Fashion for conifers in Western Europe has significantly weakened in favor of perennials and deciduous shrubs.Meanwhile, conifers in Poland are still very popular, especially those with a slow growth rate and a compact habit.
Even the smallest garden will fit the white spruce Picea glauca 'Dendrofarma Gold'. It is a dwarf variety obtained by Michał Kałuziński in 2000. The plant forms a perfect green ball that reaches only 40 cm in diameter after 10 years. Interestingly, the spring growths are bright yellow.The plant prefers moderately moist soils, sunny places and is frost resistant. In 2006, this variety was awarded a bronze medal in the Novelties Plant Competition of the exhibition "Green is Life".
Another interesting novelty from the same breeder, obtained in 1996, is the common juniper Junniperus communis 'Bagnet'.This narrow, soaring shrub grows only 5-10 cm per year, with a maximum of 20 cm in width.It grows perfectly in dry soils, but in the east of the country it can freeze. In the center and in the west, it winters without any problems. Both plants are suitable for rock gardens and moorlands.
Polish varieties of yews will work well in gardens with northern exposure, shaded or with little sunlight.Intermediate yew Taxus x media 'Książę' is a dense, wide-columned shrub grows up to 2-3 m. The variety was bred in 2005 by Joanna Widaj. It is a male clone, so it doesn't set seeds. Perfect for creating hedges.
For planting as solitary or in small groups, two other female varieties of intermediate yew are recommended: 'Oliwka' and 'Stefania'.The 'Oliwka' variety, also obtained by Joanna Widaj, is a narrow-columned shrub that produces numerous seeds surrounded by decorative red buds.Young spring growths have a characteristic olive green color, and older ones are intensely dark green.
In turn, 'Stefania' attracts attention with its two-colored needles. It is a columnar shrub grown in the Kurowski nursery at the beginning of the 21st century. The plant forms flat, golden yellow in spring, later cream-colored needles with a green stripe in the center. The seeds are sparse, they have coral red arils.All three varieties of yew are undemanding and frost-resistant.
Intermediate yew and giant thuja
Another interesting plant is the intermediate yew Taxus x media 'Tymon' - a male variety obtained from seedlings of the intermediate yew 'Hicksii' in the Kurowski nursery in Końskowola.It is a very interesting shrub with quite strong growth, spreading, older plants adopt a wide conical shape. It grows by 15-20 cm annually. Young growths have an intense golden yellow color,
with age, the needles become cream colored at the edge with a green stripe in the center.
Giant Thuja plicata 'Kager's Beauty' is a dwarf variety with a coping habit and a slow growth rate, reaching 0.5-1 m in height and similar width. She was bred by Anna Kager. It is also marketed in a stump form, in the form of a small tree grafted onto a low rootstock.Shoots and twigs are small, arranged horizontally, overhanging, covered with flat green scales and thicker needles.Older twigs are brown. In winter, the bushes turn brown. In the first years of cultivation, plants form flat ball forms, then they develop a conductor and piled up.
One of the most famous Polish varieties in Europe is Thuja occidentalis 'Janed Gold' syn. 'Golden Smaragd'.It is a compact shrub with a regular conical shape and a permanent golden color of the twigs. Grows up to 3 meters in height after 10 years. The variety was bred in 1999 by Edward Kubik, and in 2008 it won a bronze medal in the Novelties Plant Competition of the "Green is Life" exhibition.
Majestic trees from Polish breeding
Cyprysik nutkajski Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Gloria Polonica' is a variety selected by Michał Kałuziński in 1997, awarded with a bronze medal at Plantarium in the Netherlands
in 2008.The tree is very attractive due to the presence of numerous creamy-white branches next to the green shoots.It is one of the most popular Polish cultivars from the group of conifers in Europe and the first variety of the Nutcaya cypress with a weeping habit and variegated foliage at the same time. The tree after 10 years of cultivation reaches 2.5 m in height, is frost resistant and undemanding to the soil.
A large, fast-growing tree with drooping shoots and a domed shape is Norway spruce Picea abies 'Dr Barański', which reaches up to 20 m in height.The crown of older trees takes the form of a picturesque openwork dome. The shoots are spread wide and they hang under their own weight.The variety was selected in 1975 in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains by Stanisław Barański, but it was only introduced to cultivation and trade in 2012.Polish varieties of ginkgo biloba are very interesting. Among them, noteworthy is 'Leda' with two-colored leaves obtained in 1997 by Jakub Dolatowski.
