The changing of seasons is a common yearly event in many places. However, it can be refreshing to know that not all trees shed their leaves during the winter months. Certain trees will keep their leaves green all year.

Evergreen trees have needles that keep their leaves all year. An evergreen is one that shows its leaves continuously during the cold seasons. Other trees lose their leaves. All evergreens, including spruce, palm, holly, and Murray Cypress trees, keep their leaves all year.

Continue reading to find out why these trees have their leaves (needles), all year!

What Tree Family Keeps Their Leaves All Year?

The tree that doesn’t have color-changing leaves or loses those leaves during a particular time period of the year is called Evergreen. This tree is called Evergreen.

Evergreen trees are able to keep their leaves green all year and add color and texture to otherwise dull and barren landscapes.

It sounds great that trees don’t lose leaves. But what about those that do? Those are deciduous trees.

What is a Deciduous Tree?

A deciduous tree refers to a tree that sheds its leaves each year in order to plant new fruit and flowers.

A deciduous tree’s life cycle is what people in certain environments are most familiar with. A Midwesterner would be more familiar than someone who lives in the Midwest with oaks and maples.

This person would be used the seasons being marked by leaves turning from light yellow to deep auburn before they completely fall off. These trees will begin to flower again in the warm months, allowing for more green foliage to flourish during the summer months.

A deciduous tree can be seen in either a colder climate or a warmer one. Its appearance is affected by external factors such as temperature and time of year.

This person would not only be familiar with the life cycle of deciduous trees, but would also likely expect to see evergreens such as pine and spruce to add some balance to the wintery mix.

Let’s first discuss what these evergreens do and how they work.

What Is an Evergreen Tree and Why Does It Keep Its Leaves Throughout Winter?

It is known that evergreens do not lose their leaves in winter. But what makes them unique? The University of Minnesota Extension reminds that evergreens can come in many sizes and shapes, including pyramid-shaped, round, uptight and weeping.

The sunlight is an important factor in maintaining the color of the leaves. Other factors that can affect the vibrance, fullness or tone of leaves include age and growth.

Let’s return to the location-based example in the deciduous tree section.

For example, a person who lives in the Southern part of the American West Coast will be more familiar with evergreens than someone who lives in the Midwest or in other parts of the United States.

Palm trees can be found in areas bordering the ocean, such as California. Although palm trees are considered evergreen due to the fact that they don’t lose their leaves during winter, they are very different from any other tree in this list.

This state is less familiar with deciduous tree and may not associate changing seasons with changing leaves. The evergreens are the mainstay of the state’s environment and provide a beautiful backdrop for the towering palms.

These trees offer a variety of benefits, no matter where you live.

6 Tree Species That Keep Their Leaves All Year

Now that you know a lot about evergreens, and why they keep their needles (leaves), we can start to understand how they work. Let’s now talk about six different types of evergreen trees you might find!

Pine Trees

Our first evergreen, the pine tree, is most common in the Southern and Eastern regions of the United States. According to Brandeis University’s electronic fields guides, this tree can thrive in sandy soil and bears conical leaves. Cones are on a pine, you know. Pinecones, if I may.

It’s funny how many evergreen trees can be coniferous. This simply means they bear cones. The fact that pinecone is more prominent than when we say “cone” means that you probably have heard more about pine trees than you realize.

These straight-trunked pine trees have a life expectancy of approximately 400 years. They also have slender needles that tend to form clusters of 2-5 per twig.

This tree has a stunning pop of deep green and is one of the wider-set evergreens we are referring to.

Spruce Trees

These are some of the most interesting characteristics of spruce trees. We’re referring to white spruce. This tree is known for its ability to keep its leaves, but it’s also notoriously shallow-rooted.

This means that spruce trees can be blown over by the wind, especially if they are in thin or wet soil.

Spruce trees can be beautiful and thrive in certain areas. They can reach 40m tall when properly protected from the elements.

Pine cones are also produced by spruce trees. However, spruce needles are arranged in a spiral pattern onto the twigs where they live. These needles have four sides and are sharp and stiff.

Palm Trees

Palm trees! Oh the tropical evergreen associated with sunny skies and ocean views. Instead of, you know, snow, wind, and standing out in the sea of white.

Gotta love Upstate, NY!

Arizona State University’s Cooperative Extension has shown us that palms can be planted as single focal points in front yards or in small clusters.

Palm trees thrive in soils that are a little dryer, such as Arizona’s desert or the San Diego and Key West coasts. They add shade, color and dimension to otherwise flat areas.

Palm trees are not content to use their evergreen leaves against a monochromatic environment. They stand out in a different way.

Although they might not be as close to snow, the palm trees provide a visual distraction from the desert environment’s tan, which may also have the effect of making the area appear duller or barren.

Holly Trees

Holly trees combine the soil conditions of many of the previous top picks. Holly trees thrive in well-drained soils that are medium-wet.

A holly tree’s fruit begins with a flower. This determines if the tree is a male. True, holly trees can be divided into two genders depending on their ability to produce berries.

Because this tree is particularly festive, we can easily return to the topic of how evergreens affect the environment in winter months. Holly is often associated with Christmas, which falls right at the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This is fitting for many reasons.

The colors that are most associated with Christmas coincide with the tree’s green leaves and red berries. You will be wondering if ‘…is the best time to be alive.

Holly trees are not only a great way to add greenery to any area, but they can also be used to make snowy fields feel festive by adding bright red berries.

Fir Trees

Fir trees aren’t usually associated with a holiday, but they are quite spectacular.

Portland’s Reed University tells us that North America only houses 9 of the 40 true fir species that are found across the entire Northern Hemisphere. It’s amazing to see how many species of one genus (true or Abies) can exist.

Fir trees are a good match for their peers because of their needle-shaped leaves, cone production, and similar leaf shapes to other evergreens.

Murray Cypress and Leyland Cypress Trees

Our last tree is the Murray Cypress tree. It is an offshoot from the Leyland Cypress. We know that Cypress trees are very popular screening trees. You’ve probably seen someone with a wall of trees in their yard, likely a Murray Cypress or Leyland Cypress tree.

These trees can grow to be tall and have large needles. This creates a barrier between your backyard and busy streets, businesses or just curious neighbors.

What is the fastest growing evergreen?

The Murray Cypress tree is one of the fastest growing evergreen trees. It can grow up to 4 feet in one year. It can grow up to 40 feet tall at maturity. The trunk’s base may reach as high as 10 feet.

How to Identify Different Evergreen Species

We are now. Here’s more information on evergreens, their similarities, and what they can do for us (aside from reminding us about the value of steadiness, of course).

You might be curious as to which evergreen you are referring to, but you don’t know the difference.

It is a pine, spruce or fir. These three species seem like the right choice because of their common appearances and roles in nature.

Coniferous evergreens all produce cones and have the same bark so this one is down to the leaves or the needles of the tree.

There is a difference between pine and spruce. Pine trees will have needle clusters of three to five depending on the type of pine tree they belong to. Both spruce needles and fir needles are attached to twigs individually.

The shape of the needle is another indicator. Fir needles are flat and soft. They cannot be easily rolled between two fingers. Pruce needles, on the other hand are square and easy to roll between your fingers. Just be careful not to get any sharp points at the ends.

You should make sure that the bark of your evergreen tree stays put during winter. This could indicate a larger problem. Learn more about bark falling from your tree.

Evergreen Needles Ladies, They’ll be Here All Year!

There are many types of evergreen trees that can provide color and beauty in winter.

Each tree is unique and there are many. We hope this helps you to get started in choosing the right tree for you.

Most of the trees can be found in all regions. However, palm trees might be more versatile.

These trees have their leaves (needles), all year.

• Fir Tree
• Spruce tree
• Holly Tree
• Palm Tree
• Murray Cypress Tree
• Pine Tree

Each tree has its own requirements. These include where it should be planted and how it should be maintained.

This can be used as a guide for your Tree Journey. However, we recommend that you do your research to ensure you find the right fit.

You should also look at plant hardiness zones. These can be found in graphs, charts and maps as well as guides.

This indicator will allow you to determine which zone of hardiness you are in. It also tells you what the average temperature is in your area. Once you have this information, you can match the zone to the type tree you’re interested in to ensure that they are compatible.

We hope this helps you get a better understanding of how evergreen trees can be unique and individualistic, with different strengths and weaknesses.

Have fun tree-searching!