Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees The 18 Best Conifer Trees for Year-Round Beautiful Landscaping Find the right conifers to add beauty and structure to your landscape. By Sheryl Geerts Sheryl Geerts Sheryl Geerts is an editor and author who has nearly three decades of writing and editing experience. She enjoys writing about garden, food, and home topics. Her bylines have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other publications. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on March 20, 2024 Reviewed by Sylvia Duax Reviewed by Sylvia Duax Sylvia Duax has over 15 years of experience as a professional Horticulturist with expertise in: sustainable garden maintenance techniques; Southeastern U.S., especially in the mid-Atlantic regional gardening; native plants; wildlife gardening; small space, urban and container gardening and community engagement. Learn about BHG's Gardening Review Board Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Annie Schlechter When you think of conifers, a Christmas tree probably comes to mind. Yet these cone-bearing plants come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Use our guide to the best choices to provide year-round beauty and structure to your landscape. Choose from spruce, fir, pine, and other conifer tree types. 21 Best Types of Evergreen Shrubs to Grow for Year-Round Color 01 of 18 Silver Korean Fir Justin Hancock A sure standout in the landscape, silver Korean fir features short, tightly packed needles with white undersides. The soft needles also curl toward the stem, giving this conifer tree a decidedly flocked appearance year-round. As it grows, this fir develops a classic, pyramidal Christmas tree shape. Name: Abies koreana ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’ Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 30 feet tall Zones: 5–8 02 of 18 Weeping White Pine Kritsada Panichgul A genuinely graceful tree, weeping white pine looks like a waterfall of long, blue-green needles. It’s especially effective when grown over a sturdy arbor or other structure, where it will create a curtain effect. Weeping white pine is a widely adaptable tree native to parts of North America. Name: Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’ Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: As tall as it’s supported. When unsupported, it grows like a groundcover Zones: 4-9 13 Rustic Arbor Ideas to Add Romantic Charm to Your Garden 03 of 18 Dwarf Blue Spruce Justin Hancock Loved for its beautiful silvery-blue color, dwarf blue spruce is a good choice for small-space landscapes. Many selections reach no more than eight feet tall and take a long time to reach their mature size. Name: Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow as tall as 10 feet Zones: 3–8 04 of 18 Japanese Umbrella Pine Justin Hancock A pine look-alike, this striking evergreen tree has shiny, stiff, dark green needles arranged in little tufts, called whorls, that resemble the ribs of an umbrella. The effect gives the entire tree a distinctive texture. It’s an uncommon choice to add a slightly different look to the landscape, and it can be used to create bonsai. Name: Sciadopitys verticillata Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow up to 30 feet tall Zones: 4–8 05 of 18 Contorted White Pine Justin Hancock One of the most eye-catching evergreen trees, contorted white pine features twisted branches and needles. It grows relatively quickly, reaching about 12 feet over its first decade. Name: Pinus strobus ‘Contorta’ or ‘Torulosa’ Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 40 feet or more Zones: 3–9 25 Best Evergreen Trees for Privacy and Year-Round Greenery 06 of 18 Golden Korean Fir Justin Hancock Most conifer trees have a golden-hued variety that’s either love-it or leave-it proposition. Golden Korean fir is a standout among these varieties. It offers decidedly greenish-yellow needles in the spring, but they slowly fade to green by winter. The tree’s sunny coloring contrasts beautifully with its purplish cones. Name: Abies koreana ‘Aurea’ Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 30 feet tall Zones: 5–8 07 of 18 Bristlecone Pine Justin Hancock Known for its exceptionally long life, a bristlecone pine can live for hundreds of years in the wild. However, in cultivated landscapes, they're more likely to last less than a century. This slow-growing North American native has blue-green needles with flecks of white resin, a feature no other pine has. As the name implies, its cones are prickly. Name: Pinus aristata Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: 30 feet or more Zones: 3–8 08 of 18 Dwarf Alberta Spruce Jon Jensen A favorite for its dense growth, tiny needles, compact size, and nearly perfect cone-shaped habit, dwarf Alberta spruce is widely and easily grown. It’s native to areas of North America. Name: Picea glauca var. albertiana ‘Conica’ Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow up to 20 feet tall Zones: 3–6 09 of 18 Mugo Pine Justin Hancock There are hundreds of mugo pine conifer trees. Most offer rich, deep-green needles that look lush all year and have a compact, mounded shape, which easily fits into landscapes of all sizes. Name: Pinus mugo Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow as tall as 10 feet Zones: 3–7 10 of 18 Japanese White Pine Peter Krumhardt A tree of exceptional beauty, Japanese white pine conifer trees offer clusters of silvery blue needles at the ends of their branches and a structure that looks especially good in winter. It’s widely used as a bonsai or a container plant. Name: Pinus parviflora Growing Conditions: Full sun and medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow as tall as 40 feet Zones: 5–7 Our 3-Step Guide to Keeping Your Bonsai Tree Healthy and Growing 11 of 18 Blue Star Juniper Justin Hancock Among the thousands of junipers, ‘Blue Star’ stands out for its silvery-blue color and dense, ground-hugging habit. It generally needs no pruning, but because it grows variably in the wild—from groundcover to a spreading or an upright shrub—this evergreen’s height can be pruned if desired. Name: Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ Growing Conditions: Full sun and medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 4–8 12 of 18 Eastern White Pine Peter Krumhardt A rapid-growing, long-lived, needled evergreen tree, the Eastern white pine offers long, soft, blue-green needles and is adaptable to a range of conditions. It’s native to areas of North America and makes an excellent choice for wildlife gardens. Name: Pinus strobus Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow up to 80 feet tall in cultivation and more than 100 feet tall in the wild Zones: 3–8 13 of 18 Blue Spruce Justin Hancock The more grown-up version of dwarf blue spruce, this tree offers a gorgeous silvery-blue color from its stiff, somewhat prickly needles. Many varieties are available, including columnar forms that make an excellent focal point in the landscape. Name: Picea pungens f. glauca Growing Conditions: Full sun and medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow as tall as 60 feet in cultivation and 100 feet or more in the wild Zones: 2–7 23 Plants with Silver Foliage to Help Your Garden Shine 14 of 18 Fraser Fir Peter Krumhardt A top landscape tree and a favorite Christmas tree, Fraser fir offers beautiful dark green needles and a graceful pyramidal shape. During the holidays, this tree is often available potted. Once you’ve opened all the gifts and removed the decorations, you can plant them. Fraser fir is native to Eastern North America. Name: Abies fraseri Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow up to 50 feet tall Zones: 4–7 15 of 18 Hinoki Cypress Bill Holt For a dense screen, you can’t go wrong with Hinoki cypress. This tree offers deep green foliage and a horizontal branching habit. Dwarf varieties of this evergreen conifer have become very popular for use in containers, small accents, and rock gardens. Name: Chamaecyparis obtusa Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow as tall as 75 feet Zones: 4–8 16 of 18 Balsam Fir Peter Krumhardt Native to areas of northern North America, balsam fir is a top-notch choice because of its woodsy scent, dark green needles, and purplish-blue cones. Try growing your own for the holidays. Blisters on the otherwise very smooth, gray-brown bark are a distinguishing characteristic of balsam fir trees. Name: Abies balsamea Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow up to 70 feet tall Zones: 3–6 17 of 18 Canadian Hemlock Marty Baldwin A graceful, native evergreen tree, Canadian hemlock has arching, feathery-looking flat sprays of lacy foliage. Known for having the smallest needles and cones of its genus, it’s a winner since it doesn’t mind a bit of shade. However, hemlock trees have been in widespread decline in the eastern United States since the 1950s due to an infestation of the pest hemlock woolly adelgid. If you plant this tree, it must be treated to protect it from this insect. Name: Tsuga canadensis Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade and medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow as tall as 70 feet Zones: 3–7 20 Tough Plants for Dry Shade 18 of 18 Dawn Redwood Annie Schlechter Technically, dawn redwood isn’t an evergreen, but it is a conifer tree (in that it produces cones for its seeds). It offers feathery foliage that looks beautiful in spring and summer. In autumn, the needles turn russet red and then drop, exposing the tree’s delightfully architectural branching habit. It helps cast shade and add privacy to decks, patios, and other outdoor living areas. In the wild, it’s considered endangered. Name: Metasequoia glyptostroboides Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow up to 100 feet Zones: 4–8 Frequently Asked Questions What is the most common conifer tree? In the United States, the most common conifer trees are pine trees, including juniper, cedar, and spruce. Cypress trees are also very common, but they belong to a different genus than blue pine. What is the most common feature of conifer trees? Conifer trees are all perennially woody plants, meaning they create a woody structure above-ground for their branches to grow on. Instead of leaves, conifer trees have needles. Most conifers bear cones that house the plant's seeds. What's the difference between an evergreen and a conifer? Simply put, evergreens are plants that do not lose all their leaves or needles at once like deciduous trees and herbaceous plants. Conifers are plants that house their seeds within cones (although some, like yew and juniper look more like berries). Some conifers are evergreen, others are not. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit