How to Landscape Pine, Spruce & Fir Trees

Walk through your yard and consider your needs, as well as the potential purposes pine, spruce and fir trees can have in your yard. Choose trees that make sense with the size of your yard. A 30-foot pine tree can anchor the back corner of a large lot while overwhelming a small yard.

Space the trees apart from each other and away from the home according to the size they will mature into. Consider installing a temporary fence behind the trees to provide privacy while the trees develop.

Block out sound along an exposed property border with the thick foliage of Norway spruce. The Norway spruce is the fastest growing spruce tree and grows about 80 to 100 feet. Averaging 2 to 3 feet of growth each year, newly planted trees provide privacy in only a few years. Space them about 30 feet apart so they don't interfere with each other as they develop.

Shield your house from wind with a fir tree. The wide mass of a fir tree breaks up and blocks cold winds from sending a draft through old windows. The Douglas fir can grow up to 60 feet, blocking wind from second-floor windows as well.

Conceal unwanted views of a neighboring building and attract birds with a combination of yellowish green Ponderosa pines and white pines. Arranged in a cluster, they will mature to a range of 40 to 60 feet tall and offer an array of colorful foliage.

Add balance and vertical lines to a front yard with a few towering, narrow pine trees.

Dig planting holes with a shovel where you placed each tree. Dig several inches deeper than the root ball and about 2 feet wide. Set the tree in the middle of the hole and fill the rest in with soil. Spread mulch around the base to deter grass and other growth from competing for nutrients and moisture. Water the new trees generously for the first years as the root systems develop.