Shade-Tolelrant Evergreen Trees

USDA Zone 3 and 4

• A staple of the Northeast, the Canadian hemlock -- Tsuga canadensis -- grows on average between 40 and 70 feet tall. It is relatively tolerant of heavy shade, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Canadian hemlock features soft, evergreen needles about ¾ of an inch long to go with its 1-inch long brownish cones. Hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 and 4, Canadian hemlock grows best in cool, damp ground. Sargentii is a weeping form, growing to 15 feet high. It produces cones, and its thick stems support drooping branches that make this cultivar a potential specimen plant for shady venues.

USDA Zones 5 and 6

• As a cultivated tree, Japanese hemlock -- Tsuga diversifolia -- grows to only a third of the size it would in the wild. Developing to 30 feet tall, Japanese hemlock works well in USDA zone 5 and 6. Orange-brown bark and shiny green needles are its best aspects. Albospica is a conical Canadian hemlock form that grows as a tree to 25 feet in zones 5 and 6. Albospica’s needles are a dark shade of green, except for their tips, which are white. Its ideal setting is a cool one in partial shade.

USDA Zone 7

• The green to bluish-green needles of the mountain hemlock -- Tsuga mertensiana -- surround the branches on all sides, giving each twig the appearance of a bottlebrush, according to the Washington State University Clark County Extension. Mountain hemlock grows in USDA zone 7 to 100 feet tall, but with a narrow width. Mountain hemlock does great in the shade, producing purplish cones. The western hemlock -- Tsuga heterophylla -- grows into zone 7, to heights of 100 feet. Fitting for large landscapes, it will grow in the shade if necessary, producing lacy, green foliage and elliptical cones. Western hemlock grows wild along the Pacific Coast in soils that drain well.

USDA Zone 8

• The Japanese plum yew -- Cephalotaxus harrintonia -- tolerates heat and shade, making it an option for USDA zone 8. It grows as a tree to 30 feet on occasion, generating evergreen needles and edible fruits resembling plums. Speedy growth, however, is not a trait of this evergreen, as it requires as long as 10 years to reach 4 feet tall. No type of rhododendron has larger leaves than Rhododendron sinogrande, a tree that may reach 30 feet. Growing wild in southwestern China, this rhododendron serves in shady woodland gardens in zone 8 as an understory species. Rhododendron sinogrande generates flowers in clusters during April; its evergreen leaves have brown to silvery undersides.