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.
Juniper. A low spreading conifer, which creates a sheet of bright silver-blue foliage. Height 30cm. Spread 1.5-2m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Juniper. A compact, dwarf bushy conifer with bright steel-blue foliage in winter and silvery-blue in summer. Height 40cm. Spread 50cm. Evergreen. Hardy.
Juniper. Compact semi-prostrate conifer with bright golden yellow foliage, less bright in winter. Height 60-120cm. Spread 1.5m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Juniper. A striking, spreading conifer with arching branches of blue-green foliage. Height 90-120cm. Spread 1.6m Hardy.
Juniper. A striking, spreading conifer with arching branches of mint-green foliage. Height 90-120cm. Spread 1.6m. Evergreen. Hardy.
One of the few deciduous conifer species. Fast growing and hardy with soft pale green needle-like leaves turning yellow in autumn. Cones produced in spring. Most moist well drained soils.
Japanese Larch. A large coniferous tree with purplish red stems in winter. Soft pale grey-green needle-like leaves with cones produced in spring. Height 30m. Spread 4-6m. Deciduous. Hardy.
Stiff Weeper is a deciduous conifer that is native to Japan. Its stems are strongly weeping so this coniferous tree has pendulous and compact habit with pendent branches that bearing needle-like, leaves. Green needles, each with two stomatal bands underneath, appear in brush-like clusters at the ends of spur-like shoots along the branches. This larch reaches an approximate ultimate height of 2.5m and a spread of 1m. Bright green needles turn vivid yellow in autumn, before falling to the ground in winter. Best grown in moist, acidic, well-drained soils in full sun. Intolerant of full shade, dry soils and most city pollutants.
Swamp Redwood. A neat narrow deciduous conical tree with bright green. feathery leaves turning gold in autumn. Produces brown round cones.
Swamp Redwood. A neat narrow deciduous conical tree with bright green, feathery leaves turning gold in autumn. Produces brown round cones. Height 20-40m. Spread 5m. Deciduous. Hardy. Good in wet places.
Norway Spruce. A tall coniferous tree of pyramidal habit forming a cylindrical shape in time, with needle-like, dark green leaves. Height 12m. Spread 2m. Evergreen. Hardy. Planting instructions Back-fill with soil mixed with peat and a suitable fertiliser.
Norway Spruce. A dwarf conifer of rounded habit forming a tight bun with needle-like, dark green leaves. Height 1.2m. Spread 2m. Evergreen. Hardy.
A compact coniferous tree of pyramidal habit forming a cylindrical shape in time, with needle-blue green leaves. Evergreen. Hardy.
Dwarf Blue Spruce. A very slow growing dwarf conifer with short blue needles on short dense branches making a blue mound. 1 metre in 10 years forming a globose shape.
Colorado Spruce. A conical conifer with horizontal, dense branches of silver-blue foliage. Height 3m. Spread 1.5m Evergreen. Hardy. Very slow growing. 1m in 5 years.
Colorado Spruce. A conical conifer with horizontal, dense branches of steel blue young foliage. Height 15-25m. Spread 5m. Evergreen. Hardy. Useful as a Christmas tree as there is no needle drop.
Dense, broad, upright pyramidal shape with closely-spaced, ascending branches and steel blue needle colour. Height 10 to 15 feet. Spread 7 to 10 feet. Full sun.
Colorado Spruce. A conical conifer with horizontal, dense branches of steel blue young foliage. Height 15-25m. Spread 5m. Evergreen. Hardy. Useful as a Christmas tree as there is no needle drop.
An attractive dwarf conifer with branches that curve upwards and are smothered in long, slender needles. A low maintenance Bosnian Pine that gradually forms a graceful, conical tree with a dense habit. The greyish-brown bark and small cones will add further interest. Height: 6m (8’). Spread: 2.5m (8').
Pinus mugo 'Benjamin' is a classic dwarf mugo pine which is dense and uniform with short, mid-green needles. It has a cushion to globular shape and grows only 30 cm high in 15-20 years.
Beautiful dwarf conifer which forms a bun shape with an open structure. It provides excellent winter colour, bright rich golden yellow from October to April. A slow growing variety, it has quite a low spreading habit. Ideally suited to exposed planting sites, dislikes shade and prefers free draining soil.
Dwarf Mountain Pine. A rounded conifer with bright green, needle-like leaves. Produces dark brown cones. Height 3.5m. Spread 5m. Evergreen. Frost hardy.
Dwarf Mountain Pine. A dwarf rounded conifer with short dense light green needle-like leaves. Prominent brown winter buds. Height 75cm. Spread 75cm. Evergreen. Frost hardy. Planting instructions Back-fill with soil mixed with peat and a suitable fertiliser.
Dwarf Mountain Pine. A rounded, many-branched, dwarf, conifer with bright green, needle-like leaves. Produces dark brown cones. Height 0.5m. Spread 0.5m. Evergreen. Frost hardy.
Dwarf Golden Mountain Pine. A rounded conifer with bright green, needle-like leaves in summer which turn golden in winter making this a small golden mound of colour in winter months. Slow growing, 1 metre in 10 years.
Dwarf Golden Mountain Pine. A rounded conifer with bright green, needle-like leaves in summer which turn golden in winter making this a small golden mound of colour in winter months. Slow growing, 1 metre in 10 years.
Dark-green foliage on this narrow, upright pine is very dense. The large, whitish buds in winter and early spring look very handsome among the needles.
Dark-green foliage on this narrow, upright pine is very dense. The large, whitish buds in winter and early spring look very handsome among the needles.
Dwarf Black Pine. A rounded conifer with rigid dark green needle-like leaves. Produces yellow-brown cones. Height 1m. Spread 1m. Evergreen.
European Black Pine. A rounded conifer with rigid dark green needle-like leaves. Produces yellow-brown cones. Height 30m. Spread 6-8m. Evergreen. Hardy.
Deep, glossy, rich green, stiff needles densely spaced and curved against the branches give the appearance of large pipe cleaners. The unique, more open form with asymmetrical branching creates a striking landscape specimen. In the spring there is a firework explosion of pearly white candles that come out in clusters. Evergreen.
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European Black Pine. A rounded conifer with rigid dark green needle-like leaves. Produces yellow-brown cones. Height 30m. Spread 6-8m. Evergreen. Hardy. Planting instructions Back-fil with soil mixed with peat and a suitable fertiliser.
Slow-growing, dwarf variety of black pine, creating a dense, oval-shaped crown with bristly texture. After 10 years the tree reaches 1 m in height. The needles are long, dark green, gathered in two on short shoots. Evergreen. Hardy.
Japanese White Pine. A spreading conifer with blue-green needle-like, twisted leaves. Produces red-brown cones. Evergreen.
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