Conifers in the garden can perform various functions, being the main decoration or background of a bed, growing as exposed solitaire or creating a hedge. Among them there are plants with different growth rates, shape of the crown and the color of the needles. See which decorative conifers will work in your garden and learn how to choose the most beautiful varieties of conifers.
Conifers in the dendrological garden in Wirty
Conifersare very attractive ornamental plants that can find a place in almost every garden.As evergreen plants, almost all conifers (except larch) decorate the garden all year round. Many of them have low requirements, are fully frost-resistant and do not need too much maintenance. Conifers in the natural environment can reach huge sizes, even up to several dozen meters in height.
Fortunately, many dwarf varieties, slow-growing varieties, small shrubs or creeping varieties are cultivated in gardening, so we can use them to embellish even small patches of greenery.Dwarf conifersare perfect for rockeries, close to a pond or for a moor. Many of them are also perfect for planting into boxes. However, we must remember that there are no universal species and each composition will require an appropriate selection of plants, taking into account their growth, color, habit and soil and site requirements.
Decorative conifers - the prettiest varieties
Conifers in the gardenhave many advantages - they are usually quite easy to grow, they are evergreen, thanks to which they also decorate our garden in winter, and by using the variety of colors of conifers, we can give our gardens a variety of character. Coniferous trees and shrubs in terms of color can be divided into 3 groups - varieties with a green color, varieties with a blue color and varieties with a golden yellow color.
Green ornamental conifersare a very good background for both perennial and deciduous shrub compositions. They can be planted on a hedge, unformed lines and borders. Lighter colored varieties, such as the 'Conica' white spruce, thrive in full sun, grow more evenly and maintain a nice, regular habit. Those with a deep, dark green color, such as yews, are more shade-loving. Most needle green cultivars require fertile, slightly moist and well-drained soils.
Blue ornamental conifersand blue-silvery conifers introduce some cool, metallic colors to garden compositions. The blue color of the needles, shimmering in the sun, looks nice in combination with purple and white. Conifers owe their gray-blue color to a thin layer of wax coating the needles, which prevents excessive evaporation. Thanks to it, a layer of air with an increased concentration of water vapor is created on the surface. Blue conifers have the most intense color in winter, during frosts. Silver-headed species are not picky, they will be content with moderately fertile soil, but necessarily light and permeable. On heavy and moist soils, they rot and freeze during cold weather. It is worth planting them in full sun, because in partial shade they may lose their unusual color.
Golden-yellow ornamental conifersare a very strong accent of any composition, it is good to combine them with dark green and blue varieties.Yellow-colored conifers are formed as a result of breeding. It often happens that green plants grow mutated shoots of yellow or white color, the so-called sports. From the cuttings of such shoots, breeders try to obtain new varieties with a yellow or golden needle color. The golden varieties of coniferous trees and shrubs have the most intense shade in spring, when the plants put out young growths. Conifers with golden needles color best in the sun, in the shade they take on a rather greenish color. On the other hand, excessive sunlight can damage their delicate shoots, so it is good to plant yellow conifers in compositions with taller plants that will partially cover them.
Where to plant ornamental conifers
Before choosingvarieties of conifers for your garden , it is worth considering the function of the conifers. In this respect, we can divide the conifers into five basic groups:
- solitery(loners), which we plant individually, in well-exposed places, so that the attractive plant habit is clearly visible,
- creeping conifers- shrubs low, with a horizontal, spreading growth, used as ground cover plants,
- hedge conifers , tolerating worse environmental conditions, strong winds, sun or dry soil, because it is often the hedge surrounding our garden that protects other plants from the adverse effects of the environment, "
- conifers for group plantings , which can be fillers covering a not very attractive part of the garden (e.g. a compost heap), and also allowing to create a colored spot of specific sizes, which is e.g. a background for flower bed, "
- conifers for planting in containers , which will perfectly decorate our balconies and terraces, as well as paved courtyards, mountain pine, thuja 'Danica', creeping juniper perform well in this application 'Glauca', and intermediate yew 'Hillii'.
Conifers in the garden - requirements
Apart from what we expect from conifers, of course we cannot forget about whatornamental conifers will expect from us , i.e. their cultivation requirements. Sometimes even the most careful care may not be enough if we have not selected the plant for the conditions in our garden. It is good to know that some imported varieties may not have a chance to survive in our climate, except for completely unique sites, e.g. in the coastal belt. These are, among others cypress trees (Cupressocyparis), and cedars. These plants can be planted in containers and displayed asseasonal conifers in the garden , on the patio or on the balcony, but must be moved to a sheltered room during the winter.
Slightly restricted selection of conifers varietiesunfortunately have inhabitants of eastern Poland, where winter temperatures are particularly low, therefore, when choosing conifers, they should pay particular attention to the frost resistance of a given variety as well as resistance to drying frosty winds.
Another important feature of plants to consider is their soil requirements. If the soil in our garden is sandy, we have to choose fromwater-tolerant conifersDry stands tolerate junipers (common, intermediate and Sabine), black pine and mountain pine, as well as blue spruce and Serbian spruce.
Detailed descriptions of varieties of selected species:»Cis» cypress »juniper» fir »pine» spruce »thyme
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