Tough Evergreens for Alberta
June 19, 2022
Evergreens are trees and shrubs that generally have needle-like leaves and stay green through the winter. For their texture and year-round interest, no landscape is complete without evergreens.
Unfortunately, our dry and turbulent winters can be hard on many evergreen species, which are more sensitive to things like dry winter wind, freeze/thaw cycles, and sunscald compared to plants that lose their leaves for the winter. If you want to avoid babying or potentially replacing evergreens in your garden, be sure to select hardy varieties and plant in a sheltered location for best results. Here are some of our favourite hardy evergreens for Alberta.
Bird’s Nest Spruce (Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’)
- This dwarf evergreen shrub has a flat-topped form that resembles a bird’s nest at maturity
- Short, deep green needles
- Sun to part shade
- Grows well in most soil types with good drainage
- Water deeply once per week during periods of dry weather, once established
- Slow growing, reaching 3-4 ft. tall and 4-5 ft. wide at maturity
Weeping White Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Pendula’)
- A stunning, upright tree with a tall, narrow habit and graceful weeping branches
- Short, grey-green needles really stand out in the landscape
- Sun to part shade
- Grows well in most soil types with good drainage
- Water deeply once per week during periods of dry weather, once established
- Reaches 20 to 30 ft. tall and 6 to 8 ft. wide at maturity
Taunton Yew (Taxus x media ‘Tauntonii’)
- Low-growing evergreen shrub with vase-shaped habit
- Surprisingly hardy given its exceptionally soft needles, which seem delicate
- Decorative (but poisonous) red berries appear in the summer
- Grows well in sun or shade
- Prefers evenly moist, well-drained soil
- Reaches 3-4 ft. tall and wide at maturity
Spreading Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis and J. sabina)
- Look for varieties with the above scientific names; examples include Andorra, Blue Prince, and Calgary Carpet
- Low-growing, spreading habit; excellent as a groundcover
- Needle-like foliage ranges in colour from rich green to icy-blue
- Drought tolerant once established; grows well in most soil types with good drainage
- Sun to part shade
- Depending on the variety, mature heights can range from 6 in. to 3 ft. and mature spread from 5 to 12 ft.
Upright or Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
- This species is a tough-as-nails small to medium tree that is native to the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Alberta and into BC
- There are numerous good varieties to look for, such as Medora, Moonglow, Skyrocket, and Wichita Blue
- A much more reliable alternative to cedar
- Most varieties are blue-green to icy-blue in colour
- Drought tolerant once established; grows well in most soil types with good drainage
- Sun to part shade
- Depending on the variety, mature heights can range from 9 to 20 ft. and mature spread from 3 to 8 ft.
Slowmound Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo ‘Slowmound’)
- A dwarf form of one of the hardiest pines around
- Deep green needles
- Slow growing with a very compact mounding form; reaches just 3 ft. tall and wide at maturity
- Excellent for rock gardens
- Sun to part shade
- Drought tolerant once established; grows well in most soil types with good drainage
- Water deeply once per week during periods of dry weather, once established
Weeping Norway Spruce (Picea abies ‘Pendula’)
- A unique specimen – like a “Dr. Seuss” tree
- Weeping branches densely covered in short, deep green needles look especially decorative crawling over rocks or a retaining wall
- Sun to part shade
- Grows well in most soil types with good drainage
- Water deeply once per week during periods of dry weather, once established
- The height will depend on how the young tree was trained, and can vary from 4 to 15 ft. Mature spread will be 8 to 12 ft.