Edited by Len Phillips

In response to a request for an excellent urban tolerant evergreen, my choice is White Fir. This information has been gathered from my personal observations in New England, Zone 5.

Botanical Name: Abies concolor
Common Name: White Fir, Silver Fir, Colorado Fir
Parentage: Species
Height: 30' - 50'
Spread: 15' - 30'
Form: Pyramidal growth, upper branches ascending, lower branches horizontal
Bloom Period: Spring
Flower: Inconspicuous, reddish
Cone: Cylindrical, 3" - 6" long, pale green turning tan to brown in autumn
Summer Foliage: Blue to gray green needle, pale underneath
Winter Color: Evergreen needles provide winter interest
Bark: Smooth when young, thick furrows, gray with age
Habitat: Native of Colorado to Southern California to New Mexico
Culture: Rich, moist, well drained soil, tolerates urban pollution, heat, cold, and dry conditions; white fir does not like clay or constantly wet soil
Hardiness Zone: 3 - 8
Growth Rate: Slow to medium
Pest Problems: None
Wind Resistance: Excellent
Salt Resistance: Good
Planting: Transplants easily B&B, shallow spreading roots
Pruning: Seldom needs pruning except after planting and 3 years later to mature form, one of any co-dominant leaders must be removed
Propagating: Seed or softwood cuttings in summer
Design Uses: Excellent specimen, good substitute for spruce and pine
Companions: Use with ground covers such as Sedum, Vinca, and Pachysandra, however dense shade of lower branches can kill turf grass
Other Comments: Excellent urban tree in the Southwest, Midwest, and East
Available from: Most large nurseries
Photos: By Len Phillips

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