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David Beaulieu

What's the Difference Between Conifers and Evergreens?

By , About.com GuideJuly 15, 2012

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I'm enough of a geek to become interested in just about any "What's the difference between..." discussion. Landscaping has its share of those.

picture of snow on branchFor example, do you know the difference between "azalea" and "Rhododendron" (more specifically, which one is a subset of the other?)? You may think it merely pedantic to point out that an azalea is a type of Rhododendron, but knowing this really does have practical value. Let's say you've decided you want to grow a new azalea next year. So you begin by conducting some online research to help you make up your mind on a type to try. If you don't realize that azaleas belong to the genus, Rhododendron, you may pass over some "Rhododendron" search results that could be quite useful in your research.

Nor is the difference between conifers and evergreens purely an academic one. Some plants, such as hemlock trees (picture), are both, but that's not always the case. Again, let me make my point in terms of searching the web for plant information. If you search for "conifers" when what you really mean is "evergreens," the search results will be skewed -- and not as helpful to you as they would have been otherwise.

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