Canadian Hemlock Varieties

Tree Size Varieties

• Variegated needles featuring white tips are a feature of Albospica, a Canadian hemlock cultivar that can grow to 25 feet. Albospice is compact, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database, doing well in light shade. Albospica takes on a conical shape and it is appropriate for USDA zones 4 through 7. Golden Splendor requires about 10 years to grow to 10 feet high. Eventually, this hemlock variety makes it to 40 feet. Golden Splendor has yellow needles and is suitable for USDA zones 4 through 7.

Large Shrub Varieties

• Monler, also known as Emerald Fountain, is a large hemlock shrub with a narrow form, growing to 10 feet tall but just 3 feet wide. This makes it an option for hedges and/or privacy screens in zones 4 through 7. Monler possesses dark green needles and it works as a foundation plant as well. Geneva, named for the place of its discovery – Geneva, New York – grows to 15 feet, but requires seven decades to do so. It has a rounded shape and dark green needles. It is a viable possibility for shady parts of your landscape.

Medium Sized Hemlock Shrub Varieties

• Gentsch White is globular, growing 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. It has silvery-white needles on the tips of its branches, making it appear as if a layer of snow covers the shrub. Gentsch White is cold hardy to USDA zone 3. In 10 years, Bergman’s Snowflake grows to 6 feet tall and it attains widths up to 4 feet. This is another variegated Canadian hemlock shrub, with a whitish look to the green needles. Bergman’s Snowflake is appropriate for USDA zones 4 though 7.

Dwarf Hemlock Shrub Varieties

• Varieties of Canadian hemlock such as Abbott’s Pygmy and Minuta are suitable for rock gardens and as container plants, growing no taller than 18 inches. Abbott’s Pygmy has a globe shape, requiring 10 years to grow just 12 inches. Cole’s Prostrate only gets to 12 inches high, but each shrub spreads out as wide as 4 feet, making this hemlock variety useable as ground cover. It has silvery-white bark and dark green needles. Cover sloping landscapes and rock walls with this cultivar.