NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS
Conifers can bring joy to our gardens year-round
BRINGING the Christmas tree home is a joyful event. But by January most of those infant conifers will be discarded. I usually chop ours up for composting, saving the trunk for next year’s firewood. It provides us with, ooh — at least three minutes of warmth.
If your tree has roots and survived the festivities, you could plant it outside. But spruces and firs used for Christmas make terrible garden trees. Most grow too tall with over-long, naked trunks.
Luckily, however, there are conifers with massive garden value. These have year-round beauty, but look especially good in midwinter. My favourites are blue Colorado spruces, Picea pungens. Always shapely, these lovely conifers have almost luminous, blue-grey foliage.
One October, I viewed these growing wild in Colorado. Groups of them furnished the slopes of the Rockies, with cottonwood trees among them. Those had snow-white trunks and orange- yellow autumn leaves, contrasting with bluegrey conifers under an azure sky. All the scene lacked was Clint Eastwood on a horse.
Conifers like that have massive garden value. And for those who don’t own a mountain, dwarf varieties are just as beautiful.
So instead of planting an exhausted Christmas tree, try a more beautiful conifer instead.
SPRUCE THINGS UP
THERE are needle- bearing conifers for gardens of all sizes. Among Colorado spruces an excellent variety is P. pungens Hoopsii. This has bright, bluegrey foliage and grows to about 20ft high in 20 years. For smaller spaces, P. pungens Montgomery grows even more slowly. A mature tree seldom goes higher than 5ft, keeping its lower branches as it matures.
You could team that variety with low- growing Japanese maples, especially Acer palmatum. Their spring or autumn foliage would make a fine contrast. Choose dwarf maples such as Corallinum or Chitose-Yama.
Spruces and firs can vary from sombre green to shades of bluegrey. Purple or coppery hues are absent, but there are a few pines with gold in their needles. Golden greens or yellow are lacking, but those colours are easy to find among cypresses.
Pines are more variable than spruces or firs. Mexican Pinus patula has silky needles and grows tall. In contrast, tiny Pinus mugo has stubby branches with rigid needles. There’s a smaller variety Mops which forms a ball-shaped mound.
Spruces Picea have sharp needles. In contrast, Abies firs have blunt needles and are soft. That’s why I like Nordmann Fir as our Christmas tree.
SHAPE THE FUTURE
AS WITH all trees, you need to know how big your conifers will grow. Not all are conical. The branches of our native Scots pine Pinus sylvestris spread widely. Their bark becomes rusty orange, contrasting with the blue-tinged foliage.
Luckily, there are excellent dwarf pines for limited spaces. Dwarf forms of black pine, such as Pinus nigra Nana or Adcocks Dwarf, stay small for decades. For a dash of gold, try P. mugo Winter Gold.
Almost all needle- bearing conifers prefer free- draining soil. Blue spruces develop more intense colours when grown in a sunny position. Growth is denser in full light, but conifers will flourish in partial shade.
Pruning can be problematic and is best avoided. It’s wiser to choose trees which are unlikely to outgrow their spaces.