Evergreen Trees and Shrubs

Just as we long for a bit of green in midwinter and put an evergreen up inside for Christmas, we also want to see that bit of green outside all winter when shades of brown and straw dominate the landscape. Given our wind, dry climate and soil types, here are some reliable beauties for your yard.

Cologreen Juniper (Juniper scopulorum ‘Cologreen’) 

a true green upright Juniper with soft small scale like foliage.  The silvery blue varieties (moonglow) handle the winter winds especially well - but so does Cologreen.!  Mixing the two cultivars provides a wonderful contrast year-round.  Another female cultivar—thus no pollen.  Both cultivars are ideal candidates as an accent or windbreak.

Height: 16-20’    Width:  8-12’

Zone 3      Full sun

Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata)

has been documented to be one of the oldest living organisms in the world, some in the high Sierras are 6,000 + years old.  We admire that kind of durability but we love its irregular, bushy growth habit with dark green needles dotted with white pitch.  The branch form extends out from the trunk and then turns upward at the tips.  A fantastic specimen in an evergreen cluster or as a back drop in a xeric garden. Do not plant this tree in a traditionally watered lawn area! 

Height:  20’ – 30’ Width:  15’ -20’ (may take centuries to reach maturity!)

Zone 2      Full sun

 Arizona Cyprus (Cupressus arizonica glabra)

shouldn’t live here!  But the selection we have has been trialed under exposed conditions in Casper for 8 years, they have outperformed our expectations.  This is a columnar conifer in youth becoming broad spreading with age.  The foliage is glaucous-green to silvery blue.  The cherry red bark exfoliates in thin papery thin plates.  Its color and needle structure is unlike any other evergreen we offer.   Be the very first to grow this specimen evergreen!  Limit the wind exposure but intense sun is not a problem.  Zone 5 in the literature, Zone 4 in our experience. 

Height:  20’-40’  Width:  8’ – 30’

Zone 4-5      Full sun to partial shade

Table Top Blue Juniper (Juniperus Scopulorum ‘Table Top Blue’)

Upright, yet spreading and flat-topped (now that’s an oxymoron!). Foliage is the soft-scale type (not prickly like common pfitzer) bright blue-gray in color. Handles wind and when established, drought too! This native sport is not an imported disease and damage–prone selection. This is a big bold statement of a shrub perfect on a slope or for privacy without blocking out the sky like a tree. Windbreak and screen.

 Height: 6’-8’ Width: 6’-10’ Shape: Upright spreading

Zone 3       Full sun

  ‘Effusa’ Juniper (Juniperus communis ‘Effusa’)

Look for this low-growing mounding Juniper with stiff, spreading branches on the forest floor in the partial to full shade of evergreens and on the edge of mountain meadows. Foliage is bright green awl-shaped needles with a whitish streak. Winter color may be slightly brownish. This is a female cultivar, not a pollen-bearer. Low water need.

 Height: 6’-8’ Width: 6’-10’ Shape: Upright spreading

Zone 4       Full sun to shade

 Vanderwolf’s Pine (Pinus flexis ‘Vanderwolf’)

A distinctive, densely branched pyramidal selection of our native limber pine.  It’s branches display long twisting blue-green needles with a light blue line on the undersides, very pleasing visually.    We’ve been holding off  introducing this beautiful selection for fear it was not suited to our conditions, however after years of seeing this tree grow in adverse Wyoming conditions, we feel strongly it has the metal!  A great replacement tree for  Colorado Blue Spruce  .  Like other pines, it will not perform well in slow to drain heavy soils.

Height:  20’- 25’   Width:  10’ – 15’

Zone 4      Full sun to partial shade

 Moonglow Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum ‘Moonglow’) 

a cultivar of the native western upright Juniper with very showy, intense silver blue foliage  on broad pyramidal form with a dense compact branching structure.   We’ve chosen this female (non-pollen bearing) selection as a way to drop the pollen count in the yard (for those with Juniper allergies)

Blueberry Delight Juniper(Juniperus comminus depressa ‘AmiDak’)

This has its origins from the North Dakota Badlands, a dry windy exposed setting, making it one of the most hardy ground cover junipers on the market today.  It has beautiful dark green to blue-gray foliage with blue cones.  A perfect addition near drive way entrances (never have to prune to see over the top)  good along patios and a way to step down from higher perennial plantings.    

Height: 1’  Width:  4’-5’                                                                                                 

Zone 3   Full Sun to Part Shade

Establishment is the time frame during which a plant is spreading its root system and becoming balanced in the ability of top and roots to support each other. A one gallon container grown plant will take about a year to establish. Woody shrub plants in a 3-to 5-gallon container may need two years to become truly established. Container-grown trees follow a rule of thumb of one year for transplanting and an additional year for each inch of trunk diameter.

In five years time, the container grown tree will look better and possibly be bigger than the Balled and Burlap that has struggled trying to get established. One property comes to mind where the protected front yard got big balled and burlap Canada Red Chokecherries and the windy backyard got 5 gallon container grown Canada Reds with both on the same sprinkler system, and 10 years time, the backyard trees are big and still look better than the ones in Front!

Killed by kindness

Unfortunately conifers can actually drown when over watered. Clay soils do not allow water to drain off and roots are cut off from oxygen that they require. Pines are particularly at risk of drowning if planted in soil that does not drain or low spots with standing water. For tight clay in hot sunny and windy sites the Junipers and Mesa Verde Spruce are good choices. Wichita Blue, Table Top Blue and to a slightly lesser degree Cologreen Juniper are your best selections for extreme wind conditions and in clay soils. Follow our guide on watering for establishment and pay extra attention to be sure that the tree or shrub is not standing in water before more water is applied.

Winter Watering

Even though we consider the evergreens to be some of the toughest plants, they are not totally dormant in winter and continue to lose moisture through their needles year round. For establishment purposes we recommend watering new plants monthly in dry open winters. Water established plants once or twice a winter depending on soil moisture and temperature. Our water is hard, focus your attention on the roots and not on the foliage! Newly planted deciduous trees and shrubs should be watered once or twice a winter.   

Rain Gauge

Throughout this site, the following are used as guidelines for watering established plants:

These plants need regular watering somewhat like a bluegrass lawn so that they never dry to depth in the root system during the active growing season and need occasional winter watering to prevent root dessication and resultant plant death.

These plants are adapted to intermittent deep watering with soil drying to a depth of a few inches between waterings. Watering frequency may be every couple of weeks during the active growing season and maybe only one winter watering for optimal care.

These truly xeric plants can live with our 12 inches of natural precipitation and only need a winter watering during a multi-year drought but they will thrive with a monthly watering. Overwatering will kill some of these.

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