The Evergreen: An Intriguing Interloper

Much of coastal and southern New Jersey is truly the land of the pines, but not every conifer in the backyard is a native evergreen.

Among our pitch pines and Atlantic white cedars are some common foreigners, and though they’re introduced species, they have lovely characteristics and fascinating histories of their own.

What they are:

Despite being a West Coast native, Douglas fir is easy to find in all corners of the U.S. because of its popularity as a Christmas tree. Tree farms in New Jersey and elsewhere sprout the stately evergreen by the dozen, and some of those, selected to be live Christmas trees, make their way into peoples’ backyards after the holidays.

Out west, Douglas firs grow into magnificent trees. In fact, the largest evergreen ever found is believed to have been a Douglas — an estimated 393-foot specimen recorded in Washington State in 1924.

The biggest trees, some well over 1,000 years old, are mostly gone. But the species still dominates in the Pacific Northwest.

On the East Coast, you won’t see Douglas first reach magnificent heights, though the wild-Christmas-tree types can grow relatively quickly and dominate a yard in a decade or two.

Cone-shaped for many years, they have spreading, slightly drooping branches with dark green to blue-green needles that grow to about an inch and a half and smell sweet when crushed. The cones are distinctive, with small papery flags protruding from under each scale. 

If you want a Douglas fir in your yard, you might want to look to one of the cultivars designed for smaller spaces — Fastigiata and Pendula are popular ones. These varieties have been carefully bred to have crowded and upright or weeping shapes.

Norway spruce is another common nonnative, though unlike the Douglas fir, it has no claim to the continent. It’s one of Europe’s dominant evergreens, a long-lived monster of a tree (scientists think the oldest tree in the world is a Norway spruce in Sweden that’s been sending up shoots for almost 10,000 years).

The tree is a popular planting in the Northeast, where it can withstand harsh weather and freeze-and-thaw cycles to grow into a large, showy specimen. Its spreading branches droop dramatically before turning up at the ends.

Its needles grow to about an inch and are four-sided and fairly sharp at the tip. Cones are relatively long, with a lovely shape and very regularly spaced scales.

Where to find them:

Both these species are common in the suburbs and in “edge” areas where human habitation backs up to wild spots. Because of their popularity as Christmas trees, Douglas firs can sometimes be found in abandoned tree farm fields.

Norway spruce is even more easily spotted. Drive around a suburban neighborhood or park and you’re bound to see its distinctive drooping-branch shape.

Why bother:

In a region with vast pine forests, it’s handy to be able to sort out the foreign evergreens from the native. And being able to identify the tree in your backyard by studying its needles and cones is always satisfying.