Conifers

10 facts about Conifers!

Conifers come in a variety of colours, not just green: they can be red, bronze, yellow or even blue.

The colour of a Conifer can be influenced by the temperature of its habitat, for example, the Thuja 'Rheingold' is a yellowy-red in the summer and turns to bronze in the winter while the Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' is a greeny-red in the summer and turns to a bronzy-red in the winter.

Conifers come in all different sizes, from the 30 centimetre Juniperus communis 'Compacta' which is small in comparison to the 125 metre Redwoods which give us the tallest and largest trees in the world and can be found growing in California.

Conifers can be many different shapes for example, flat and hugging the ground (Juniperis horizontalis), arrow-shaped (Taxodium or the Swamp cypress), tiered (Cedar) and globe shaped (Thuja occidentalis 'Globose).

Most Conifers are evergreen, but what many people don't know is that there are 5 genus which are deciduous: they are the Larix, Pseudolarix, Metasequoia, Taxodium, and the Glyptostrobus.

Conifers have 2 different types of leaves, needles and scales, but the Juniperus can have both juvenile and adult foliage depending on its age (it can change from needles to scales over time).

Conifers grow in either temperate or tropical climates: however the Araucaria genus (Monkey Puzzle Tree) can be found in both temperate and tropical climates.

Conifers are usually found in either the Northern or the Southern hemisphere, for example, Pinus sylvestris grows in the Northern hemisphere and the Agathis australis grows in the Southern hemisphere.

Conifers can be found growing at any height from sea level right up to alpine conditions for example the Pinus mugo grow on the mountains of Central Europe.

The Pinus aristata (longeava) is found in the white and Rocky Mountain ranges in the USA and has been carbon ring-dated as the oldest living tree in the world.

Planting your Conifers

Conifers will tolerate most soils, but avoid planting in areas that waterlog regularly, except Taxodium distichum (swamp cypress) and Metasequola (dawn redwood), A very chalky soil will suit Taxus (yew), some junipers and pines. Local climate, such as areas of high or low rainfall, can affect height and spread. To help you choose the right conifer for your garden, take a browse through our range below.

Before planting, remove the tree from the pot and soak the rootball in a bucket of water for about 10 minutes. Clear the planting area of any weeds. Make the planting hole about twice the size of the rootball: the top of the rootball should be just 2.5cm below ground level.

Refill the planting hole with soil mixed with peat coir or very well rotted compost. Do not use nitrogenous fertilisers such as poultry or horse manure or bedding plant compost as this usually contains fast release fertiliser, which can damage conifer roots. One or two feeds with a slow release fertiliser will be quite enough to maintain growth. Give enough water to keep the rootball moist but not waterlogged in the early years after planting.