Evergreens

The evergreens are the type of trees that most people think of when they think of the mountains and landscaping in Colorado. Evergreens are an attractive addition to any yard, but evergreens need specific planting and care to flourish. In looking for the right evergreen, you need to consider the size of the space you are looking to fill and the whether or not the species will flourish in Colorado's unique conditions. O'Toole's has a variety of evergreens that are perfectly suited for any space and thrive in Colorado.

Another spreading juniper, Blue Chip is prized for its dense growing habit and silvery, blue foliage. It is a perfect ground cover and a great contrast against green shrubs and perennials. Blue Chip is very versatile and can be planted in full sun to part shade. It’s also drought tolerant once established.

Vanderwolf Pine is a native species with a pyramidal growth habit and dense branches of silvery blue needles. These are very resilient trees and make nice shelters or windbreaks. Their soft fluffy, almost cedar-like foliage makes a prefect specimen planting in the front yard or garden.

Buffalo Juniper is a spreading juniper that forms a dense mat of delicate, soft green foliage. It can quickly spread 6 to 8 feet wide, so it makes a great ground cover. Buffalo Juniper does well with moderate water in a part sun/part shade area. It is also well suited to high altitude gardening.

As the official state tree of Colorado, the blue spruce adds a touch of the mountains to your garden. Their stiff, regular branches form a pyramid shape and have a soft, bluish hue that makes a great contrast to surrounding greenry. Most blue spruce are slow growers, but they can eventually reach heights of up to 60 feet and spread out more than 10 feet wide. Colorado Blue Spruces do best in dry, sunny locations.

Dwarf Alberta Spruces grow in a dense, conical shape forming almost perfect little Christmas trees. They are very slow growing and stay relatively short (only 6 to 8 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide at the most), which makes them popular container trees. Dwarf Albertas do prefer some partial shade and do best with some protection from the wind.

Mugo Pine is one of the easiest small evergreens to grow. It grows slowly in small, symmetrical mounds. It’s dense, compact growing habit and deep green needles make it popular for use in containers, rock gardens or as contrast to flowers or broadleaf shrubs. Mugos prefer full sun locations and are drought tolerant once established.

Upright junipers grow very tall and very thin, forming dense columns of green. There are several varieties, but all are perfect for accents and backgrounds. Planted in a row, they can be used as a privacy screen or to mimic Italian cypresses for a Mediterranean flavor. Junipers like full sun and are drought tolerant once established.

Austrian pines grow in dense, pyramidal shape that makes them impressive single specimens for the garden. Planted in rows or groves, Austrian Pines also form a great wind barrier or screen. These are very tolerant trees, able to stand hot, cold or dry conditions. They are moderate to slow growers, eventually reaching 40 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide.