Designing a conifer garden
Step for step, where do I start:
Conifer gardens can be packed with colour, texture, character and drama! They are low maintenance, usually have low water needs once established and will age with you and give you a lifetime of joy. For some reason, most of us find them intimidating to do. Blend different shapes, sizes, textures and colour for visual interest and add strong-shaped conifers as anchors. Do not over think it and have fun! Japanese Maples goes hand in hand with conifer gardens, bringing flow and softness.
🐝Step 1:
Decide how big to make your garden. You could sketch your layout to scale using tracing paper to experiment and have fun with placements :)
🐝Step 2:
Choose your anchors/ Structural backbone
See choices below.
🐝Step 3:
Choose your Specimens/ Focal Points:
See choices below.
🐝Step 4.
Balance your strong, upright forms and specimen choices with medium & small growing conifers with different shapes, textures and colours.
See choices below.
IT IS THAT EASY!
LETS DO IT :)
Anchors/Structural Backbone:
Cryptomeria japonica “Rasen”
20’ tall x 3’wide
Unique, twisted variety with spiraling branches and needle-like foliage.
Cryptomeria japonica “Elegans”
20’ tall x 8’ wide
Soft, feathery like foliage that changes from a bright green to a plum red in winter.
Weeping Sequoia
30’ tall x 6’ wide
The Dr. Suess Tree! Unique and graceful.
Juniper “Blue Arrow”
15’ tall x 3’wide
Steel-blue foliage & tight shape!
Columnar Norway Spruce
25-30’ tall x 3-6’ wide
Uniformly columnar, with dark green needles. Keep its beautiful dark colour in winter.
Nootka Cypress “Strict weeping”
25’ tall x 6’wide
Drooping blue-green foliage, long trailing branches that hang closely to trunk. Mr. Personality!
Juniper “ Gold Cone” (small anchor)
5’ tall x 2’ wide
Bright lime colour!
Elderberry “Lace Up” (not a conifer but works well as an anchor!)
6-10’ tall x 2-4’ wide
Feathery black foliage with pink, lacecap flowers. Unique and versatile!
Upright holy varieties (“Great Neighbour”)
10’ tall x 5’ wide
Holly “Mariesii” can work for very small gardens, 5’ tall x 2’ wide.
Japanese Upright Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus)
10’ tall x 5’ wide
Great anchor for smaller gardens.
LARGE Specimen trees/a stand-alone garden feature/ focal points.
Cryptomeria japonica “Cristada”
20’ tall x 10’ wide
Massive cockscombs! A sure to be conversation starter and magnificently unique!
Cryptomeria japonica “Araucarioides”
15’tall x 8’ wide
A prehistoric look! Very long, drooping, snake-like branches,with a reddish-brown, peeling bark.
Cryptomeria japonica “Yoshino”
30’ tall x 20’ wide
Pyramidal shape and soft, fluffy foliage. reddish-brown bark.
Leylandi Cypress “Gold Rider”
30’ tall x 15’wide
Showstopping yellow foliage that does not ”burn” in full sun and keep its colour in the winter. No browning! Picturesque specimen!
Sciadopitys verticillata
10’ tall in 15 years (growth rate 6-9 inches per year)
A living fossil with no close relatives!
Cryptomeria japonica “Sekkan Sugi”
15-20’ tall x 110-12’ wide.
Soft, feathery foliage, with butter-yellow new tips.
Arizona Cypress “Blue Ice”
20-30’ tall x 8-12’ wide
Striking, frosty, silver-blue foliage, conical shape.
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MEDIUM SIZE SPECIMENS/FOCAL POINTS
Cryptomeria japonica “Granny Ringlets”/“Spiralis”
15’ tall and 8’ wide
Unique specimen due to its distinctive swirling foliage. A popular choice for various garden designs including Japanese-themed gardens. EASY to prune!
Korean Fir “Horstmann’s Silberlocke”
12’ tall 6-8’wide
A stand out in the garden! Stunning 2-toned needles, displaying the silver-white undersides. Broadly pyramidal with showy purple cones.
Korean Fir “Silver Show”
5-6’ tall in 10 years
Creates a beautiful silver-white element to the garden. Contrasting purple cones add even more interest! More compacted in shape and slower growing then “Horstmann’s Silberlocke”
“Paul Select” Norway Spruce
15’ tall x 6’wide
Truly unique, and striking variety of Norway Spruce.
Honoki Cypress “Fernspray Compacta”
8-10’ tall x 4-6’ wide
Unique foliage looking like fern fronds! Rich green foliage.
Cryptomeria “Little Champion”
6’ tall and wide
A graceful rounded shape and interesting texture makes this a standout In any conifer garden!
Hinolki Cypress “Torulosa”
6-8’tall x 4-6’wide in 15 yrs.
An upright, tangled shrub with twisted branches and twigs that often ends in cockscombs.
Hinolki “Fernspray Gold”
6’ tall x 4’ wide
Requires afternoon shade/filterd shade. Stunning golden, fern-like folage.
Hemlock “Gentsch White”
8’ tall and wide (3-4’ tall in 10 years)
Silver-white branch tips give it a frosted appearance especially in fall & winter! Rounded shape. Prefers some kind of afternoon shade.
Upright Japanse Plum Yew (Chephalotaxus)
4-6’ tall and 2’ wide in 10 years (Matures 6-10’ tall if left unpruned)
Valued for its upright, vase-like shape, leafy texture and dark green colour. Higly adaptable!
Hinoki Cypress”Lucas”
6-8’ tall x 4’ wide
Tri-coloured conifer! Stunning coral-like foliage. Requires some kind of late afternoon shade.
Dwarf Sawara Cypress “ Baby Blue Ice”
6’ tall x 4’ wide
Silvery-blue, soft foiliage. Compact, pyramidal shape.
Cryptomeria japonica “Black Dragon”
6’ tall x 4’ wide (slowly matures to 10’ tall)
Extremely dark, almost black-green foliage! Interesting texture and irregular shape.
Sawara Cypress “Baby Blue”
6’ tall x 4’ wide
Soft, silvery blue foliage. An eye-catching gem!
SMALL size conifers to help balance your design
Hinolki Cypress “Golden Whorl”
3-4’ tall and 4-5‘ wide
Prized for its unique, sculptural appearance. Irregular, contorted habit, with golden-green foliage.
Cryptomeria japonica “Little Diamond”
2-3’ tall and wide
A compact, mounded shrub, that adds texture and shape!
Cryptomeria japonica “Spiralis Falcata”
3’ tall and wide
Extremely unique! Soft, light green, awl-shaped needles twist spirally around branchlets.
Dwarf Balsam Fir
2-3’ tall & wide
Compact, rounded shape with interesting, bright green new growth. Aromatic needless.
Hinoki Cypress”Bridget”
2-3’ tall & wide
Little sweetheart that stands out in a crowd! Rich green foliage that is contorted and morphed into cockscombs.
Cryptomeria japonica “Koshyi”
1-2’ tall x 3-4’ wide
Wider than tall, flattened-globose to spreading form. Rich in texture!
Norway Spruce “Little Gem”
2’ tall x 3’ wide
Dense, flat-topped globe shape. Finely textured, soft, fine needles, with bright new growht.
Eastern White Pine “Sea Urchin”
2’ x 2’
Colour, texture & shape! Sea Urchin has it all!
Scotch Pine “Green Penguine”
5’ tall x 2’wide
Compact with a unique columner shape and dark green needles.
Cryptomeria japonica “Knaptonensis”
3’ tall and wide
Rare dwarf Japanese cedar. Snow white new growth! Requires afternoon shade.
Cedar “Primo”
4’ tall x 1’ wide
Stunning dwarf! Rich, deep green foliage twist and turns! A stunning little sculpture!
Deodar “Feeling Blue” (standard form)
3’ tall
Weeps all the way down! Adds colour (blue-green), texture, and shape to garden.
Japanse Plum Yew “Gold Spash”
2’ tall x4’ wide
Requires afternoon shade or filtered shade. A golden splash of colour! Plant beneath larger trees/natural sun protection.
Japanese Plum Yew “Korean Gold”
6’ tall x 3’ wide
Upright, columnar with gold-tipped green foliage. Requires afternoon shade/filtered sun.
Hinoki Cyoress “Toweil”
5’ tall x 2’ wide
A great feature spcimen! Deep green foliage and naturally sculptured makes this a unique and stately addition to the garden.
Holly “Mariesii”
5’ tall x 2’ wide
A subtle gem!
Cryptomeria “Dragon Prince”
2-3’ tall & 3-4’ wide
Its unique texture, dense rounded shape and colour adds a tremendous amount of value to the garden.
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