Gorgeous and evergreen conifers for the garden, photos and names
Unpretentious, they can grow almost anywhere and on any soil, while remaining decorative all year round. Conifers for the garden, photos and names of which we will consider today are the most popular crops. They are used for landscaping, both city parks and private areas. First of all, for the reason that, in comparison with deciduous plants, they do not shed their fragrant green outfit. Conifers look especially impressive in winter, standing out as a contrasting spot against the background of a snow cover. At the same time, neither the poor soil, nor the shady corner of the garden impede the growth and development of thorny trees and shrubs. Which of them are most often found in the landscape design of a private garden?
Conifers for the garden - photos and names
Perhaps the main criterion when choosing such plants for a garden will be its size itself. The larger the site, the more choice and opportunity there will be to plant large specimens. But for small areas, there are many compact varieties.
So, to facilitate the choice, ephedra can be divided into 3 groups:
- dwarf;
- tall;
- creeping.
Regardless of the species, all conifers prefer to grow away from deciduous plants such as birch and bird cherry.
Cute dwarf conifers
It is the perfect choice for those with a small garden. Compact small shrubs will fit well even in the free space in the corner of the front garden. Or they will decorate the area in front of the house without taking up a lot of space and without shading windows and other plants.
Such conifers can boast of small sizes:
- Tuya Danica. A beautiful spherical and fluffy bush grows no more than 80 cm in height, and is about 1 m in diameter. It has shiny dark green needles and small brown cones. It is noteworthy that this thuja in the fall changes the color of the needles and becomes brown.
- Fir Brilliant. The bush in the form of a flattened ball grows a maximum of 50 cm in height. The diameter of such a pillow is up to 80 cm. It has very fragrant needles, thick and soft, green on top and blue striped on the bottom. Candle-shaped cones are no less beautiful, while they are purple in young bushes, and brown in adults.
- Tsuga Minute. Grows very slowly and barely exceeds 30 cm in height with the same diameter. The needles are dark green, with white strokes below, and long (up to 10 cm), which looks very impressive against the background of dwarf growth.
Proud tall conifers
Most of them do not have fast growth rates, but they all require spacious territories. These are plants for a large garden or plot, especially if you want to plant a group. Tall trees are usually planted in the background. And the foreground is occupied by brighter and more compact plants, not necessarily of the same species. Although in single plantings, the overall conifers look just gorgeous.
From tall species, you can plant:
- Blue Hoopsie spruce. It grows slowly, but steadily approaches a height of up to 15 m, while the diameter of the conical crown will be 5 m. It has an original blue color with a silver tint. The needles themselves are very tough and prickly, about 3 cm long.
- Douglas Fir. It grows quickly, adding almost half a meter in a year. The conical crown is decorated with dark green needles with a bluish tint. This is the tallest long-lived ephedra. Its height in natural conditions reaches 75 m, and the tree lives on average for 500 years.
- Weymouth Pine. Up to 4 years old it grows rapidly, 60 cm annually, then slows down. The height of an adult tree is up to 17 m, the crown is domed. The main advantage of the species is the unusual needles, very long, up to 12 cm, hanging from the branches. In autumn it is green, in spring it takes on a bluish tint.
Creeping conifers for rockeries
Their creeping shoots will hide unsightly areas under them and turn them into a dense green carpet, moreover, fragrant. Of creeping conifers, they are most often planted junipers:
- Prince of Wales (height 1.5 m, shoots can spread up to 25 m in diameter, green needles with a blue tint, darkens in winter);
- Golden Carpet (with a height of only 15 cm it grows up to 1.5 m, the needles are small, golden);
- Blue Chip (bush height 30 cm, diameter 1.5 m, while the top of the plant is raised, the needles are thin and prickly, changing color from blue to green and gray).