Skinny evergreens are the perfect fit for many yards

There’s nothing like an early blanket of snow to make you realize that you probably need more evergreens in your yard. In just a matter of weeks, vibrant landscapes have turned into shades of white, brown and gray. The bright spots: a few flashes of green provided by tough evergreens.

A lot of evergreens grow to massive sizes, making them inappropriate for average yards. Plant breeders have taken note, and evergreen varieties are increasingly being selected for their smaller stature. 

Evergreens that stay small tend to grow slowly, so there’s a trade-off to be made for having a tree that won’t take over the yard in a decade. You’ll either have to be patient at first, or you’ll have to spend more than you would on a faster growing larger tree.

Garden centers are sensitive to pricing, and they are unlikely to have a large selection of evergreens that will remain a reasonable size for decades simply because they know that customers will be reluctant to pay the price for a tree that might be 10 years old when purchased.

But with enough patience and a big enough wallet, there are a number of excellent, reasonably sized, skinny evergreens that provide color, interest and year-round structure appropriate for average-size yards.

‘Trautman’ juniper (Juniperus chinensis) hails from Wisconsin, where it was selected by nurseryman Herbert Trautman. Growing to 15 feet tall by 4 feet wide in about 10 years, it has bluish gray foliage with excellent texture that is highly resistant to deer. 

The weeping white spruce ‘Pendula’ (Picea glauca) grows to a similar size as ‘Trautman’ but has lovely layered, drooping branches. Remarkably hardy, it originated in Ontario but was almost lost to cultivation until it was rediscovered in 1982 at Illinois’ Morton Arboretum.

The narrow arborvitae ‘DeGroot’s Spire’ (Thuja occidentalis) gets just 3 feet wide in a decade and is one of the easier-to-find narrow evergreens. It offers attractive, almost frilly foliage that looks good as a standalone tree as well as a screening hedge. It can be prone to deer browsing, however.

‘Cupressina’ Norway spruce (Picea abies) is also readily available and grows into a teardrop shape that is about 30 feet tall by 6 feet wide. A trio of them that I planted three years ago are growing up quickly but staying true to their narrow form. The branches are short and grow out or upright.

Skinny evergreens can also take on a whimsical personality. ‘Green Arrow’ Alaska cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) grow 35 feet tall but just 5 feet wide, with draping armlike branches that call to mind a muppetlike creature. And the Serbian spruce ‘Pendula Bruns’ (Picea omorika) grows in twist and turns to 15 feet tall and 3 feet wide and looks like it came straight out the imagination of Dr. Suess.

You may have to hunt for them, but there are many skinny evergreens that even small yards can accommodate. It’s a good time to scope out the perfect spot for one.