.
Common
Botanical Name Name Height Comments
cover from sun and wind.
Rhododendron 'P.J.M.' PJM 3-5' Prefer acidic soil; tolerates light shade; lavender pink flowers in early
rhododendron spring; hardy to -35ºF.
Yucca filamentosa yucca 30" Bold focal point; leaves are pointed and very sharp; drought and salt
tolerant; flowers up to 5' tall.
Vinca minor myrtle, 6-12" Attractive thick foliage; showy blue flowers in spring; creeping stolons
periwinkle

Growing conditions

 Cold hardiness zones 3 and 4, and some zone 5 in Minnesota.

 Avoid extreme exposure to northwest winter winds and southern exposures.
o See Protecting trees and shrubs in  winter 
 Moist, fertile, well-drained soil.
 Soil pH of neutral (7.0) to slightly acidic pH (6.0-7.0).

Some evergreens are tolerant of less than ideal growing conditions. Always choose plants with growing
requirements that match the conditions of your landscape.

Size

 Spruce, fir and arborvitae are pyramid-shaped evergreens that may cover a circle 30 feet in diameter when
they reach full maturity.
 Pines are also pyramid-shaped as young trees, but as they mature they often lose lower branches, resulting
in open space beneath.
o Depending on the species, pines can reach 50 feet or more in height.
o Pine roots fill a large circle of soil under their foliage, making it difficult to grow turf and other
plants underneath these trees.
 Boxwoods can be sheared to maintain a globe or hedge form. If left unsheared, they have a spreading
upright form.
 Rhododendrons are upright, spring-blooming shrubs. They have dark green leaves that stay attached to the
plant through winter when they turn a darker green to bronze color.
 Smaller upright junipers or columnar arborvitae are often more in scale with residential sites. These
evergreens will mature at 20 to 30 feet, with a spread of 5 to 10 feet, depending on the variety.
 Juniper shrubs with horizontal shapes can spread to 5 or 6 feet in a few years. 
o Heights vary considerably according to the variety.
o An 18-inch high skandia juniper is far more useful under a ground level window than its 5-foot
relative, savin juniper.
 Japanese yews are often pruned tightly to keep them at a desired height or width, but some selections will
grow into 20-foot trees or very wide shrubs over time.

Form, color and texture

Evergreens come in many different forms: pyramid shape, spreading, open, prostrate or creeping,
mounded, rounded, upright, weeping.
Evergreens also provide year-round color and texture in a landscape making them excellent accent plants.
This is an important plant characteristics in Minnesota and other areas with long winters.

When choosing evergreens consider:

 Foliage, bark, cones, berries.

 Sunlight is important to maintaining foliage color.
 Age of the growth may affect color.
 Some options:
o Silvery blue juniper varieties
o Dark green Japanese yew; the female plants bear red berries
o Scotch pines' cinnamon orange bark and bluish green needles
o Purplish brown eastern red cedars
o Deep green spruce or balsam fir
 For good visual appeal, avoid combining evergreens with the same or very similar colors, textures and
forms.

Evergreens for difficult sites

 Clay soil — arborvitae, Austrian pine, ponderosa pine, white fir

 Sandy soil — Scotch pine, mugo pine, junipers
 Wet soil — American arborvitae, balsam fir, black spruce
 High pH — arborvitae, black hills spruce, mugo pine, ponderosa pine, junipers
 Windy, exposed — Black Hills spruce, jack pine, mugo pine, red pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain
juniper, savin juniper, eastern red cedar, douglas fir
 Partial sun — arborvitae, balsam fir, douglas fir
 Shade — Canada hemlock, Canada yew, Japanese yew