A: When choosing evergreens, you must consider mature height, proper spacing, how much you’re going to be able to water them, and ensure they’re suited for our zone (8 for most of N. Ga). Now is a great time to plant so roots can establish without heat stress, and the plant can focus on root growth. Deep waterings are very important during establishment. Avoid planting on really cold days- I prefer November and December.

To get ideas, I enjoy browsing growers’ sites to see what varieties they have to offer.

https://southernlivingplants.com/the-collection/

https://www.monrovia.com/plantfinder

Another GREAT resource if you’re selecting plants for privacy, Walter Reeves’s article with shrubs for privacy screening.

https://www.walterreeves.com/landsc.../plants-for-screening/

Some to consider- Blue Atlas Cedar- they can grow to be 40 feet high, but a semi-dwarf one called Horstmann will grow to maybe 10 feet. And what about Arborvitae? There are different varieties that offer different shapes and heights. Then there are cypress, junipers, and camellias, which are evergreens that flower in fall or winter (depending on the variety).

On a Facebook post about this topic, and listener asked, “what blue spruce can grow here in Georgia?” Experienced landscaper Bruce Holliday replied, “In my 47 years in the landscape industry, I have seen many of the “blue” varieties of “conifers”, and they do not tend to do well in the hot and humid South. If you look at some of the names, Colorado Blue Spruce, Arizona Cypress, Blue Star Juniper and some fir varieties do best in zones 3 to 6 and tend to have a rather short life expectancy here in the South.”

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