Dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh'
Tsuga canadensis 'Jeddeloh' · Pinaceae
A low, spreading mound of soft, light green needles on arching branches that spiral around a hollow centre, like a bird's nest.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 7
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh'
The planner designed this bed around dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' × 1, green leaves
- 2 Green-and-gold × 19, yellow
- 3 Leadwort × 18, blue
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 4, purple
- 5 Bugbane 'Brunette' × 3, white
- 6 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 3, purple
- 7 Siberian bugloss × 5, blue
- 8 Hardy cyclamen × 3, pink
- 9 Yellow trout lily × 5, yellow
- 10 Double snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- In the middle. At 3 ft it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and tall astilbe 'Superba' (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
- Fine leaf against bold. Siberian bugloss is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 12 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 10 groups (90%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is tied together by its repeats: three kinds come round again along it, among them green-and-gold and leadwort. The front edge is finished with green-and-gold and leadwort.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
The most graceful dwarf conifer for shade, which few conifers tolerate. It needs cool, moist, acid soil and shelter from wind.
- A soft evergreen mound for shade
- Rock gardens and woodland edges
- With hostas and ferns
What to plant with dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese painted fern: low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Rhododendron 'PJM': adds the flowers, late April to mid May; tall enough (5 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh'
Does dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' need sun or shade?
Dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 7. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' look like in winter?
Dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' good for bees and butterflies?
Dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh' is visited by moths and songbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Tsuga
- Weeping Canadian hemlock Tsuga canadensis 'Pendula'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 7
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Comes from
- North Central and Eastern U.S.A., Eastern Canada
- Attracts
- Moths, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, deep shade, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.