Little plants can be r ockery stars

CONIFERS are neat, colourful and stylish all year round.

Many are also dwarf in stature, slow growing and perfect for a small alpine feature in a rockery or stone trough .

They can also be condensed further and kept as bonsai in shallow pots.

Mountain pines such as pinus mugo make low, mounding, almost bonsailike trees. Ophir is one of the most interesting with a dense ball shape made up of green leaves that attractively turn golden-yellow in winter.

It takes about 20 years to reach 90cm so is a good choice for patio containers. The varieties gnom and mops can also be shaped into very small trees by simply pruning in late spring, cutting away roughly half of the new growth or “candles”.

Crush a juniper leaf and you’ll recognise the familiar smell of gin. Its fruits are used to flavour this classic tipple.

Juniperus communis takes about ten years to reach a metre high and has a neat, textured, slightly fluffy look making it a good choice for containers or in a rockery in full sun or shade.

The variety gold cone is a garden great whose bright new spring growth fades to bluish-green in winter.

Dwarf

Another rock garden classic is juniperus compressa, which puts on just 3- 5cm per year, to eventually make a neat, naturally compact grey-green column up to around 1.8m in height. It’s ideal for difficult situations such as shallow alpine troughs, where it stays smaller than normal because of root restriction. It is also a superb choice for a raised bed or hot dry bank. Naturally dwarf, the trouble- free spruce picea glauca conica easily keeps its dense conical shape.

Growing to around two metres in 35 years, it is excellent for rockeries, especially in a rugged landscape.

It can be used to add height in a gravel scree bed or as a container plant in a minimalist garden.

The ideal time to plant conifers is October to March.

Most prefer full sun and slightly acid soil and need moisture at the roots – you will notice the needles turning brown on the inside of the branches if the tree lacks water or air.

If growing a conifer in a pot choose ceramic or concrete ones because they are more stable in windy conditions.

If using trendy metal pots or tall narrow containers, protect the roots from winter cold by keeping the pots in a protected spot, such as against a wall or insulate them.