Botanical Name: Pseudotsuga menziesii
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Common Name: Douglas-fir  
Plant photo of: Pseudotsuga menziesii
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Water Saving Tip:

Change spray sprinklers to low-flow bubbler or drip systems. Shrubs and trees are ideal candidates for this type of irrigation because the water is applied directly to the root zones.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Tree, Conifer

 

Height Range

25-40', 40-60', 60-100'

 

Flower Color

n/a

 

Flower Season

n/a

 

Leaf Color

Blue Green, Grey Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Persistent

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium, Extra in Summer

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Well-drained

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Meadow, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Specimen

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter

 

Location Uses

Background

 

Special Uses

Screen, Wind Break

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer: Connon Nursery

  • Description

  • Notes

Douglas-fir is a lovely, dramatic large evergreen with sweeping horizontal branches with pendulous branchlets that gives it an airy, graceful appearance. Though it grows taller in nature, it gets about 40 to 60 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide in cultivation. It has blue-green to grey-green needles and long tan cones that are persistant. Young trees have smooth, grey bark with resin blisters; mature trees have fissured, darker bark.
Grow in full sun to light shade in well drained soil. It prefers soils that are loamy, organic, and well drained. Sensitive to over-watering and requires excellent drainage. The heat in the valleys can make it tough to find that balance of enough moisture and not over watering.