Fast Growing Evergreen Trees

Evergreen is a type of tree that grows year-round. The most common fast growing evergreen trees are the pine and Christmas trees. These trees tend to last through the cold winter months, providing green foliage for the yard every day. There are many other types of evergreen trees have different exciting characteristics that we’ll talk about in this article.

Evergreen trees work well for practical use as an outdoor privacy screen or windbreaker. Pick from a variety of fast growing evergreen trees to add character to your yard, offer foliage year-round, or drastically enhance your landscape.

Intersperse evergreens with other year-round trees and shrubs, as well as those that offer only seasonal beauty for additional interest. Spice up your yard’s collection of evergreen trees to bring some extra flair to the neighborhood and hide that ugly house behind you!

How to Choose the Best Fast Growing Evergreen Trees

First and foremost, you must decide why you want to plant fast growing privacy trees in your yard. Will you be planting these trees as a privacy hedge, a windbreaker, or as a decoration? If you want to use evergreens as a beautiful backdrop, make sure the smaller plants you choose are not incompatible combative plants.

Focus on the shape, size, color, and leaf type of your fast growing trees and where you’ll be planting them. Do your research to see what trees are the best for where you live. Be aware of your growing zone before purchasing these types of trees. You don’t want to buy some of the fastest growing evergreen trees to find out they won’t last with the soil type and climate around your home.

How to Care for Fast Growing Evergreen Trees

Most of these shade-tolerant evergreens prefer to be in full or partial sunlight. Some of these trees have a high tolerance for environmental factors such as extreme weather conditions, insects, and poor soil drainage. Others do not; fortunately, this allows for low maintenance upkeep of these fast growing privacy trees.

On occasion, you’ll find that an evergreen tree needs yearly fertilization. Some may even shed foliage, like the Cypress and Spruce trees. If you don’t want a messy yard, stay away from these evergreen privacy trees.

While this list covers fast growing evergreens, there are many other trees and shrubs that also grow quickly that you should consider, as well. You could try growing some of the fastest growing fruit plants or flowering shrubs, too, to add some variety and interest to your hedges and your yard.

What’s the General Size of Fast Growing Privacy Trees?

When selecting the perfect fast growing privacy trees for your yard, consider the growth rate and height of the foliage you choose. Understand that once the trees have reached a mature height, they stop growing. If the growth rate matters to you, and you want fast growing shade trees, check in with a plant professional if necessary.

Typically, mature evergreen trees reach anywhere from twenty to sixty feet tall when taken care of properly; that means you must keep up with the soil environment. Do not put toxic chemicals in the soil, and use natural means as often as possible.

Some evergreen shrubs can be as small as four to six feet. Select and plant trees according to where it will grow best; the size of your yard and the allotted space each tree has is critical. Trees that outgrow their spaces may have to be removed a few years after being planted.

Unbelievable Fast Growing Evergreen Trees & Shrubs

The early spring months are here, and some hardiness zones are ready to accept evergreen trees and shrubs that grow fast or slow. Spring is a perfect time to start making your landscape look beautiful, and what better way than to plant the fastest growing trees?

Evergreen plants add year-round interest and some interesting textures to your yard, but choose carefully. Rather than evergreen shrubs or trees, you may just need some ground cover to take care of some bare space where other plants won’t grow.

Doing your research in advance will ensure that you have a lovely yard in every season. Consider the favorite suggestions before planning out your yard’s new look. You can look online or ask a professional at your local garden center for recommendations.

Norway Spruce (Picea Abies)

The Norway Spruce tree is prevalent throughout the United States, even though they’re native to Europe. Homeowners throughout the world enjoy planting these popular trees in their yards to spice up the landscape.

These fast growing trees are not picky when it comes to soil types. They are great windbreakers, primarily because of their ability to grow in different soils and spread their thick branches.

Norway Spruce trees do take up a lot of room. These trees that grow fast grow approximately three feet per year and need room on either side to spread out.

Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja Standishii X Plicata ‘Green’)

The Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae is an exceptionally fast growing tree. Its pyramidal shape holds up rich and dense foliage that darkens in the winter months.

Many homeowners choose this type of evergreen tree as a privacy screen to hide the neighbors, as a shaded hedge, or a beautiful specimen for the yard. It is commonly used in American yards to stop wind, rain, and snow from getting close to the house.

These trees grow approximately three feet per year, too. Plant it in an area where space is abundant.

Leyland Cypress (X Cupressocyparis Leylandii) – Fast Growing Evergreen Trees

The Leyland Cypress has a slender body frame and a rapid growth rate. Most often, these trees are found scattered throughout the United States. Luckily, the Leyland Cypress grows in a variety of soils and can withstand many different weather conditions.

It is easy for these trees to excel in both warm and cold climates. No matter the climate and temperature, the Leyland Cypress keeps its color.

Commonly found in the yards of homes, campuses, and parks, these beloved trees serve as great windbreakers. Like most fast growing privacy trees, these grow approximately three feet per year.

Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus)

The Eastern white pine is a significant plant in America, and it’s one of the fastest growing pine trees ever planted. They are so crucial that the beautiful variations were explicitly set apart by the kings on British ships.

These trees still uphold their reputation as a commercial tree, but they are now more commonly found in parks and home landscapes. These precious and beautiful trees grow about three feet per year.

Fun fact: The Eastern white pine tree is the state tree for both Maine and Michigan.

The Fast Growing Evergreen Tree: Lombardy Poplar (Populus Nigra ‘Italica’)

The Lombardy Poplar tree grows six feet per year, making it one of the fastest growing evergreen trees. This makes them the best evergreen trees for privacy walls and windbreakers. Lombardy Poplar trees grow in columns and branch out in mysterious ways.

The branches on the tree typically start close to the ground and develop parallel with the trunk. In the sunny months of the year, this tree displays green foliage; however, in the autumn, the foliage turns yellow. As the tree ages, the bark turns black.

Initially, these trees were used to line the landscape of golf courses as a visual aesthetic.

Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

The Dawn Redwood is an ancient tree dating back to the age of the dinosaurs; however, it has found its place in modern times, too. Dawn Redwoods produce ½” to 1” cones on its pyramidal shaped body.

As the tree ages, though, its shape becomes more circular. During the spring and summer, the tree sports bright green, feathery leaves. During autumn, the Dawn Redwood leaves change to an orange-brown or reddish-brown shade.

These trees flourish with full sun, and well-drained soil drains. These massive trees can grow anywhere from 70 feet to 100 feet.

Italian Cypress (Cupressus Sempervirens ‘Glauca’)

Italian Cypress offers a formal look to any landscape. Though these trees are native to southern Europe and Western Asia, they’re still found everywhere around the globe.

Italian Cypress is almost always narrow, slender, and tall, making it easy for them to fit into tight spaces and provide a natural, yet effortless look.

They can indeed stand alone, but they look better when placed in a row along a driveway. What’s the best part about these elegant-looking trees? The blue-green foliage is stunning.

The Emerald Green Fast Growing Evergreen Tree (Thuja Occidentalis)

Emerald Green evergreen trees thrive in moderately moist, well-drained soil. They enjoy full sun, with partial shade when the weather is hot. Do not plant these trees fully in the shade, as the foliage will not prosper. These trees should not be exposed to the wind for long periods, either, as this could alter the growth rate.

Plant an Emerald Green in autumn, as these trees don’t do well in the heat when they are very young. They do grow rather fast, though, so be sure to space each tree three to four feet apart to allow maximum growth.

Nellie Stevens Holly (Ilex ‘Nellie R. Stevens)

Nellie Stevens Holly trees should be in areas where sunlight is abundant. These trees like their soil not too dry, yet not too moist; too much water does not allow them to thrive. Water these trees once a week for the first six months, then when there are long dry spells after that.

The Nellie Stevens Holly trees are most commonly known to homeowners as privacy screens that line the property. Typically, these fast growing evergreen trees stick to their initial planting spot and develop a natural privacy fence as they grow.

Taylor Juniper (Juniperus Virginiana)

Some trees benefit more when grown in warmer climates; the Taylor Juniper, on the other hand, does better in colder areas. These columnar trees can reach up to 30 feet tall with a base of only three to five feet wide. They do fit in tight places, but since they grow about three feet a year, you may want to spread them apart a little bit more than suggested.

These trees showcase beautiful blue-green foliage and stand straight up, making them perfect for scenery and privacy. Luckily, these trees are best when planted in areas exposed to open sun and moist soils, though they are very drought tolerant.

Japanese Cedar – Fast Growing Evergreen Trees (Cryptomeria Japonica)

The Japanese Cedar evergreen tree is native to Japan and can grow up to fifty feet tall. There are other variations of this tree, but all grow about ten to twelve feet tall. These beautiful Japanese Cedars form a tiered horizontal branch formation over their growing years.

This formation leads to a mature, pyramidal shape. The older the tree gets, the darker the needles, forming a black-green shade. These fascinating trees can grow all over the world and are an excellent choice for landscaping.

Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis)

Canadian hemlocks can be any shape and height their homeowners prefer. These graceful plants are perfect for privacy screens, beautifully constructed groupings, and scenic landscape portrayals.

The Canadian Hemlock prefers sun to shade, but light shading is a must when they’re in hot weather. They do not like heavy soil, and they thrive in moist, but drained ground.

These trees are not the tallest, but they do grow to a medium height of about forty to seventy feet. Plant them at least two feet away from surrounding plants, hedges, and walls.

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga Menziesii)

Douglas fir evergreens do not like hot and dry weather, but they thrive in moist environments. They prefer both the soil and the atmosphere to be semi-wet.

These trees present a variety of colors in their foliage, depending on species. The blue-green variations seem to be the most attractive.

Typically, the Douglas firs grow forty to eighty feet tall, branching out in shape. They perform well when planted in masses, but can act as a single plant, too.

Yew (Taxus)

The Yew tree is better known as the Tree of Immortality, with some of its ancestors living thousands of years. Homeowners typically use yews for landscaping, primarily in an evergreen bush or hedge form.

During the winter months, yews provide an interesting variation to a drab atmosphere, bringing shades of dark green foliage and bright red berries. These trees provide homes for birds year-round, too.

A Yew tree does well with dry soil and excessive sunlight, but they do not flourish with moist and soggy soil. Typically, these trees grow anywhere from two to sixty feet tall depending on species.

Fast growing evergreen trees provide privacy for a home, shelter it from the harshness of winter, and landscape it with beautiful greenery. Select the trees that fit and show off your yard. Choose from tall evergreens to small privacy shrubs.

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