Winter gardens can provide a captivating array of colors and textures for you to enjoy. As the hours of daylight wane, perennials disappear and deciduous plants shed their leaves, it is easy to conclude that every garden must be barren at the end of the year.
Conifers are a wonderful addition to any landscape and are the highlight of every garden in winter. A conifer is a term given to plants that produce cones and have needles or scale-like foliage. Nearly all are evergreen, holding their foliage year-round. Conifers also provide excellent habitat for birds, including shelter, nesting grounds and food sources.
The assortment or colors, textures and shapes that you can discover in world of conifers is astounding. Our staff would be delighted to share our love of conifers with you and help you select the perfect varieties to bring interest and vitality to your winter garden. Let us highlight a few unique options:
Golden Tones in Winter
We currently feature Pinus strobus ‘Louie’, Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’ and Pinus mugo ‘Wintersonne’. The needles on each of these pines change from green to yellow as the temperatures drop and return to shades of green in the summer. These are all smaller sized trees that will brighten the winter garden when planted in a sunny location.
Christmas Tree in a Pot
Dwarf conical forms are ideal for holiday decorating. Alberta Spruces are the most popular forms with their perfect pyramidal forms. In addition to the longtime standard Picea glauca ‘Conica’ growing slowly at 6” per year, we also have specialty varieties; ‘Jean’s Dilly’ with extra tight needles and an even slower growth rate, and ‘Rainbow’s End’ featuring lemon yellow new growth in summer.
Carpet of Color
Conifers can also hug the ground, suppress weeds and create a carpet of color for year-round interest. Consider a golden Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’ maturing at 6”h x 4’w. Icy blue needles on Cedrus deodora ‘Feelin’ Blue’ are very attractive, growing 4-5’ h x 6-10’w.
Partial Sun at Best
Most conifers thrive in full sun exposures. If your garden bed only receives partial sun (in summer) there are a several families of conifers that will still grow beautifully. Consider a beautiful and quirky form of Hinoki Cypress like Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Gracilis’ or ‘Confucious’. Both of these varieties feature unique, almost coral-like cupped foliage.
For vertical interest come discover Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ and Cephalotaxus harringtoinia ‘Fastigiata’. These are slow growing conifers that can live in full shade or full sun.
Hemlocks are a wonderful addition to partial sun locations. We have a lovely selection of dwarf selections with soft foliage including Tsuga canadensis ‘Summer Snow’, ‘Gentsch White’ or ‘Cole’s Prostrate’.