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Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Eastern Hemlock is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Mature size, 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.
Growing Eastern Hemlock
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–7. Expect it to reach about 49 ft tall and 26 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 20 years.
When to plant Eastern Hemlock
Plant Eastern Hemlock 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. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 7 range, that is April to June, or August on the fall side.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in April.
3 more varieties in the Hemlock family
Same family, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Good to know about Eastern Hemlock
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
One of the very few conifers that thrives in deep shade, surviving on as little as 5 percent of full sunlight where most evergreens fail. per USDA and Penn State
How much sun it needs
Guides differ on sun. In cool, moist climates it takes full sun; in hot, dry regions give it part to deep shade and shelter. per NC State and USDA
Not the deadly poison hemlock
This ornamental conifer is completely unrelated to the deadly weed poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), which shares only the name. The tree carries none of that risk. per University of Maryland and NC State
Watch for woolly adelgid
A tiny invasive insect that leaves white, cottony wool at the needle bases and can kill trees of any age. Check twig undersides; it has no native predators. per Penn State and MDPI
Shears into a shade hedge
One of the few evergreens that takes shearing well, so it makes a classic clipped hedge or screen. For small gardens, choose a dwarf or weeping cultivar. per NC State and Penn State
Healthy siting fights the pests
A tree kept cool, moist and sheltered resists adelgid and scale far better; drought and stress leave it weak and open to the insects killing the species. per USDA and Penn State
What pairs well with Eastern Hemlock
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.
Witch Hazel
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; shorter at 9.8 ft, an understory layer; both are native plants.
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