Tsuga Canadensis
Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) is a graceful, long-lived evergreen conifer native to eastern North America, forming a handsome pyramidal shape with pendulous branches and fine, flat needles. Mature trees in natural settings can attain 50–75 ft in height with a 20–40 ft spread, though cultivated specimens often remain smaller .
Key Features
Size & Form: Broadly pyramidal with drooping branchlets; 50–75 ft tall × 20–40 ft wide in the wild.
Foliage: Flat, feathery needles 5/16–9/16″ long; dark green above with distinct white banding beneath.
Hardiness & Light: Thrives in USDA Zones 3–7; one of the most shade-tolerant evergreens, preferring cool, moist understory sites.
Soil & Moisture: Prefers acidic, well-drained soils; intolerant of drought and heat; excels on moist slopes, ravines, and stream valleys.
Wildlife Value: Dense boughs provide nesting and shelter for birds; lower limbs offer bedding cover for deer.
Pest Notes: Susceptible to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, which can decimate unmanaged stands.
Landscape Uses: Excellent specimen, screen, hedge, or foundation planting; minimal pruning required to maintain form.
Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) is a graceful, long-lived evergreen conifer native to eastern North America, forming a handsome pyramidal shape with pendulous branches and fine, flat needles. Mature trees in natural settings can attain 50–75 ft in height with a 20–40 ft spread, though cultivated specimens often remain smaller .
Key Features
Size & Form: Broadly pyramidal with drooping branchlets; 50–75 ft tall × 20–40 ft wide in the wild.
Foliage: Flat, feathery needles 5/16–9/16″ long; dark green above with distinct white banding beneath.
Hardiness & Light: Thrives in USDA Zones 3–7; one of the most shade-tolerant evergreens, preferring cool, moist understory sites.
Soil & Moisture: Prefers acidic, well-drained soils; intolerant of drought and heat; excels on moist slopes, ravines, and stream valleys.
Wildlife Value: Dense boughs provide nesting and shelter for birds; lower limbs offer bedding cover for deer.
Pest Notes: Susceptible to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, which can decimate unmanaged stands.
Landscape Uses: Excellent specimen, screen, hedge, or foundation planting; minimal pruning required to maintain form.
Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) is a graceful, long-lived evergreen conifer native to eastern North America, forming a handsome pyramidal shape with pendulous branches and fine, flat needles. Mature trees in natural settings can attain 50–75 ft in height with a 20–40 ft spread, though cultivated specimens often remain smaller .
Key Features
Size & Form: Broadly pyramidal with drooping branchlets; 50–75 ft tall × 20–40 ft wide in the wild.
Foliage: Flat, feathery needles 5/16–9/16″ long; dark green above with distinct white banding beneath.
Hardiness & Light: Thrives in USDA Zones 3–7; one of the most shade-tolerant evergreens, preferring cool, moist understory sites.
Soil & Moisture: Prefers acidic, well-drained soils; intolerant of drought and heat; excels on moist slopes, ravines, and stream valleys.
Wildlife Value: Dense boughs provide nesting and shelter for birds; lower limbs offer bedding cover for deer.
Pest Notes: Susceptible to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, which can decimate unmanaged stands.
Landscape Uses: Excellent specimen, screen, hedge, or foundation planting; minimal pruning required to maintain form.