This study monitored intra-annual stem diameter growth of two evergreen (Ternstroemia gymnanthera, Eriobotrya bengalensis) and two deciduous tree species (Betula alnoides, Lyonia ovalifolia) for a 9-year period (2009-2017) in a montane moist evergreen broad-leaved forest in the Ailao Mountains, southwest China. The metal band-dendrometer technique was used to measure stem diameter. We modeled growth phenology (i.e., start day, stop day, growth duration, and annual growth) with a logistic model, and analyzed the associations between annual and seasonal growth and climate factors over the study period. The deciduous trees had an average annual growth rate of 10.6 mm over the study period, and the evergreen trees had an average annual growth rate of 3.0 mm. The average annual growth rate of all four species was 6.3 mm. On average, trees grew 5.9 mm during the rainy season, which accounted for nearly 93% of annual growth. Deciduous trees showed higher growth rates than evergreen trees during the rainy season. Compared with deciduous trees, evergreen trees started growth earlier and stopped growth later. Annual total growth of the four studied species were highly related to their maximum growth rates during the rainy season, but less correlated with the length of the growing season. Temperature was the main limiting factor for stem growth of evergreen tree species, while precipitation days, fog days, and relative humidity were more important for stem growth of deciduous tree species. The different growth-climate relationships between evergreen and deciduous tree species implies that ongoing climate change may alter tree growth rates and species composition of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests.