Every winter I set an intention to add evergreens to my garden. It needs more bones: those strategically placed structural plants that offer somewhere for the birds to hide in, and for our eyes to feast on, before everything else gets growing again. Come spring, hungry for candy colors, I forget all that and leave the nursery with a cartful of pansies instead. But a few years ago, I spotted a muffin-shaped conifer dripping with minty-white, icing-like needles. Finally, an evergreen—and a nativar to boot—reminded me of my promise, and I ushered it through the checkout lane and into my car.
Renowned Oregon plantsman Ed Wood selected ‘Moon Frost’ from a patch of North American native eastern hemlock (T. canadensis) for its glowing white spring tips as well as its dwarf habit. The new foliage stretches from tight fans, aging to a subtly striated frost-dusted green. The needles are flatly arranged along skinny twigs and as a bonus, they blush pink in winter. Eastern hemlock is typically a slow grower. The first three or so years, my ‘Moon Frost’ stayed tightly mounded, but has since increased its pace, loosening up and out with gracefully airy branches, and is now just under 4 feet tall.
Some sources call eastern hemlock “deer tolerant,” but I’m inclined to read that as “might be tasteable.” Protection from drought, desiccating wind, and scalding summer sun help keep ‘Moon Frost’ healthy and stress-free, which is essential for boosting its resilience and resistance to its primary liability: hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). This pest’s telltale cottony sacs on the lower and underside of branches will be most visible during spring and fall. If you ever find evidence of HWA, experts at university extension services recommend spraying with horticultural oil and/or insecticidal soap. Both treatments are nontoxic, safe for homeowner use, and effective. I spread an annual layer of shredded leaves at the foot of my ‘Moon Frost’ hemlock to help hold moisture in the soil, and water during drought. Thanks to these measures, I’ve never seen any sign of an HWA infestation.
I occasionally try the right plant in the wrong spot, but not this time. I planted my ‘Moon Frost’ in a north-side foundation bed near a rain barrel with a soaker hose attached. It gets high-summer shade from a pink pussy willow (Salix gracilistyla ‘Mt. Aso’, Zones 4–8) to its west. The late-winter color echo from that plant’s buds is pure serendipity! No pansies needed.
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‘Moon Frost’ eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis ‘Moon Frost’ Zones: 4–7 Conditions: Partial to full shade; average to moist, well-drained soil Native range: North America |
Lifelong horticulturist Kristin Green gardens in Bristol, Rhode Island.
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