Many evergreen trees and shrubs share a very desirable common need: good drainage. For the most part, good drainage is easy to accomplish and maintain here in the high desert and alpine regions. Thus, native evergreens are a sensible and satisfying choice for sunny, open, spacial plantings.
Trees for xeriscapes include Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), the One-seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma), Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata), the Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis), and Ponderosa Pine, (Pinus ponderosa). Growing habits depend upon individual trees and growing location and conditions. Ask us for help in deciding upon the perfect evergreens and be sure to visit our nursery for a chance to meet our many evergreen trees and shrubs.
Everyone loves the mighty junipers of North America. With a long and varied natural history, the Juniper has emerged as one of the great survivors of geological and environmental changes over time. According to the National Forest Service, presently there are some 32 different biotic communities of Juniper in the northwest. The most common is the Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) which thrives in our region.
Tough, hardy, drought-tolerant, the Juniper proves to be an ideal choice for landscaping. From low-growing ground covers, to large, sculpture-like trees, junipers work well in a number of uses: as windbreaks, ground covers, screens, hedges, even groves. Of course, the foliage lasts all year, and varies from a deep dark green to a beautiful blue silver.
We see mixtures of juniper and pine on the slopes of many of our local mountains. A predominant pine for these spreads is the Pinyon Pine. The Forest Service tracks some 32 different types of Pinyon Pine trees in the west. The forests can be quite spectatular, such as those still to be encountered on the Colorado Plateau. There, the Colorado Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis) is predominant in aged forest spreads that cover entire mountain ranges.
In town, a pine planted in the yard can often help us visually reconnect to the ever receding wildness of the pine covered mountains that surround us here. And in the winter when it snows, a snow covered pine in the yard always makes us feel the spirit of the season.
We carry many different types of pines. Come in and see our selection.
One of our favorite evergreen shrubs is the Little-Leaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus intricatus). This beautiful slow growing member of the rose family (Rosaceae) sports a compact crown of very delicate, fine-textured foliage. It is water efficient and hardy in zones 3 - 8 preferring well drained soil with full sun.
Other hardy everygreen shrubs we carry include the Arizona Rosewood or Desert Rose (Vauquelinia californica), the medicinal Silk Tassel (Garrya wrightii), the Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) and various yuccas.
This is only a small selection of the evergreen shrubs we carry. Call us, or even better, come in and speak with us about your particular landscaping needs.
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