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Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas Fir is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Douglas Fir
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–6. Expect it to reach about 59 ft tall and 23 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 20 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Douglas Fir
Plant Douglas Fir in spring once the soil is workable, or by very early fall at the latest: an evergreen needs its roots down well before the ground freezes. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 6, that is April to June, or August on the fall side.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Douglas Fir get?
59 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult23 ftwideSee Douglas Fir in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Douglas Fir
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Douglas Fir about 23 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Douglas Fir to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Douglas Fir's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 4 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Douglas Fir
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Its most diagnostic feature is the pendulous cone: three-pointed bracts protrude between the scales like small tridents, a mark no true fir or spruce cone shares. per NC State and USDA Forest Service
Which variety to plant
For cold, dry sites pick the hardier interior Rocky Mountain form (var. glauca); for mild, wet regions pick a Pacific Coast source, which better resists needle cast. per USDA Forest Service and Penn State
Non-toxic to pets and people
Generally non-toxic to dogs, cats and people, and a common cut Christmas tree with soft needles. It is not listed on the ASPCA toxic-plant database. per NC State and ASPCA
Watch for needle cast
Two fungal needle-cast diseases are its main threat in mild, wet regions: soot-like black lines under the needles signal Swiss needle cast; yellow to reddish-brown spots signal Rhabdocline. per Penn State and UMass
Drought invites canker
Phomopsis canker attacks trees weakened by drought or winter stress, usually one to two years later, so steady moisture and cool, well-drained siting are its main defense. per UC IPM and NC State
Wildlife value, not deer-proof
Birds and mammals eat the seeds; deer and elk browse the foliage, so do not count it as deer-resistant. It hosts Pine White and Ceanothus Silkmoth caterpillars. per NC State
What pairs well with Douglas Fir
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.