For many homeowners, evergreen trees are an obvious benefit to your landscape—what's a beautiful winter backdrop without frost-covered evergreens, after all? Every yard deserves their reliable grace and charm and their ever-lasting foliage. Not only for aesthetic purposes (although they're pretty convincing), but they're also valued for the variety of advantages they provide to your property.
Evergreens are a Benefit to Your Winter Landscape
From the Coastal Plain to the Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina just wouldn't be as beautifully scenic without evergreens, especially the coniferous, or cone-bearing, varieties. They stand tall and confident, adding interest to your landscape with their tough, green foliage all year long. When the leaves begin to fall from deciduous trees in Greenville later this fall, you'll appreciate your conifers' lively presence on your property. On top of adding the color green to an otherwise neutral winter landscape, some evergreen trees provide an additional pop of color with bright berries, such as the red fruits of holly, or blue juniper berries.
They Attract Wildlife to Your Garden
We're not the only ones who take an interest in tree variety during the winter—evergreen trees are a favorite amongst the wildlife, too! While the barren branches of deciduous trees don't provide ideal shelter, evergreens are the perfect place for squirrels and non-migrating birds to take cover from cold winter wind and predators. This is important for sustaining populations of these animals and for maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Let the bottom boughs of your trees grow closer to the ground, and you might even see some larger critters hanging out under there!
They Provide Privacy
Dipping temperatures don't stop us outdoorsy folk from enjoying our outdoor living spaces during the winter. Keeping your backyard grill-outs and garden parties private isn't a difficult task when deciduous trees are full of leaves. But in the winter, privacy isn't quite as easy to come by. The dense, year-round foliage of evergreen shrubs and trees provide a natural privacy screen throughout all four seasons, so you can still enjoy your yard in the winter without the worry of nosy neighbors knowing your business.
Evergreens for Shade, Protection and Energy Conservation
In the summer, large deciduous trees with widespread canopies are the poster children of shade trees. They provide shelter from the sweltering sun, allowing us to enjoy our backyards in comfort and alleviating some of the work of our air conditioners. During the winter, however, it’s evergreens that step up to protect our homes from the elements.
While we aren't necessarily concerned about sunshine during the cold season (OK, we downright embrace it!), evergreens are excellent at blocking wind with their towering height, strong branches, and dense foliage. Cold winter gusts draw heat from your home, making it harder to heat and forcing your furnace into overdrive. When trees shelter your home from the wind, they also help you conserve energy and drive down your gas or electric bill!
If you've considered planting trees on your property for protection and energy conservation, make sure you do so strategically. Prevailing winds during the winter are from the north here in the city of Greenville, so situate your trees on the northern side of your house for the most effective wind barrier. Keep your deciduous trees to the south to let in the sunshine during the winter, and shade your home in the summer.
While we aren't necessarily concerned about sunshine during the cold season (OK, we downright embrace it!), evergreens are excellent at blocking wind with their towering height, strong branches, and dense foliage. Cold winter gusts draw heat from your home, making it harder to heat and forcing your furnace into overdrive. When trees shelter your home from the wind, they also help you conserve energy and drive down your gas or electric bill!
If you've considered planting trees on your property for protection and energy conservation, make sure you do so strategically. Prevailing winds during the winter are from the north here in the city of Greenville, so situate your trees on the northern side of your house for the most effective wind barrier. Keep your deciduous trees to the south to let in the sunshine during the winter, and shade your home in the summer.
They Improve Air Quality
It's no secret that trees are the lungs of the Earth—they breathe in carbon dioxide and other pollutants, and breathe out oxygen. Of course, everything in nature works together to maintain a sustainable ecosystem, but trees are vitally important—they literally allow us to breathe, after all! During the winter, cold air suppresses pollutants and prevents them from floating away into the atmosphere, concentrating them near earth. Air quality is less of a concern during the summer when there are plenty of plants to purify our air. However, during the winter, when air pollutants are at their highest, evergreens are essential. Plus, the fresh scent of juniper in your yard will instantly make it smell better!
Our Favorite Evergreens for Greenville
If you're ready to take advantage of planting evergreens in your garden, take a look at our wide selection of evergreen shrubs and trees. Here are some of our favorites:
Despite their stately presence, folks tend to overlook evergreens surprisingly often. From their reliable beauty to their environmental benefits and their ability to help you conserve energy, they truly are the garden winners of winter. Don't forget to check out our evergreen selection here at Carolina Seasons!
- American Arborvitae: An easy, low-maintenance conifer with dense foliage and an upright habit. We're especially fond of DeGroot’s Spire Arborvitae, which is a semi-dwarf cultivar with a rich color that can fit into any landscape design.
- Boxwood: The iconic evergreen for hedges and topiaries, boxwood is super versatile and can be sheared into almost any shape imaginable. Their bright green foliage will undoubtedly brighten your landscape, even on the dreariest winter days.
- Holly: Best known for its bright red berries, growing holly in your backyard with definitely get you in the holiday spirit this year! We carry lots of different varieties, including dwarf cultivars.
- Juniper: From creeping groundcovers to upright trees, we carry a range of Junipers to decorate your landscape. Enjoy their coniferous foliage and blue winter berries year after year.
- Magnolia: Ubiquitous in the south, there are many different cultivars ranging in size from 20 to 60 feet tall, this tree is definitely useful for wind-blocking and energy conservation when properly sited. Enjoy cuttings in winter wreaths and garlands along with Holly, Pine, and Juniper.
- Western Arborvitae: Another tall-growing, property-protecting tree, Green Giant Arborvitae grows rapidly and features lovely, dark green foliage.
Despite their stately presence, folks tend to overlook evergreens surprisingly often. From their reliable beauty to their environmental benefits and their ability to help you conserve energy, they truly are the garden winners of winter. Don't forget to check out our evergreen selection here at Carolina Seasons!
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