Which evergreen trees perform well in home landscapes in Iowa?

Question:

Which evergreen trees perform well in home landscapes in Iowa?

Answer:

Only a small number of evergreen trees perform well in Iowa.  Some evergreens, such as Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris), Austrian pine (Pinus nigra), and Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) have serious disease problems and are no longer recommended for planting in Iowa.  The most reliable evergreen trees for Iowa are

• white pine (Pinus strobus),
• concolor (white) fir (Abies concolor),
• Norway spruce (Picea abies),
• Serbian spruce (Picea omorika),
• Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca),
• Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and
• eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis).  

White Pine   Photo by Cindy Haynes