• Evergreens in West Texas provide shelter from winds.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  West Texas, including the towns of Lubbock, El Paso, Amarillo and Odessa, has characteristics of a high desert or semiarid climate with freezing winters and scorching summers. There is limited rainfall, other than summer thunderstorms, which can cause flooding. West Texas gardeners should utilize plants, trees and shrubs that are drought resistant. Several varieties of evergreens perform well in the challenging regions of West Texas.
  
  

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana)

• The flower of the Eastern red cedar is a cone.cedar seeds image by Vasiliy Koval from Fotolia.com
  
  The Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) has several characteristics making it an excellent choice for West Texas landscapes. This hardy evergreen is a Texas native and grows well in all regions of the state. It adapts to any soil conditions and is highly tolerant of heat, drought and full sun. Serving as a specimen tree or as a windbreak, it provides fragrant wood that is commonly used in cedar chests and closets. Early American pioneers used it for fence posts because of its disease resistance. Eastern red cedar trees fall under male and female classifications. The male produce pollen, which can cause allergies. The female tree exhibits deep-blue colored fruit in late fall and winter. Eastern red cedar can grow 70 feet tall and 45 feet wide.
  
  

Afghan Pine (Pinus eldarica)

• Afghan pine branches form a green canopy.pine cone on a pine tree image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  The Afghan pine (Pinus eldarica), which resembls a Christmas tree, flourishes in West Texas. It prefers alkaline soil. This heat- and drought-tolerant evergreen grows rapidly and is well suited for windbreaks. It requires little water and is not tolerant of wet conditions. The needles of the Afghan pine are soft and green. Also called the eldarica pine, it flourishes in all regions of the state except East Texas.
  
  

Deodar Cedar (Cedrus Deodora)

• Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodora), a member of the pine family, is a native to the Himalayas but thrives at higher elevations such as those in West Texas. This blue-green conifer is a large tree capable of reaching 150-feet tall with a 40-foot spread. Male trees emit a wind-borne, yellow pollen in spring. Females produce an egg-shaped cone, which bursts open after 2 years, releasing winged seeds. Hardy in United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 7 to 9, deodar cedar is disease and pest resistant with a long lifespan. It is the most common cedar in the United States for landscapes. Requiring adequate space for growth, gardeners should plant deodar at the back of landscapes. From a distance, the finely textured needles seem to dance in the wind. Once established, deodar cedar tolerates drought and requires full sun. Although a giants among cedars, deodar will remain a shrubby bush with pruning.