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Canada hemlock

Tsuga canadensis

SOO-gah kan-ah-DEN-sis Audio

This North American native grows to 70 feet tall, with a broadly pyramidal outline. It has deeply furrowed bark, small, oval cones, and slightly drooping branchlets with finely textured needles. It is suitable to a wide variety of uses, such as hedging or screening, and group or specimen plantings. It has given rise to a number of notable cultivars.

Noteworthy CharacteristicsMost hemlocks are native to forests of Southeastern Asia and North America. They can tolerate a considerable amount of shade, particularly when young. 

CareGrow in moist, but well-drained (acidic to slightly alkaline) soil in full sun to full shade. Prune hedges in late summer or early fall. They are notably at risk of infestation by woolly adelgids, scale, and mites.

PropagationSow seed in a cold frame in spring; root semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or early fall.

ProblemsBotrytis (gray mold), rust, needle blights, butt rot, snow blight, weevils, mites, aphids, woolly adelgid, scale.

  • Genus : Tsuga
  • Plant Height : 30 feet or more
  • Plant Width : 30 feet or more
  • Zones : 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
  • Tolerance : Frost Tolerant
  • Characteristics : Interesting Bark, Showy Foliage, Showy Seed Heads
  • Maintenance : Low
  • Moisture : Medium Moisture
  • Growth Rate : Moderate
  • Light : Partial Shade to Full Shade
  • Uses : Shade
  • Plant Seasonal Interest : Summer Interest
  • Plant Type : Trees

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