Top 5 Large Evergreen Trees for Zone 5

 Top 5 Large Evergreen Trees for Zone 5

1. Norway Spruce (Picea abies)

Perhaps the most versatile Spruce on the market. Vsry fast growing tree that Matures to 75'+ in height and 30'+ wide. Great to screen large areas or use along as an accent focal point. Tolerates high heat and humidity better than other Spruce species. Tolerates clay soils better than other Spruce trees. Can take most soils expect wet ones, making this tree the #1 choice for landscaping in USDA Zones 3-8.

2. Black Hills Spruce (Picea glauca 'Densata')

Great Spruce alternative to the Norway Spruce for smaller size only maturing to 30' tall by 15' wide (rarely to 50' in the wild). This wild variety of White Spruce is more heat tolerant than the White Spruce tolerating the sweltering summers of the Eastern US. Hardy in USDA Zones 2-7

3. 'Green Giant' Arvorvitae (Thuja standishii x T. plicata 'Green Giant')

'Green Giant' is fast becoming a popular screen tree for very large areas where the dwarf but more popular 'Emerald Green' Arboviate is too small to plant. 'Green Giant' Arborvitae can be planted in rows as a screen or alone as a focal point large evergreen statement. Similar in annual growth rate to the Norway Spruce it can grow 3'-4' per year once established. Matures to 50'-60' tall by 25'-35' wide. Bronzing of foliage in harsh zone 5 winters is not uncommon and they green back up in Spring. Hardy in USDA Zones 5-8 (considared hardy in zone 4b and in protected areas of zone 4a)

4. Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)

This Pine has been a staple of landscaping for generations in the Eastern US. Most people associate Pines with sharp painful needles, but not this tree! It's long needles are soft as a feather. The branches sway in the wind adding a striking look to any landscape. These trees are fast growers at about 2' per year. They mature to 75'+ tall by 25'-40' wide. Hardy in USDA Zones 3b-8. Unlike other 'northern' Pines the White Pine thrives in the sweltering high humidity of the Southern states whole ALSO thriving with the 'Polar' Winters of the North. 

5. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

This tree is the most common evergreen in the Eastern US. Grows so well that in some areas in its native range it grows like a weed. High heat, drought, or even moist clay soils doesn't bother this tree. However it does not tolerate wet soils. Very much adapted to the frigid winters of the North AND the sweltering heat and humidity of the South. Matures to 25'-60' tall by 10'-25' wide. The foliage has small somewhat sharp needles when immature, but mature foliage is soft with no visible "needles". Instead of cones which we associate with Conifers, Junipers make bright blue berries that the birds love to eat. However, these are not true berries, but are in fact modified cones. The berries coat the tree from mid-Summer through the Winter. Many birds are attracted during Winter for the delicious berries (cones). Many cultivars of this tree exist that are popular in the landscape. Hardy in USDA Zones 3-9.