Red Supply Solution Eastern Hemlock 20 Seeds - Tsuga Canadensis Northern Organic Fresh Seeds Non GMO Indoor Outdoor Seed Planting for Home Garden

How to Grow Eastern Hemlock Eastern Hemlock is the state tree of Pennsylvania. It grows in moist landscapes across much of the north and eastern United States, from Wisconsin to Nova Scotia and south to northern Georgia. This slow-growing tree is one of few species of the Pinaceae (pine) family that grows well in shade. Within hardwood forests, hemlock trees make a nice under-story canopy, which provides a sheltered habitat for wildlife. The hemlock is long-lived evergreen, growing up to 800 years old, and as large as 175 feet tall with a diameter of 76 inches. Branches are long and delicate with short flat needles that are dark green on top with two parallel white stripes on the bottom. Hemlock is a monoecious plant, meaning it has separate male and female flowers. Pollinating male flowers grow in clusters on the same branches as the female flowers, which become seed-bearing cones that are typically less than one inch long and grow singly at the ends of terminal and lateral branches. Flowering typically occurs for a month in the spring, from late April to early June, during which time pollen is dispersed primarily by wind. Cones typically have a low percentage of viable seeds (~20%) which mature as the cones begin to turn from yellow-green to brown, signaling the drying of the seeds for the dormant season. Hemlock is often planted in ornamental landscapes. The wood is currently used in the pulp and paper industry, though years ago the tree was valuable mostly for the bark, which was used in the leather industry as a source of tannin.