Everyone loves trees and shrubs. They add a lot of variety, height, texture, and color to your landscape.
But when it’s time to plant a tree or shrub, there are so many options out there that it can be tough to choose one. What if you make the wrong decision? What if you don’t like the tree or shrub you choose?
Don’t worry. We’re here for you. We are experts in tree and shrub selection in Chicagoland, and we can help.
Let’s look at some of our top picks for Illinois evergreen trees and Illinois evergreen shrubs to give you some ideas.
Best Evergreen Trees for Illinois
You should consider local weather when you're choosing specific Illinois evergreen trees for your home landscape.
Our summers can be hot and muggy, while our winters can get pretty cold and windy.
Having greenery all year long can be a great perk in your Chicagoland landscape. You get privacy and color no matter if it’s snowing or the sun is shining.
Try these evergreen trees that we love.
1. Arborvitae
This narrow, upright, evergreen tree for Illinois offers dense foliage in a deep, brilliant green all year long.
Planted in a hedge row, this tree offers great privacy. Highly adaptable, hardy, and needing little maintenance, this green stunner is known for its desirable columnar form. They reach about 15 feet in height with a 4-foot spread and grow best in full sun to partial shade conditions.
When pruning is necessary, you only trim back a little bit of the new growth from the current season, but it’s not always required.
2. Concolor Fir
This upright amazing evergreen tree for Illinois landscapes has very soft needles and boasts a great blue-green color and a soft lemony scent.
Growing to 30- to 50-feet tall and reaching 15- to 20-feet wide, this tree likes full sun and well-drained soil.
Offering a great, natural pyramidal shape, this evergreen is a great performer in your landscape, needing little work and looking great year after year.
3. Eastern White Pine
The Eastern white pine is a great evergreen tree in Illinois with its fine, feathery needles, open canopy, straight trunk, and picturesque stature.
This tree can reach 50- to 80-feet tall with a 20- to 40-foot width in full sun spaces with acidic, well-drained soil. This fast grower with a pyramidal shape provides shelter for birds and creates great, year-round greenery.
For smaller spaces, try ‘Vanderwolf’s Pyramid’ pine with long, twisted, silvery blue needles that only reaches 20- to 25-feet tall and 15-feet wide.
4. Juniper
A non-fussy Juniper with an upright form can be a great evergreen tree in Illinois.
Juniper can tolerate Illinois weather extremes, maintaining bright green needles throughout the year. Plant it in full sun for the brightest hue and dense growth.
This hardy evergreen can stand alone or look attractive planted in a group to create a great screen for some seclusion from the neighbors. Some varieties have a more compact height and spread as well that can accommodate tighter spaces.
Best Evergreen Shrubs for Illinois
Looking for something a bit shorter to add some variety to your Greater Chicago home landscape?
Try one of these Illinois evergreen shrubs that are proven performers.
5. Boxwood
Boxwoods are some of the greatest evergreen shrubs for Illinois because they are reliable and consistent backdrops, hedges or borders that provide great structure in your landscape.
You can keep boxwoods to a 30-inch height with selective pruning and shaping or you can get them to a 4-foot height without a lot of extra work or maintenance. We like some of the smaller leaf varieties like ‘Green Gem,’ ‘Chicagoland Green,’ or ‘Northern Charm.’
Let Us Help You Find the Right Evergreen Trees and Shrubs For Your Yard
When it comes to finding the right evergreen tree in Illinois or the perfect Illinois evergreen shrub, you have so much you can choose.
If the choices seem vast to you, and you find yourself lost, let KD Landscape help. Our experienced team knows the Chicagoland area and the plants that thrive here. An evergreen tree or shrub is a long-term addition, and you want to love it today and in 10 or 20 years from now.
What’s more is we can help you plant it right from the start to ensure a long, thriving life, adding value, interest, texture, and color to your property. And all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the evergreen view.
Ready to see how KD Landscape can transform your yard with evergreen trees and shrubs? We’d love to share our design and installation expertise with you. Get started today with a free consultation. Together, we can prepare a design that you will love.
Image Source: Arborvitae, Concolor Fir, Eastern White Pine, Juniper
