Tsuga canadensis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Part Shade to Shade
• Soils: Average to Moist
• Bloom Time: Non-showy yellow flowers in spring
• Size: 80-100 feet in height and 10-20 foot spread
One of the most shade tolerant trees of New England, the eastern hemlock is perfectly happy to grow in the shade cast by even a dense woodland. However, it does require richer soil, and is less tolerant of nutrient-poor, sandy soils, especially in full sunlight. This is a great tree for hedges, as hemlocks retain their lower branches, unlike other pitch pine (Pinus rigida) and white pine (Pinus strobus), offering a full screen throughout all seasons.
Garden Companions
Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
Nature Benefits
• Provides dense winter cover for wildlife
• Larval host to the Columbia silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia)
Native Habitat
Forests, rocky slopes, wetland margins.