10 facts about Conifers!
Conifers come in a variety of colours, not just green: they can be red, bronze, yellow or even blue.
The colour of a Conifer can be influenced by the temperature of its habitat, for example, the Thuja 'Rheingold' is a yellowy-red in the summer and turns to bronze in the winter while the Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' is a greeny-red in the summer and turns to a bronzy-red in the winter.
Conifers come in all different sizes, from the 30 centimetre Juniperus communis 'Compacta' which is small in comparison to the 125 metre Redwoods which give us the tallest and largest trees in the world and can be found growing in California.
Conifers can be many different shapes for example, flat and hugging the ground (Juniperis horizontalis), arrow-shaped (Taxodium or the Swamp cypress), tiered (Cedar) and globe shaped (Thuja occidentalis 'Globose).
Most Conifers are evergreen, but what many people don't know is that there are 5 genus which are deciduous: they are the Larix, Pseudolarix, Metasequoia, Taxodium, and the Glyptostrobus.
Conifers have 2 different types of leaves, needles and scales, but the Juniperus can have both juvenile and adult foliage depending on its age (it can change from needles to scales over time).
Conifers grow in either temperate or tropical climates: however the Araucaria genus (Monkey Puzzle Tree) can be found in both temperate and tropical climates.
Conifers are usually found in either the Northern or the Southern hemisphere, for example, Pinus sylvestris grows in the Northern hemisphere and the Agathis australis grows in the Southern hemisphere.
Conifers can be found growing at any height from sea level right up to alpine conditions for example the Pinus mugo grow on the mountains of Central Europe.
The Pinus aristata (longeava) is found in the white and Rocky Mountain ranges in the USA and has been carbon ring-dated as the oldest living tree in the world.
Planting your Conifers
Conifers will tolerate most soils, but avoid planting in areas that waterlog regularly, except Taxodium distichum (swamp cypress) and Metasequola (dawn redwood), A very chalky soil will suit Taxus (yew), some junipers and pines. Local climate, such as areas of high or low rainfall, can affect height and spread. To help you choose the right conifer for your garden, take a browse through our range below.
Before planting, remove the tree from the pot and soak the rootball in a bucket of water for about 10 minutes. Clear the planting area of any weeds. Make the planting hole about twice the size of the rootball: the top of the rootball should be just 2.5cm below ground level.
Refill the planting hole with soil mixed with peat coir or very well rotted compost. Do not use nitrogenous fertilisers such as poultry or horse manure or bedding plant compost as this usually contains fast release fertiliser, which can damage conifer roots. One or two feeds with a slow release fertiliser will be quite enough to maintain growth. Give enough water to keep the rootball moist but not waterlogged in the early years after planting.
Korean fir. A small slow growing tree with shiny, dark green leaves, silver beneath. Cones cylindrical, violet-blue. A tree with soft, shiny, dark green leaves, with whitish green underneath. Cones cylindrical, green ripening to brown. Height 10m. Spread 6m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Caucasian fir. A slow-growing tree with a spreading habit. Excellent winter colour. Height 10m. Spread 1.4m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Glorious bronze purple, finely cut foliage with feathery purple and cream blooms. Can be grown as a free standing specimen or trained against a sheltered, sunny wall. A handsome tree, hardy to -5°C. Height and spread: 6m (19’). Flowering June, July, August, full sun.
Monkey Puzzle. A slow growing upright conifer with evergreen spirally arranged sharp pointed leaves. Height 15-25m. Spread 7-10m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Blue Atlas Cedar. Spectacular bright silver-blue tree with sharply pointed needle-like leaves. Cones barrel-shaped green at first becoming brown. Ultimately a large tree. Height 30m. Spread 10m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar. Spectacular bright silver-blue tree with sharply pointed needle-like leaves. Cones barrel-shaped green at first becoming brown. Ultimately a large tree. Height 6m. Spread 5m. Evergreen. Hardy. Completely lax habit. Stunning near water.
Deodara Cedar. Beautiful large conical tree with spreading branches, pendant at the tips. Glaucous green needle-like leaves and barrel-shaped cones, green at first ripening brown. Height 30m. Spread 10m. Evergreen.
Golden Deodara Cedar. Beautiful small tree with spreading branches, pendant at the tips. Yellow needle-like leaves in spring becoming greenish-yellow later in the year and barrel-shaped cones, green at first ripening brown. Height 8m. Spread 3m. Evergreen. Hardy. Much smaller and slower growing than other varieties.
A new hybrid blue coloured weeping cedar. A statuesque shapely tree that forms the principle piece in any garden. Eventual height 30m spread 15m.
Deodara Cedar. Beautiful large conical tree with spreading branches. pendant at the tips. Glaucous green needle-like leaves and barrel-shaped cones. green at first ripening brown. Height 30m. Spread 10m. Evergreen.
Cedar of Lebanon. An elegant tree with wide-spreading branches, conical when young, flat-topped when old. Sharply pointed grey-green leaves. Barrel-shaped green-brown cones. Height 40m. Spread 10m. Evergreen.
Cowtail Pine. Plum Yew. An erect form of this coniferous shrub, bearing sharp pointed dark green leaves. Height 5m. Spread 5m. Fruits from September Evergreen. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
Lawson Cypress. A narrow pillar with ascending branches of bluish grey leaves. One of the best narrow conifers for the small garden. Height 2.4 m in 10 years. Spread 1m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Ellwood's Empire' is a classic, majestic conifer producing pale golden, soft juvenile foliage which matures to mid green. Yellow to green foliage creating a variegated effect. Conical growth habit. Suitable for providing textural ground cover. Annual growth of 20-25cm. Height in 10 years - 100cm.
Lawson Cypress. Medium sized evergreen, coniferous tree that has a conical form with golden yellow foliage.
Lawson Cypress. Compact dwarf globular bush with fan shaped sprays of blue-green soft foliage. Height 60cm. Spread 60cm. Evergreen. Hardy.
Lawson Cypress. A slow-growing conical tree with fern-like yellow foliage suffused bronze at the tips. Height 6-15m. Spread 2-3m. Evergreen. Hardy. Planting instructions Back-fill with soil mixed with peat and a suitable fertiliser.
Hinoki Cypress. A slow-growing tree making an irregular globe-shaped bush, eventually becoming more pyramidal with twisted sprays of rich, dark green foliage. Height 60-90cm. Spread 60cm. Evergreen. Hardy. Planting instructions Back-fill with soil mixed with peat and a suitable fertiliser.
Japanese Cedar. A dwarf, dense, flat topped bush of slow growth. Needles of deep blueish green in summer turning rusty red in winter. Height 2-4'. Spread 2.5-3.5'. Plant in sun or part shade.
Japanese Cedar. A dwarf coniferous bush forming a dense globe with bright green leaves, turning reddish purple in winter. Popular for rock gardens. Height 1m. Spread 1m. Evergreen. Hardy. Sheltered Site.
A fast-growing coniferous tree with yellow foliage. Excellent for hedging. Plant 75cm apart. Evergreen. Hardy. Brilliant yellow foliage makes an uplifting evergreen screen.
A fast-growing coniferous tree with yellow foliage. Excellent for hedging. Plant 75cm apart. Evergreen. Hardy. Brilliant yellow foliage makes an uplifting evergreen screen.
Hardy conifer. Ice blue golden new growth foliage. Great for structure and shape within the garden. Evergreen. Great when clipped.
Monterey Cypress. A narrow coniferous tree. Rich golden foliage with pointed plume-like sprays. Evergreen. Hardy. Sheltered site.
Monterey Cypress. A narrow coniferous tree. Rich golden foliage with pointed plume-like sprays. Evergreen. Hardy. Sheltered site.
Italian Cypress. A narrow almost pencil-like coniferous tree with dark green foliage and prickly brown cones. Height 10m. Spread 1m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Italian Cypress. A narrow almost pencil-like coniferous tree with dark green foliage and prickly brown cones. Height 10m. Spread 1m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Chinese Juniper. A dense bushy shrubby conifer with spreading, silver-blue young leaves arching at the tips. Height 1m. Spread 1m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Juniper. An upright, branching habit, with intense silver-blue foliage. Always attractive even when small. Height 1.5-2.5m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Narrow, upright-pyramidal selection of Rocky Mountain juniper with exceptionally showy, silvery blue foliage.
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