If you thought the rainfall from the past few weeks means your evergreen trees did not need to be watered, think again.

As many gardeners know, coniferous trees need more water before heading into the long winter months and Pierre Fontaine of Oakridge Greenhouse says neither the recent rain nor that forecasted will suffice.

“You still want to keep watering your evergreen plants right up until freeze-up.”

According to Fontaine, all coniferous trees should be watered so the soil is wet one foot below ground level once a week until the ground freezes. Whether you have juniper, spruce, pine, or cedar trees growing on your property, Fontaine says watering them ensures that their transition between seasons is as healthy as possible.

“It makes the foliage on your plant more plump and therefore more resistant to sun scalding in the winter and more resilient during the lack of moisture you may have in the springtime.”

When watering your evergreens, Fontaine cautions against doing so at the base of the tree as some people suppose but rather at what he calls the “drip line”. In practice, that would look like drawing a circle with water around the perimeter set by your tree's outermost branches.

“You should always be watering straight down from the exterior portion of where your foliage is on your deciduous tree," he explains, "that is where the best roots are.” 

On the other hand, Fontaine says most deciduous trees, especially those that have already lost their leaves, will not need a lot of water until next spring.