Description
Tsuga canadensis
CT
Soil: Slightly Acidic, Rich, Well-drained
Moisture: Average to Moist
Light: Part to Full Shade
Plant Height: 40 to 70 feet
Plant Width: 25 to 35 feet
Pests: Hemlock wooly adelgid (see pest note below)
Landscape Value: Makes a graceful shade tree or ornamental. Can be trimmed to form a hedge in low wind sites.
Slow-growing, long-lived tree (> 500 years) with a dense, pyramidal form and widely-spaced branches that often dip towards the ground. Trees have a straight trunk with gray-brown, scaly bark that becomes fissured or furrowed with age. Short, soft, flattened needles are dark green above bearing two white bands beneath. Needles are arranged in two opposite rows and attached to twigs by a short stalk. Small (3/4”), light brown, seed-bearing cones hang from twig tips. Best planted in sheltered locations protected from strong, drying winds and hot afternoon sun. Susceptibility to Hemlock woolly adelgid is greater if trees are planted close together as in a hedge. Dense, low branches provide valuable winter cover for wildlife and nesting habitat for many birds. Seeds provide food for small mammals and many birds, including dark-eyed juncos, black-capped chickadees, and American goldfinch. Tolerates heavy shade and black walnut. Does not tolerate salt, pollution, or drought and needs regular watering during prolonged dry spells, especially when trees are young. Sheds needles rapidly when cut down so not suitable for use as a Christmas tree.
Pest Note: We have not carried hemlock in many years due to the Hemlock wooly adelgid, an invasive insect that has attacked and killed many North American hemlocks. In recent years there has been success controlling the adelgid with release of predator beetles. Cold winters, with some below freezing temperatures, also help keep the adelgid population down.
Note: This year we are offering potted conifer seedlings rather than plugs or bare-root seedlings. Potted seedlings have a larger root mass than plugs and do not require immediate planting.
Potted conifer seedling: pots are 3.5″ x 3.5″ x 5″ deep, seedlings are 5-18″ tall
Photo credits:
Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, University of WI-Green Bay (photo by Gary Fewless)
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (photo by James Reveal)
www.minnesotawildflowers.info (photo by Peter Dziuk)
