Two outstanding features of evergreens are their variety of color, form and texture and their year-round beauty in the landscape. Evergreens can also be used to help conserve energy, by blocking prevailing winter winds. If space is limited a single row will help, but trees planted in staggered rows will best reduce home heating costs.
In addition to reducing your heating expenses, evergreens can be used for visual and sound barriers. Noise pollution for example from a busy street or highway can be reduced with dense plantings by as much as 20%. Evergreens are useful in hiding unsightly objects or views, or simply to create a privacy enclosure.
A few items to consider in the selection of evergreens for your screen or windbreak:
•Maintenance – Do you want to trim or shear plants? If so, at what height and width can they be maintained?
•Mature Height – If no trimming is involved, how big will they be in 20 years?
•Rate Of Growth – How fast will it take for your screen to fill in?
•Disease and Insect Susceptibility
Download for chart will help in the selection of plants for your evergreen windbreak or screen.
