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ConifersTrees

Tsuga mertensiana

mountain hemlock

A fairly slow-growing evergreen tree, broadly conical in habit, with blue-grey linear leaves aranged all round the brown shoots; pendulous cones are 5-8cm in length, with recurved scales

Other common names

Californian hemlock

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Ultimate height

Higher than 12 metres

Time to ultimate height

20–50 years

Ultimate spread

4–8 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

West–facing or East–facing or South–facing or North–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Pinaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Tsuga are evergreen trees, broadly conical in habit, with a drooping leading shoot,linear leaves which are white beneath, and small ovoid cones
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Western N America

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Good specimen tree

Propagation

Propagate by seed or semi-hardwood cutings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Low Maintenance

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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