Canadian Hemlock

Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Canadian Hemlock is a graceful, shade-tolerant conifer with soft, flat, deep green needles on gently drooping branchlets; its feathery texture, fine cones, and adaptable habit suit woodland edges, specimen plantings, and sheared evergreen screens.

Distinctive Features

Elegant Texture: Fine, lacy sprays create a calm, layered look year-round; Shade Adaptability: Performs from full sun to shade with best color and density in partial shade and consistent moisture.

Growing Conditions

• Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade; prefers partial shade in hot-summer regions.
• Soil: Moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil; avoid compaction and standing water.
• Water: Keep evenly moist, especially in heat and during establishment; protect from prolonged drought.
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7.
• Mature Size: Typically 40 to 70 ft tall and 25 to 35 ft wide; smaller with pruning or as a hedge.
• Bloom Time: Inconspicuous; small pendant cones follow in summer to fall.
• Soil pH: Acidic, about 4.5 to 6.5.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: Soft, cascading form anchors lawns and courtyards.
• Hedge or Screen: Shears cleanly for dense, evergreen privacy.
• Woodland Garden: Blends with ferns, rhododendrons, and spring ephemerals.
• Wildlife Support: Dense cover and seed-bearing cones aid birds and small mammals.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Deeply soak during dry spells; maintain even moisture with mulch.
• Pruning: Lightly shear or tip-prune after spring flush; avoid cutting back into leafless old wood.
• Fertilizing: Feed in early spring with an acid-forming, slow-release fertilizer if soil tests indicate need.
• Mulching: Apply 2 to 3 in of pine bark or leaf mold, keeping mulch a few inches from the trunk.
• Notes: Monitor for hemlock woolly adelgid and treat promptly; site away from road salt and drying winds.

Why Choose Canadian Hemlock?

• Shade Champion: One of the best conifers for lower light sites.
• Refined Year-Round Form: Fine needles and pendulous twigs provide four-season beauty.
• Versatile Training: Takes well to naturalistic shapes or formal shearing.
• Habitat Value: Excellent shelter and nesting cover for wildlife.

Plant in acidic, well-drained soil with steady moisture and light seasonal pruning to maintain its soft texture and graceful outline.