subalpine fir
Abies lasiocarpa
USDA zones5 to 6
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size20 to 90 feet tall10 to 20 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White , green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) is a tree for hedges, privacy screens, and woodland gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows slowly into a narrow, spire-like evergreen with pale, bluish-green needles and chalk-white bark. Birds use it for cover, and songbirds eat the seeds. Snow can weigh the lowest branches to the ground, where they sometimes take root.
Pairs well with White spruce, Snowbrush, and Bracken.
Native range
AK, AZ, CA, CO, and 11 more places. See all 15
AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY; AB, BC, NT, and YT.