We have a small wooded area at the back of our lot consisting of oak and cottonwood with a moderate canopy. The area is well drained and has loamy soil (typical woods environment in Minnesota). We would like to plant some evergreens in this area to provide some bird shelter and nesting as well as winter color. Can anyone help us with the best type of evergreen to plant in this moderately shaded environment? Thank you!!
Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) might be a good choice in your area. It's very shade-tolerant, and likes loamy soil, although it also likes a fair amount of moisture (but so does cottonwood, so chances are you'd be okay there). One thing to keep in mind: there's an exotic insect pest (the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid) which is causing major problems for hemlocks along the Appalacian Mountain range... it isn't close to Minnesota, and they're working on control methods, but it's something to consider. You also might need to protect them from deer until they get tall enough.
A rare shade-tolerant understory evergreen is Canada yew, Taxus canadensis. I don't know much about its availability or soil requirements, however.
Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) is more shade-tolerant than most pines, and can sometimes tolerate a moderate (>20% full sun transmittance) oak canopy, but in general pines aren't a great choice for growing under hardwoods.
Thanks much for the info. We had considered Hemlock but decided that it might not tolerate this area. We do not see much Hemlock in So. MN. The White Spruce is another possiblity as it is shade tolerant.
Most conifers will grow in moderate or full shade, but they just won't get very large. Trees four feet tall have been found to be decades old due to the stunting nature of heavy shade.
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