We often plant little conifers in our Patio Tubs for interesting autumn and winter displays together with pansies, violas, primroses and dwarf spring flowering bulbs but these evergreens offer so much more to our garden schemes.
They are a great home for nesting birds such Robins, Sparrows, Blackbirds and Thrushes. The foliage is a good refuge away from Sparrowhawks and the cold wet winter weather. Lacewings, Aphids, Ladybirds and other insects will gather in the centre of Conifers to escape predators. Hedgehogs, Mice and Frogs and Toads regularly live under low growing Conifers.
Conifers catch carbon through the process of photosynthesis and store this as they grow. Species like Taxus, the English Yew Tree, can live for thousands of years all the time removing carbon from the atmosphere.
By permanently planting parts of our garden with low maintenance ground covering Conifers like the horizontal Junipers weeding chores are vastly reduced. Good varieties to look out for are Juniperus ‘Lime Glow’, lime yellow in summer turning to orange gold as the weather gets colder, J.Repanda with dark green foliage turning bronze in winter and J.Carbery Gold, bright yellow turning bronze gold, all hug the ground and prevent weeds from germinating.
Conifers come in many sizes, shapes and colours. From the forementioned groundcover types to the upright Italian pencil shaped Cypress. Cupressus sempervirens Totem as the name suggests is very slim and upright with dark green foliage growing slowly to 8m, a great accent plant. Taxus Baccata Standishii is an extremely slow growing upright conifer with golden new growth that turns bronze in the cold another focal point plant.
Chamaecyparis Allumii Gold, with bright golden leaves, adds height to any border while Picea Pungens Glauca is the perfect Christmas tree shape, icy electric blue in colour, and 2 meters tall. There are also large trees like weeping Cedrus Deodara Aurea and Chamacyparis Nookatensis Pendula and the upright pyramidal Cupressus Wilma with lemon scented foliage.
Rather than planting a very small conifer in a tub with bedding plants, choose a variety to plant alone and grow as a small specimen by the front door or on the patio.
Chamaecyparis Ellwoods Gold, with apple green leaves, C. Golden Pillar, with golden green soft foliage, C. Boulevard, with dense silvery blue leaves are all good examples. Thuja Danica is apple green in the summer turning bronze in winter and Picea Rainbows End, Christmas tree shaped with butter lemon yellow new shoots in the Spring and Summer. Conifers grown in tubs need regular watering and the occasional feed.
Scented Conifers are great when planted next to paths where they can be brushed as you walk past. Cupressus Wilma has a lemon scent while Thuja Smaragd’s fragrance is cedarwood. T. Smaragd is actually a cultivar of the Western Red Cedar but, at just 1.5m tall, is great for tubs. It is upright with deep green foliage that in cold weather turns bronze.
The Asian Buxus Caterpillar has devastated our Box hedges and topiary in Bedfordshire. Conifers are not affected by this pest so make good alternatives. Thuja Danica and T.Danica Aurea both grow to 60cm to 70cm and require little trimming.
Thuja Plicata is a great alternative to Leylandii for hedges and easier to manage. The foliage is soft to the touch with a lovely apple scent responding well to an annual trim in late July. Taxus Baccata makes a fine, dark green hedge for more shady places. Taxus and Thuja will respond well to heavier pruning as they grow back from older growth which Leylandii does not.
Because Conifers are evergreen, when other plants lose their leaves, Conifers will always shine out.
For any conifer to grow well they require plenty of moisture at the roots so, when planting, add good garden compost or soil conditioner and a sprinkle of Bonemeal in Autumn and Vitax if in Spring. Water well during the growing season until established. Add bark to smother the weeds and enjoy a planting display that will give you plenty of colour for years and be great for the environment and wildlife too.
