some evergreen trees for screening

If you are looking for evergreen trees to provide screening, be sure to always research mature plant size and form to make sure the mature size will not exceed the available space! Unlike shade trees and small deciduous trees; unfortunately in the mid-Atlantic region, there are not a lot of native evergreen tree species that work well in the home landscape. Several of the native evergreens are mentioned below. If you can use one of the native species you will know that you are using a species that has evolved to thrive in our local soils and climate, and you can create food source or habitat for wildlife or birds!

Following are a few suggested evergreens including some compact narrow trees:

• American Holly / Ilex opaca is a native evergreen that tolerates shady conditions. It has a dark green foliage and red berries that attract birds. It is suitable if you have a large enough area to accommodate its mature size of 50 foot height and 20-30 foot width. Needs both male and female plants for berries. The Greenleaf variety has a smaller size than the species, at 10-15 foot height, and 10 to 15 foot width.

• Eastern Red Cedar / Juniperous virginiana is a native evergreen with fairly narrow form, is suitable for sunny locations, and attracts birds. It has a less manicured look than many other evergreens, so can work well in an informal setting such as a created fence row or a naturalized area away from the house. Cultivars include 'Burkii' which has a pyramidal form, blue-green foliage and mature height of 15 to 25 feet.

• Little Gem Magnolia / Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' is a compact broadleaf evergreen The Little Gem Southern Magnolia is a compact cultivar of the native Magnolia grandiflora. It has beautiful glossy foliage and large creamy flowers.

• Nellie Stevens Holly / Ilex x ‘Nellie R Stevens’ has glossy green foliage and red berries, and provides good screening. Requires adequate space to accommodate its mature size of 30 foot height, 15 foot width.

• Green Mountain Boxwood / Buxus ‘Green Mountain’ – very compact pyramidal evergreen with mature height of 5-7 feet. Green Mountain boxwood is tolerant of full shade.

• Castle Spire Holly / Ilex x ‘Castle Spire’ is a holly with mature size 3’ wide x 8-12’ ht.

• Dragon Lady Holly / Ilex x aquipernyi 'Meschick' Dragon Lady is a holly with mature size 5’ wide x 15’ ht.

• North Pole Arborvitae / Thuja occidentalis 'North Pole' has a mature size 10-15 ft. height, 4-5 ft. width. Compact form and dark green foliage will provide screening with minimal pruning. Plant 3.5 to 4 feet on center. Other varieties have larger mature size. For example, Green Giant has mature size of 40-60 ft. height and 12-18 ft. width. and Emerald Green has mature size of 15-20 ft. height and 4-5 ft. width). The North Pole Arborvitae is taller than the Shorty Leyland Cypress which has mature height 6-7 foot.

• Emerald Green Arborvitae / Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald Green' has a mature size15-20 ft. height, 4-5 ft. width. Compact form and dark green foliage will provide screening with minimal pruning. Plant 3.5 to 4 feet on center These will be wide enough to provide screening near the upper portions of the tree; while north pole is more narrowly pyramidal .

• American Pyramidal Boxwood / Buxus sempervirens 'Pyramidalis' (mature size 8’ wide x 12 ht.) is a compact pyramidal evergreen that tolerates shade. Note: boxwoods can be allowed to have a looser, less formal form. They are compact so can be minimally pruned.

Many commonly used evergreen trees may be too large for your available space. Note for example that Green Giant Arborvitae and Leyland Cypress are frequently used in the landscape. However these are examples of trees with very large mature sizes that could create a future maintenance issue.

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