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Features of coniferous plants for the garden
There are more than 700 types of coniferous plants today, and a huge number of their garden forms. Most of them are evergreen trees and shrubs that do not lose their decorative effect throughout the year.
Coniferous trees from the yew, cypress and pine families are used in landscaping city squares and private estates. The design of the garden with conifers allows you to create a landscape close to natural. In addition, they blend well with horticultural crops.
Tall coniferous trees look spectacular in large gardens, parks or in adjacent areas. If there is not enough space, then the tree can become the center of the composition. Other plants are placed around it, creating a harmonious ensemble.
Oh, pay attention ! When planting tall species, it should be borne in mind that plants will occupy a large area over time. Their root system grows well. There will be shade from tall trees, so shade-loving crops are planted next to them.
Pine and cedar should not be planted near spruces and firs. Larches do not tolerate the neighborhood with such deciduous trees as cherry and birch.
The advantage of conifers is their low annual growth, which allows you to create compositions that remain stable for several years. Only a light haircut is needed to maintain the shape of the crown.
Conifers, and their use in the arrangement of the site
Coniferous plants for the garden can be used for landscaping and original decoration of the backyard. The landscape of the conifers is used:
- in the device of mixboards, alpine slides and rock gardens;
- to create green hedges.
When choosing plants, you should pay attention to their size and placement on the plot. Not all types are suitable for the design of a particular territory. It depends on the area of the site, the degree of its shading, the features of the relief and the type of soil.
In a small area, compact forms of conifers are planted in Japanese mini-gardens, on alpine slides, and also as potted plants in landscaping paved courtyards, patios, and terraces.
The main categories of conifers in height can be divided into three groups:
- tall coniferous trees;
- dwarf conifers;
- creeping plants.
Undersized conifers were bred by the selection method. They can effectively decorate even a small space.
Undersized conifers
Undersized conifers: juniper, arborvitae and cypress. Due to their low height, they are mainly used as ground cover plants, which can create a green uniform surface in a very short time.
Coniferous plants of medium size are used to create the background of flower mixboards and other types of flower beds, they are used as part of complex ensembles. Planted along the border of the site, they form a picturesque hedge.
Tall conifers in the garden: erect cypresses, various types of pines and spruces look attractive. They are often the center of the composition. When planting tall conifers, it should be borne in mind that over time they will take up a significant amount of space, can reach great heights and are ideal for creating shady places.
Additional Information! Due to the acidic soil that the needles create when they fall, it is difficult to plant anything else under these trees other than other low and tall conifers.
Coniferous tree care
Most conifers are not demanding to care for, they adapt quite easily even to poor soils. They will grow well even in sandy and rocky soil. Their decorative qualities directly depend on proper planting and care in the first years of their life.
The site must be protected from cold northern winds. All conifers do not like stagnant moisture and wetlands, so the landing pit is drained with expanded clay. With an excess of moisture, undersized forms are the first to suffer, so it is better to plant them in rock gardens and on slopes.
Young seedlings are planted in the spring so that they have time to take root by winter. The root neck should be located a few centimeters above the soil level. After planting, young plants need abundant watering throughout the season.
Additional Information! Well-rooted plants easily tolerate sub-zero temperatures, and in dry summers they manage with minimal watering. Mature plants are transplanted during the dormant period, even in winter.
From the second year, fertilizers for conifers begin to be introduced into the soil. Thanks to their extensive root systems, conifers can make the most of the nutrients from the soil.
Use of fertilizers
Often the soil may not be rich, it is recommended to use fertilizer twice a year in spring and autumn, thereby helping to improve growth rate. In most cases, the amount of nitrogen should be equal to or greater than the amount of phosphorus and potassium.
To protect the root system from overheating in the sun in summer and freezing in winter, the trunk circle is mulched. To do this, use straw, sawdust, peat and even pine bark, which looks aesthetically pleasing and serves as protection against overheating and drying out of the soil. The thickness of the mulch should be about 5 cm. These are the basic rules for caring for evergreen crops.
Pruning is necessary for shaping so that conifers remain at the desired height. Pruning also helps to rejuvenate the plant, so always remove dried or broken branches that may be affected by disease. Pruning is usually recommended during March-April and September-October, when temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold.
Types and varieties of decorative conifers for landscape design
The best conifers from natural conditions have moved to gardens and are successfully grown. What conifers to plant in the garden?
Coniferous for landscape design
In ornamental gardening, tall trees from the pine family are used: spruce, pine and fir. Pines and spruces grow well in open sunny areas, withstand partial shade, are drought-resistant, feel good on poor soils, sands, but do not withstand stagnant waterlogging.
Dwarf – These are miniature copies of ordinary pines, spruces, firs and other conifers. Their growth is relatively small in relation to large ones, the root system is shallow. They need systematic watering, but they do not like excessive waterlogging of the soil and stagnant moisture.
Mountain pine is the most common type of undersized decorative conifers for the garden. One of the most unpretentious conifers – junipers. Most common in gardens, junipers with horizontal branches that do not grow tall fill space on the ground cover.
Tui, due to the variety of species and varieties, allow them to be used in almost any type of planting: groups, hedges, alleys and even borders.
Conifer beds
Conifers are combined with each other, other plants, stones, herbs. How to make a beautiful composition of conifers in landscape design? This is a complex art. You need to combine different cultures so that they look beautiful and natural. You can combine the colors of plants, mix 2-3 shades with each other.
Making flower beds from conifers
Conifers are attractive in summer, off-season and in winter. They can be used to decorate flower beds, rock gardens, hedges, alpine slides or as single plantings. Low-growing compact species can be planted in any geometric shape. One of the species is a rectangular elongated flower bed, where plants are planted in it in 2-5 longitudinal rows. Using creeping junipers, fill the spaces between roses, hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs.
Evergreen ground cover plants form a lush carpet on the lawn. The place next to the conifers is planted with a lawn, against which a lot of evergreen trees and shrubs look bright, contrasting, without merging with the surrounding area. They are used to cover entire areas, in combination with other plants.
Conifers go well with roses. Flowerbeds on which creeping juniper, barberry, astilba of various shades grow look bright. Junipers and ferns are harmonious in tall flower beds as ampelous plants.
Conifers are used as elements of rock gardens. Choose those species that grow on mountain slopes. Dwarf pines and arborvitae are best suited as a plant component.
Coniferous shrubs and perennials should be selected so that none of the plants feel oppressed, otherwise the flower bed will not really grow.
Coniferous flower bed care
An evergreen flower bed does not require special care. Additional watering for flower beds is almost not needed. It is enough to feed the flower bed with mineral fertilizers once a season. Fertilizers must be treated with care, they can damage the root system of conifers. It is recommended to loosen the soil, and remove all excess vegetation that takes moisture and nutrients.
Conifers, when they begin to grow, require regular pruning. Sanitary pruning should be carried out every season, removing all dried and donkey.
