Columnar arborvitae and spreading junipers provide year round color in Omaha landscape

Once winter rolls around, and all the deciduous plants are bare, evergreens tend to be a lot more noticeable. They provide structure and color to your yard when the rest of the landscape looks dead and brown.  Evergreen trees that once created a nice backdrop to the landscape are now a bold wall of color that pop as you drive by. And the frilly ‘Gold Mop’ Chamaecyparis that blended into the background a few months ago, now highlights the bright red twigs of the dogwoods with its gold foliage. The winter beauty of all the evergreens outshines the winter blues.

An astounding variety of texture, color, and form can be enjoyed with a well thought out evergreen planting.  The different textures of pine trees create a nice contrast alongside broad-leaf deciduous trees during most of the year, and hold their own in the winter months. The soft, fine textured needles of the white pine create an airy look, while the needles of the mighty Ponderosa pine are coarse and bold.

Spruce and fir have short, blunt needles which surround the whole branch, creating a mulch fuller appearance.

Arborvitae and Chamaecyparis boast feathery fronds of scale-like foliage and a soft appearance. 

Broadleaf evergreens such as boxwoods and rhododendrons bring additional variety to the table.

In addition to this variety of textures, evergreens can also be surprisingly colorful. Ranging from dark to light green, silvery blue, gold, bronze, and every shade in between–the winter landscape does not have to be such a gray and dreary sight after all.

With the variety of evergreens available to us today, you can find one for any spot in the garden. Evergreens can be formal and neatly trimmed, or they can have a more naturalistic, less manicured look. For small landscapes, dwarf varieties of evergreen are invaluable. ‘Little Gem’ spruce only reaches 24” tall.

On the other hand, you could utilize a Norway spruce to fill a large space and create a windblock on the north side of the house

You can use a weeping, groundcover juniper to sprawl over a stone wall. Dark green yews can create a privacy hedge, while ‘Skyrocket’ Junipers are upright, thin, columns that work great as a corner accent in a small bed.

In addition to their contributions to our landscapes, evergreens also provide valuable winter habitat to a variety of birds and other animals, and also can be used to create windbreaks to protect our properties from brutal north winds in the winter.

Planting evergreens in your yard will liven up your landscape with new colors and textures. They provide year-round interest and structure, keeping your landscape from looking empty and boring throughout the cold months. And strategically planting evergreens could even help lower your energy bill in the winter. Stop by Dee-Sign and let us help you find the perfect evergreen for your yard.