THREE RELIABLE EVERGREENS FOR THE 

 NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS 



MAYNARD N. HARDY 



ESIRABLE as coniferous evergreens are for any prairie 

 region they are seldom seen. The chief reason for this 

 condition is the belief on the part of the plainsman that 

 they will not grow. Fortunately there are a few species 

 capable of withstanding the severe climatic conditions of the 

 Northern Great Plains, that vast region including the western 

 half of the two Dakotas and the eastern parts of Montana and 

 Wyoming up to five thousand feet elevation. 



In no part of the country and with no class of material is it 

 so important to start with the right kinds as in planting ever- 

 greens in this region. To thrive here for a long series of years, 

 trees must at times tolerate forty degrees below zero without 

 snow on the ground and what is perhaps a more severe test, they 

 must go through some winters without perceptible moisture at 

 the roots. In the summer temperatures as high as one hundred 

 and ten in the shade are not uncommon. This heat is some- 

 times accompanied by a blistering, dry, hot wind from the south- 

 west. Both winter and summer the atmosphere is dry and the 

 sunshine brilliant. 



Conditions like these play havoc with all conifers native to 

 the relatively humid Eastern part of the continent. But turn- 

 ing from the East to the Rocky Mountain section we find a race 

 of coniferous evergreens adapted to the plains. 



The hardiest and most abundant conifer throughout the West- 

 ern mountains is the Western Yellow or Bull Pine — (Pinus 

 ponderosa). This is a two-needled Pine. The needles are six 

 to eight inches long and remain on for three years. This tree 

 is a little difficult to establish, but when once established 

 it can withstand any conditions likely to be met with. 

 It has a very strong tap root. Two year old seedlings 

 only four inches high have tap roots more than two 

 feet long. C. B. Waldron of North Dakota is authority 

 for the statement that this Pine requires only one-sixth 

 as much moisture as the average deciduous tree, due to 

 the resinous sap and limited leaf surface which greatly 

 reduce the rate of transpiration from the growing tree. Where 

 moisture is the limiting factor in tree growth, economy in its use 

 is a matter of first importance. This is not a new tree, but its 



merits are overlooked by most tree planters. It is destined to 

 become the leading tree for farm windbreaks in the Northwest. 

 In the winter a double row of this Pine offers more protection 

 than ten times as many deciduous trees. Leaving nothing to 

 be desired in hardiness and resistance to drought, its chief use 

 will be as a protection and background for other plants. 



We must turn to the Spruces for our best evergreen orna- 

 mental material. The Black Hills Spruce (Picea alba) and the 

 Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) lead all others in relia- 

 bility. Like all Spruce, these are shallow rooted and do their 

 best under cool, moist conditions. However, they thrive on 

 the dry atmosphere and sunshine of the plains provided they 

 do not have to compete with grass and weeds for the limited 

 moisture. If planted on the lawn they need two or three soak- 

 ings during the growing season and especially one late in the fall 

 that their roots may be moist during the winter. 



The Black Hills Spruce, from the Black Hills of South Dakota, 

 is a geographic form of the familar White Spruce. It is dark 

 green in color although a few specimens are glaucous. It is a 

 small tree with short needles and a very compact habit of growth. 

 These modifications make it better suited for the extreme tem- 

 perature and moisture conditions of the plains than the ordinary 

 White Spruce from Minnesota or farther east. 



The Colorado Blue Spruce completes the trio of reliables. 

 The beauty of this evergreen is familar to all. In nature about 

 five per cent, of the trees are really blue, the remainder are var- 

 ious shades of bluish green, light and dark green. When the 

 new foliage appears in the spring no two trees are exactly alike. 

 This characteristic gives great variety to a planting which might 

 otherwise appear monotonous, providing the real blue form is 

 not used to the exclusion of the equally beautiful green and in- 

 termediate forms. 



This does not by any means exhaust the list of evergreens which 

 can be grown on the Northern plains, but if these three 

 species are carefully planted and cared for they make a 

 reliable background or framework and no disappointments 

 will result; other sorts may be added later under their 

 protection with a good chance of thriving. 



Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) 



Western Yellow Pine (Pinus ponderosa) 

 194 



Black Hills Spruce (Picea alba) 



