Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees 18 of the Best Conifers to Plant in Your Yard By Sheryl Geerts Sheryl Geerts Website 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 & Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other national publications. Sheryl earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in advertising/public relations and journalism, as well as a minor in business administration from St. Ambrose University. She then also earned a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in integrated marketing communications from Drake University. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on April 5, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Annie Schlechter When you think of conifers, a Christmas tree or tall pine might come to mind. Yet, these cone-bearing plants come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. Here are the best conifers to provide year-round beauty and structure to your landscape. 01 of 18 Silver Korean Fir Justin Hancock A sure stand-out in the landscape, silver Korean fir features short, tightly packed needles that have white undersides. The soft needles also curl up toward the stem, giving the tree a decidedly flocked appearance year-round. This fir develops a pyramidal, classic Christmas tree shape as it grows. 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 An absolutely graceful tree, weeping white pine looks like a waterfall of long, blue-green needles. It's especially effective grown over a sturdy arbor or other structure to create a curtain effect. Plus, it's a widely adaptable tree and 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; unsupported it grows like a groundcover Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Weeping Eastern Pine ($40, Kigi Nursery) 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 8 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 Buy It: Blue Wonder Spruce Tree ($40, Fast Growing Trees) 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 also 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 in the landscape, 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 Buy It: Pinus strobus 'Torulosa' ($65, Kigi Nursery) 06 of 18 Golden Korean Fir Justin Hancock Most conifers have a golden-hued variety that's either love it or leave it. Golden Korean fir is a standout among these varieties; it offers decidedly greenish yellow needles in the spring, slowly fading 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 Buy It: Korean Fir Seeds (from $7, Etsy) 07 of 18 Bristlecone Pine Justin Hancock Known for its exceptionally long life, bristlecone pines can live for hundreds of years in the wild. However, in cultivated landscapes, they are more likely to last less than a century. This slow-growing North American native sports 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, small needles, compact size, and nearly perfect cone-shape habit, dwarf Alberta spruce is widely and easily grown. It's native to areas of North America, too. 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 varieties. Most offer rich, deep green needles that look lush all year and a compact, mounded shape, so they easily fit 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 Buy It: Mugo Pine Seeds ($3, Etsy) 10 of 18 Japanese White Pine Peter Krumhardt A tree of exceptional beauty, Japanese white pine offers clusters of silvery blue needles at the ends of its branches and a branching structure that looks especially good in winter. It is 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 Buy It: White Pine Seedlings ($73, Etsy) 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 spreading shrub to 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 Buy It: Blue Star Juniper Dwarf Shrub ($30, The Home Depot) 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 gorgeous silvery-blue color from its stiff, somewhat prickly needles. A large number of varieties is 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 Buy It: Blue Spruce Tree ($65, Etsy) 14 of 18 Fraser Fir Peter Krumhardt A top landscape tree, as well as a favorite Christmas tree, Fraser fir offers beautiful dark green needles and a graceful pyramidal shape. Look for this tree during the holidays as a potted tree; after you've opened all the gifts under it and removed the decorations, you can plant it out in your yard. Another bonus: This tree 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 Buy It: Fraser Fir ($10, Potted Trees) 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 Buy It: Hinoki Cypress Tree Seeds (from $7, Etsy) 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! Bark 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 Buy It: Balsam Fir Tree Seeds (from $7, Etsy) 17 of 18 Canadian Hemlock Marty Baldwin A graceful native evergreen tree, Canadian hemlock has arching, feathery-looking flat sprays of lacy evergreen foliage. Known for having the smallest needles and cones of its genus, it's a winner because 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 infestations of the pest, hemlock woolly adelgid. If you plant this tree, it will need to 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 Buy It: Canadian Hemlock Transplant ($25, Etsy) 18 of 18 Dawn Redwood Annie Schlechter Technically, dawn redwood isn't an evergreen, but it is a conifer (produces cones for its seeds). It offers feathery foliage that look gorgeous in spring and summer. In autumn, the needles turn russet red and then drop, exposing the tree's delightfully architectural branching habit. This deciduous coniferous tree is useful for casting shade and adding privacy to decks, patios, and other outdoor living areas. Name: Metasequoia glyptostroboides Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: Varieties can grow up to 100 feet Zones: 4-8 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit