5 Favorites: Silvery Conifers

This time of year, you see so many conifers–spruces and pines and firs lined up in Christmas tree lots or lashed to car roofs or covered in colored lights–that you might wonder: how will I live without them come January? You don’t have to:

Blue Spruce Trees

Blue-tinged leaves are a silvery complement to other plants. A 2.25-gallon Colorado Blue Spruce Tree is $26.98 from Lowe’s.

‘Blue Star’ Trees

Above: A blue spruce tree. Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.

A low-growing ground hugger, Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ reaches a height of 16 inches and is hardy from zones four through eight; a 4-inch-tall starter plant is $5.95 from Evergreen Plant Nursery. 

Alberta Spruce Trees

Above: An Alberta spruce. Photograph by Michelle Slatalla

The bottom side of a needle on Abies koreana ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’ is white, which gives the Silver Korean Fir a snow-covered look even in summer. Hardy from zones five to eight, it will reach a height of 30 feet. A one-gallon pot of ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke‘ is $35 from Singing Tree Gardens.

White Fir Trees

Above: Photograph by Justina Bilodeau. For more, see Garden Visit: A Christmas Tree Farm in Maine.

White fir (Abies concolor) is native to the western US and can reach a height of 200 feet if left to its own devices (growing on the side of a mountain, say). A tiny 3-foot-tall Abies Concolor is $79 from Forest Farm.

Spruce ‘Blue Totem’ Trees

Above: ‘Blue Totem’ is one of many varieties of blue spruce; some reach heights of 50 feet. Hardy from zones three to eight, it prefers full sun. A Picea pungens bareroot seedling is $21.68 from Amazon. Photograph by F.D. Richards via Flickr.