Many gardeners are trying to create a beautiful flower bed on own dacha without resorting to the services of landscape designers. Of course, this not only saves money, but also has a beneficial effect on our self-esteem, and also satisfies the creative impulse of “dacha designers”. If you do not have enough ideas for inspiration, I propose to help you with a selection of flowerbed planting patterns using coniferous plants.
Flower bed with irises
Flower bed suitable for sunny places. The shape is set by two coniferous plants of different shapes, which retain their decorative effect throughout the summer, while maintaining the silhouette of the flower bed. Hybrid irises look very impressive in the center. They can be of any color, it all depends on your preferences. Pink spireas, dotted along the edge of the flower bed, like lanterns, will bloom in the middle of summer, thereby giving the flower bed a new sound. Such a flower bed is unpretentious in care and decorative, subject to timely shaping haircuts. It can be broken in the front area near the house, resting place or at the entrance near the gate.
flower bed with irises
Plants: 1. Thuja western "Globosa" 2. Cypress pea 3. Spiraea Boumalda "Froebelli" 4. 5. Iris hybrid
Flowerbed "Silver River"
A landscape flower bed in silver tones will be perfectly located along the paths or act as a. Cold bluish shades of plants will refresh the hot heat and give exotic look your cottage. The combination of textures of coniferous plants and cereals gives the flowerbed a flowing look, dynamics, which looks very modern in natural style. All plants balance the composition as a whole, pointwise emphasizing its forms and play of tones. Such a flower bed will be decorative throughout the season and even in the cold season. Consider overgrowth of grasses and junipers that need space or growth correction.
flower bed "silver river"
Plants: 1. Juniper scaly "Blue Сarpet" 2. 3. Prickly spruce "Glauca Globosa" 4. gray fescue 5. carnation greyish blue
Flower bed with phlox
A flower bed of universal purpose, can be executed both in full form and in part. Combinations of delicate shades of pink and white always look elegant and fit under. Evergreen coniferous plants serve as a cut for delicate phloxes, which are the highlight in the whole composition. And, such as lilac, spirea and hydrangea will support the flowering baton throughout the summer.
flowerbed with phlox
Plants: 1. 2. Lilac 3. Spiraea gray "Grefsheim" 4. Spiraea Japanese "Shirobana" 5. 6. Juniper scaly "Blue Сarpet" 7. Thuja western "Globosa" 8. Thuja western "Smaragd" 9. Badan hybrid 10. Phlox paniculata
Flower bed "Lace of penumbra"
Such a flower bed will stand as sunny open spaces, and light penumbra, creating lace from. All plants are selected in such a way that the decorative effect and flowering is maintained throughout the season. A motley, bright summer-like flower bed will be an ideal solution for decorating the facade of a house or a fence. Like all ornamental shrubs, they must be cut in a timely manner to maintain a neat appearance and the desired shape.
flower bed "lace penumbra"
Plants: 1. Thuja western "Smaragd" 2. Juniper scaly "Blue Сarpet" 3. Fieldfare rowanberry 4. Hydrangea arborescens "Annabel" 5. Astilba hybrid 6. tenacious creeping 7. Badan hybrid or hosta
Flowerbed for the embankment
If you have a cottage decorative pond or a reservoir, then he will also need registration. Willow in combination with variegated turf and hostas will give the shore a neat look, and blue irises will add sophistication and set off the water surface.
waterfront flowerbed
Plants: 1. Derain white "Elegantissima" 2. Purple willow "Nana" 3. Juniper virginiana "Grey Owl" 4. Juniper 'Mint Julep' 5. Hosta hybrid 6. Siberian iris 7. Falyaris (Two-source)
When planning flower beds on your plots, remember that if you wish, you can refuse or replace this or that plant. The main thing is that it matches the biological conditions of growth and appearance. When creating a flower garden, bring your own style, give preference to familiar plants and do not be afraid to use new ones, play with color, texture and shape. After all, a garden is not only fruits, but also the beauty of ornamental plants that harmoniously combine with each other.
Weeding numerous flower beds in the country takes almost all my weekends in the summer. The main trouble is the weed "sleep". Nothing can stop her, and there's no way to get rid of her. Digging up flowerbeds every time, destroying its creeping roots, is already beyond my strength.
So the idea arose to minimize my efforts, at least on one flower bed. I decided to create a “coniferous” flower bed with my own hands. Plants will, after growth, fit closer to each other and will not allow weeds to gain the upper hand. Secondly, I will finally completely dig up my oldest and favorite flower bed.
This is what the flowerbed looked like before planting conifers:
Why a flower bed and not a mixborder? It just happened historically. Once she was a mixborder and hid the beds. Then I cut it in half, and it turned into a flower bed.
Country philosophy
More recently, the flower bed was the most popular flower garden in the country, no one had heard of any mixborders and did not know the differences. They made it depending on the fantasy - round, square, diamond-shaped. For me, it was and remains oval, or in the shape of a crescent. Astilba mostly grew on it. different colors, phlox and chamomile. It was beautiful, but the same from year to year, and the flowers grew and merged with each other interspersed with sleepiness.
Flower bed so far serves as a kind of zone separator in my country house- separates the lawn and a recreation area with a playground.
Once upon a time read in a magazine that even a small garden should be divided into zones in such a way that one wants to move from one to another and carefully examine their details. It is quite boring to be in the garden, where most of the lawn occupies, and shrubs and flowers are planted around the perimeter. A second is enough to cover the entire summer cottage with one glance. Much more interesting walk along the “back streets”, admire each plant close up, understand and appreciate the intention of the “author”. This is my gardening philosophy.
A flower bed or a mixborder of conifers?
For those who are not yet familiar with the various concepts of flower beds, I will explain how a flower bed differs from a mixborder. Translated from English, mixborder (mixborder) means a mixed border, that is, a flower garden from various perennials made on the edge garden path or along the fence. Of course, professional landscape designers make beautiful and correct mixborders and flower beds from conifers. But what's done with my own hands, looks somehow at home and more comfortable. Therefore, go ahead, change the design of your site, so that by trial and error you will discover the option that suits you.
The main features, similarities and differences between a mixborder and a flower bed:
- the mixborder has a view only from the front side, and the flower bed can be bypassed from all sides;
- tiered placement of plants near mixborders - in the background, along the fence, the tallest and most voluminous ones are planted with a gradual decrease to the front edge of the flower garden, where there are low ground cover flowers and annuals;
- mixborder along paths and flower beds can be similar when plants are placed horizontally;
- flower bed can be different location- in the form of a pyramid (with more tall plants in the center) or with taller plants at the edges;
- to visually represent both the flower bed and the mixborder, in landscape design it is customary to draw up a preliminary scheme for the placement of plants;
- the mixborder edging runs only along the front edge. If the mixborder is located next to the lawn, then you will need to cut the turf evenly (as we did with);
- the main guideline when creating any flower garden in the country should be continuous flowering plants throughout the summer season.
Design options for coniferous flower beds
Enough theory, let's move on to practice. The first question that arose before me during the alteration flower bed: what will happen on the ground after the planting of conifers. There were several options:
- Plant grass around them, but then it will be difficult to mow, and I will make life even more difficult for myself.
- Fall asleep with decorative chips, but evil weeds will still sprout through it.
- Plant annual bright flowers or put them in pots between conifers.
I settled on the last option, while leaving some perennial flowers of short stature. As a result, I added more large stones to creative mess and some favorites garden figurines. The main thing is not to overdo it and not turn a flowerbed of conifers into a ridiculous exhibition of gnomes. A sense of proportion and taste will not hurt here.
The next step was to compose the composition. It was it was decided to use vertical, horizontal and spherical seedlings conifers of different colors. They will look beautiful even in winter.
I understood that the flower bed should be quite low-growing, and the plants - slowly growing.
One of the rules for creating coniferous mixborder or flower beds is the so-called composition rhythm, those. its elements must be repeated at least 3 times. I tried to create something similar. In order for the composition to become harmonious, it is necessary that the tops of the conifers differ in height, and not be in a straight line.
Selection of conifers
Here are the types of conifers I chose for decoration:
- Konika- it's a nice decorative dwarf spruce. It has a very dense conical crown. Its advantage for a flower bed is that it grows very slowly. In ten years, its height will be no higher than 80 cm, and by the age of 20 it will reach one and a half meters. Grows well in light loamy soil.
- Pine dwarf (slow growing species). For 4 years, she has grown only by 10 cm. It will be about a meter high.
- Juniper bought conical. They promised that the height would be no more than 1.5 m.
I could not resist and acquired a creeping one. It is very beautiful, but too sprawling. So I planted him at the porch as a tapeworm - separately standing plant. Here it is in the photo, surrounded by a red coleus, which perfectly sets off its greens.
- Thuja western- my favorite thuja, which I have been breeding for many years. I planted it at the beginning of the flower bed and formed a cone shape. I don’t let her grow high, I constantly cut her hair. From it falls a pleasant shadow on the recreation area.
- spherical thuja- sometimes loses its shape after winter. To restore it, you need to tie the crown and cut it. I have one yellow and one green.
- cushion spruce- very tiny and beautiful. Its annual growth is only 2 cm in height and 3 cm in width. I expect that it will grow no more than half a meter in height. The same width. Easy to cut. But haven't cut it yet.
- cypress- suitable for larger mixborders near the fence, because it grows quickly in both width and height. But she bought it anyway.
Landing
Practice shows that conifers do not “respect” fertile soils too much. Therefore, when I plant them, be sure I put crushed stone in the first layer(for drainage so that water does not stagnate: otherwise conifers may start root rot) and sand.
Recently transplanted conifers or very young ones do not tolerate heat and direct sunlight. That's why a flower bed is best done in partial shade. I have just such a penumbra gives an apple tree.
Care
All the conifers I have in the country are quite unpretentious and winter-hardy. You don't really need to take care of them. As a rule, I I cover only in the first year of planting, and then they, getting stronger, go to "free swimming". Although some experienced gardeners still cover them for the winter with spruce branches, which in the spring protects them from the bright sun.
After the snow melts on the site in the spring, the conifers should be shed abundantly, to prevent spring dehydration. Groundwater is close to my dacha, so I don’t do it. Water is worth almost the entire May.
In summer, water as needed. But I noticed that conifers are very fond of water and become grateful if you water them not only under the root, but also sprinkle them. In return, you get juicy beautiful plants.
Fertilizer I use special for conifers Strictly according to the instructions and especially do not bother about it. I am sometimes afraid to overdo it, because I know for sure that a plant can take out of the soil as much as it should and no more. Otherwise, you can "burn" it.
So, the flower bed is formed and began an independent life.
But this is not the final version. Life is constantly making adjustments. Withered cypress. A spherical yellow thuja has grown, having lost its shape. Probably, I will cut it, although in such an incomprehensible form it also has its own attractiveness and dissimilarity. And sleep comes again ...
Modern landscape design offers many different types of conifers, among which even the most fastidious gardeners can make a choice. Coniferous plants are always very popular among those who choose them for planting in the country or various country estates because their wonderful smell always reminds of a real forest. With the help of coniferous plants, you can create whole compositions or simply place them successfully in flower beds.
In addition, conifers are absolutely unpretentious, since they perfectly coexist, for example, with deciduous plants, and also look great on the lawn.
Features: pros and cons
Coniferous plants, like any others, have their advantages and disadvantages, which professional gardeners include:
- Ephedra get along well where there is a lack of sunlight, so you should not be afraid to plant them, for example, behind the house if you decide to create a small flower bed there.
- Most varieties of conifers “love” and accept a haircut, as a result of which they grow in the forms in which they are sheared. Here you should not forget the basic rules for cutting, which gardeners use, so as not to damage the plants.
- Some coniferous shrubs themselves have the right geometric shapes so they don't need to be trimmed regularly.
- Conifers are evergreen plants. They will delight you all year round. Such plants are often purchased not only to be planted near the house, but also for planting next to various public places. Coniferous trees and shrubs look beautiful all year round and attract a lot of attention, especially if they are well-groomed.
- This kind of plants have a very good root system, thanks to which they do not require regular watering and can do without water for a long time. If you have very dry or rocky soil with sandy impurities, then you should not worry. Ephedra will grow in such a land.
- Coniferous plants can be planted singly or create whole compositions with their help. Entire conifer hedges are very popular, but their full cultivation will take a lot of time and effort.
- Any plots with such plants will not leave the neighbors indifferent and will attract a lot of attention.
- A big plus is the pleasant aroma of coniferous plants and their healing properties. According to many experts, conifers different varieties very beneficial effect not only on the general condition of a person, but also on his health in general, and sometimes even contribute to the cure of certain diseases. But even if you don't believe it, it's certainly proven that plants can filter the air, which is why it's so easy for people to breathe fresh and purified air in forests and parks.
The small disadvantages include the rather painstaking care of such plants, as well as the fact that they grow for a very long time to full-fledged shrubs and trees. This often takes years. There are few fast growing trees.
Kinds
Today in the world there are many varieties of conifers, but not all of them will grow in different climatic zones. First of all, a general classification of such plants should be given.
- Small and creepy. Small conifers can be advantageously combined with medium or, conversely, tall trees. The smallest creeping plants include those with which you can even create a kind of lawn. Be sure to take a closer look at the mountain pine Mini Pug, this cushion pine has a very unusual appearance.
A very beautiful emerald-colored spruce called Lombers can certainly become the highlight of your garden.
- Medium. With the help of medium conifers, you can decorate flower beds or make a small hedge near the house. For this, medium-sized spruce varieties are suitable, which are very unpretentious in care, but at the same time grow to medium size. For example, Konik spruce. We also recommend paying attention to the berry yew, which is sure to attract attention with its bright red berries. The golden yew, which has a cupped shape, looks no less attractive. In addition, it perfectly coexists with various plants. Western thujas have rounded shapes. If you take care of them regularly, then it will be simply impossible to take your eyes off the coniferous balls.
- High. The most popular tall trees include: western thuja, tall juniper trees and pine. Also here is the pigeon spruce. Western thuja is ideal for planting even in the most shaded areas, because the lack of sun will not affect its growth. Very often, with its help, so-called living fences and hedges are made. Some varieties of pine reach unprecedented heights, they can be planted where you like. If very high growth of a tree or shrub is undesirable for you, then take care of regularly pinching the shoots of the plant. However, pinching must be constant, otherwise your plant will grow into an incomprehensible shape and cease to please your eye.
Also a popular type of tall spruce is the prickly Hupsi spruce, which can grow up to almost fifteen meters.
Color combinations
Combining plants of different colors allows you to get the most unusual and memorable color effects. If the garden has a lot of small coniferous shrubs, then a large spruce will stand out perfectly against their background. With skillful transitions from different shades and forms, you can create a truly royal garden right at home or in the country. However, all this requires great patience and time.
Complex landscape design requires special skill. In order to skillfully plant several plants side by side in different colors and shades, it is very important to know how much this or that species loves the “neighborhood”. In addition, you need to know the technique of cutting and know how to properly water and care for conifers, as well as whether they should be covered for the winter.
In general, according to gardeners, it is quite easy to combine the colors of various conifers. The main point here is the presence of imagination, as well as the opportunity to experiment.
So, for example, one of the options successful combination trees can become the following conifers: blue spruce, western arborvitae, medium juniper shrubs and mountain pine. Of course, you can diversify any ready-made combination with other conifers, as well as, for example, roses and, finally, decorative stones.
We create compositions
The most popular plants that are involved in the creation of ready-made landscape design compositions include the following conifers:
- Tui most different types. The most popular are: thuja western, eastern, thuja Danica and Morgan.
- Junipers. The most beautiful are Chinese juniper, Cossack and scaly. Each variety has its own varieties, which may differ in color and shape of the crown.
- Spruce. For planting in the garden, oriental spruces with small but very beautiful needles, as well as bicolor spruces, are considered the most popular. It is also worth taking a closer look at the spruce called the prickly Beloboka or the small Tompa spruce.
- Pine. Be sure to pay attention to the Italian pine. This variety is native to the Mediterranean, so it will most likely not survive planting in a harsh climate. However, there are many other varieties of pine that winter well in Russia.
If you are serious about doing landscape design, then you should know what a mixborder is. A mixborder is a composition of various kinds of plants that frame a path or fence.
For right creation the composition will require the ability to combine conifers with lawn and ground cover flowers.
- If you decide to create a mixborder next to the path, it is best to use small and dwarf plants.
- To create something original, try combining coniferous trees with deciduous plants of various species.
- Flowers and shrubs in contrasting shapes and hues are sure to draw attention, especially if they are well placed.
- Shrubs of round and spherical shapes are perfectly combined with creeping coniferous plants.
- Do not forget to correctly combine geometric shapes so that the whole picture of plants turns out to be harmonious.
- Don't be afraid to create a mix of short and tall plants and trees.
- Smooth transitions shades and shapes between conifers can be recreated if you use their different breeds.
- As horticultural practice shows, any conifers look most impressive next to ponds, flower beds with bright and flowering plants, as well as alpine slides.
According to many experts, it is best to orient this or that planting to the east or west. Particular attention should be paid to the fact that whatever composition you create, do not overload it.
The presence of different shapes and colors of conifers should be moderate.
Ready solutions compositions are best looked for in horticultural magazines. And to create the perfect coniferous corner, it is best to use the services of real professionals who will surely pick up correct trees and shrubs for your site. They will talk about their proper care and share good advice, since beginners and amateurs do not always manage to create the right composition on their own.
Coniferous compositions in landscaped garden goes very well with roses different varieties, as well as with hydrangeas and rhododendrons. Especially in summer, combinations of conifers with flowers look truly magnificent. Often coniferous plants are planted next to the barberry. In addition, conifers get along well next to deciduous trees and shrubs, and in color they can complement each other favorably.
Making flower beds and slides
To create and properly arrange an evergreen oasis in your garden, you should do the following:
- Choose a ready-made or independently develop the design of a future flower bed or slide.
- Decide which trees, shrubs and flowers you will plant, pick them by color.
- If you don't have much large plot, then mainly choose medium-sized and undersized conifers, complementing them with flowers.
- As a base for a flower bed, you can pick up a lawn or creeping conifers. Also, an alpine slide can be used as a base.
- To complement the flower bed, you can use various kinds decorative stones where a small pond can be located nearby.
Even on the most “agricultural” site, at least one prickly “saboteur” will certainly be found. Most often, forest guests act in this capacity, like common juniper, spruce or pine. But with the availability of a huge assortment of amazingly beautiful and perfect conifers, it is unreasonable to ignore the possibility of their use. In addition, plants grown in nurseries are easier to take root and grow faster.
Possible options
In the world of conifers, giants and dwarfs easily coexist - suitable plants available for any size garden. And the richness of shades of needles allows you to create picturesque canvases from them.
grenadiers
Tall conifers conquer with their grandeur. They look best from a distance, when you can see the whole tree without looking up. But you can use them in compositions in a small garden. In this case, the lower part will become the background for other plants, and the thicker it is, the better. The best sellers are European cedar pine, prickly spruce 'Hoopsii' (Hoopsii), one-color fir, thuja western 'Brabant' (Brabant), 'Aureospicata' (Aureospicata) and others. At a young age, while you can reach the top, these trees can dress up for the New Year.
Slow-growing varieties deserve special attention, reaching their characteristic height not by ten years, but by thirty. In addition, there are plants whose impressive size is still acceptable for a small garden.
So, Scotch pine ‘Watereri’ (Watereri) with beautiful bluish needles by the age of 30 has a height and width of about 3 m. The trunk that is not exposed from below allows it to be used as a screen and in a mixed hedge. A number of varieties of western arborvitae are often positioned as two or three meters simply because they grow too slowly. A striking example is ‘Smaragd’ (Smaragd), on the label of which you can often see the mark “up to 2 meters”. In fact, it grows more than four, but after 10 years.
If a pine or spruce is too big for your garden, or just planted out of place, there is a reliable, albeit time-consuming, way to contain the unbridled growth of a pet. For this, a strong pruning or pinching of young shoots is carried out annually, and Special attention given to the apex. As a result, the trees look extremely beautiful and well-groomed. Unfortunately, you can’t skip a year or two, and even more so, you can’t completely stop the process - you will get strange freaks.
Tui and junipers can simply be trimmed with garden shears from time to time (not to be confused with a curly haircut!). Plants easily tolerate this operation and for the next few years completely do without your attention.
Middle class
Coniferous plants of medium size are fantastically diverse. Neat "balls" and "cones" of thuja western, low varieties of various firs and pines, numerous junipers - all of them are remarkably good and satisfy the most picky tastes. But besides them there are much less common firs and such most interesting views like pea cypress or Canadian hemlock. Medium-sized conifers fit perfectly both in large-scale gardens and in a “six-hundred” design, therefore they are always in demand.
It is the “middle peasants” that form the basis of coniferous compositions and are part of mixborders. Without them, it is difficult to imagine a heather garden or a small mixed flower garden, in which, for support in winter period it is required to include a coniferous plant peeping out of the snowdrifts, but at the same time not higher than the average human height.
A globular thuja of the ‘Globosa’ (Globosa) variety, planted in a row along the path or in a symmetrical pair at the entrance to the house, has become a European classic. The Polish experience of planting along a mountain pine fence is interesting. Moreover, depending on the height of the fence, it is possible to choose between varieties of different heights, widths and growth rates: ‘Gnome’ (Gnom), ‘Pug’ (Mops), ‘Pumilio’ (Pumilio), ‘Mugus’ (Mugus). And fans of the “blue trees” can successfully use the compact prickly spruce ‘Glauca Globosa’ (Glauca Globosa) in compositions.
prickly rugs
Creeping forms exist in different types of conifers. Among them there are very low ones, the height of which is measured in just a few centimeters. First of all, these are varieties of horizontal junipers: 'Golden Carpet' (Golden Carpet), 'Prince of Wales' (Prince of Wales), 'Blue Chip' (Blue Chip), and ordinary: 'Green Carpet' (Green Carpet), 'Depressa Aurea' (Depressa Aurea). Such plants are especially good on retaining walls or small elevations.
Their taller counterparts (for example, juniper medium ‘Old Gold’ (Old Gold), m. scaly ‘Blue Carpet’ (Blue Carpet), cross-pair microbiota) reach a height of one and a half meters. More often they have raised or splayed shoots to the sides. But the m. Cossack ‘Glauca’ (Glauca) and the m. medium ‘Mint Julep’ (Mint Julep) with the same growth have a wide sprawling form.
Usually creeping conifers are used in combination with the usual tall forms in groups decorating the adjoining area or front garden, but in recent times they were often planted in curtains as an alternative to the lawn. Indeed, some varieties of junipers and microbiota are quite capable of acting as ground cover plants. They look amazing both in a group planting and in a single planting - in the form of tapeworms. In any case, it is necessary to provide enough space for the “rugs” that are rapidly increasing in width, and, of course, it is impossible to walk on such “lawns”.
On the small area you can decorate the orchard with a prickly “pillow”, but keep in mind that picking apples and plums in this case will not be easy.
Creeping forms also make beautiful and durable wide borders. On the one hand, conifers are able to mask paving errors, and on the other hand, they successfully fit into the green expanse of a lawn or into a violent motley community of a flower garden. When planting such borders, also do not forget to leave room for the development of plants. And for a more dense overgrowth in the middle of spring, after the snow melts, you can pinch or cut the ends of the shoots.
Winter and summer in the same color?
Contrary to the popular song about the Christmas tree, coniferous plants flaunt not only all shades of green. Among them there are forms with needles in golden and silver-gray tones. There are also variegated needles: interspersed with yellow or ivory. Not too rich, it would seem, the palette nevertheless allows you to create picturesque compositions that successfully replace flower beds, but consisting exclusively of coniferous plants.
Forms with green needles in the design of the garden play the role of separators that prevent the colors from mixing, but the “colored” varieties are designed to complicate the play of tones. For example, the bluish shade of the scaly juniper ‘Blue Carpet’ will correctly emphasize the “steel” color of the silver sucker. And to make these muted colors seem richer and brighter, it is worth planting a traditionally green coniferous plant nearby - in this case, it is mountain pine ‘Mugus’.
If you get carried away with beautiful varieties with colored and especially variegated needles, it is easy to overdo it, getting instead harmonious combination colors "explosive mixture", not very noticeable in summer, but emphatically artificial in the rest of the time. Therefore, visually select places for conifers in the garden better in autumn when a bright autumn outfit is in front of your eyes deciduous trees and shrubs, or in early spring, so that other plants do not interfere with mentally imagining the whole prickly company at once.
Usually, when selecting conifers, it is not necessary to take into account seasonal color changes. The only exceptions are some species and varieties. Somewhat apart are larches, shedding their needles for the winter. So, in summer, the European larch ‘Repens’, which looks like a light green shock, from autumn to spring turns into a beige-brown disheveled “monster” of long bare shoots swaying in the wind.
Different conifers have original creeping varieties. These are, for example, Norway spruce ‘Formanek’ (Formanek), Scots pine ‘Hillside Creeper’ (Hillside Creeper), Mountain pine ‘Jacobsen’ (Jakobsen), Canadian hemlock ‘Prostrata’ (Prostrata) and many others.
Dwarf varieties are very popular with collectors and lovers of conifers. These charming "hedgehogs" are very, very modest in size, while possessing characteristic species features. Such plants are a real find for owners of small plots, allowing you to collect an impressive collection of coniferous "miniatures". They look especially impressive in rockeries or on alpine slide. Examples include Scotch pine ‘Nisbet’s Gem’, Norway spruce ‘Little Gem’, Korean fir ‘Piccolo’. The range of such varieties is very large.
Competitive selection
A healthy seedling is half the success, therefore, choosing planting material conifers, you need to be fully armed and approach this issue very responsibly.
Medical Board
Coniferous plants are best purchased with a closed root system. It is desirable that they be grown directly in a container or transplanted a long time ago, as evidenced by an earthen ball tightly braided with beige or light brown roots without the slightest hint of dryness. The exception is conifers dug out of the ground in early spring (April-May) or autumn (until October), and directly in front of you (this makes it possible to personally monitor the safety of the root system). Such plants should be planted in the garden as soon as possible, ideally on the first day.
Be sure to pay attention to the needles: a healthy plant does not have dry red needles. But the lack of intense color characteristic of some varieties may simply be a consequence of being in low light conditions.
In addition, you need to make sure that there are no thickenings on the shoots, and, if possible, on the roots. Resin smudges, growths, white “cotton” dots should also alert - all this indicates disease damage.
Access zone
Unfortunately, not every conifer is able to withstand the harsh Russian winters, therefore, when choosing, a map of plant frost resistance zones will serve as a convenient guide. The larger the number of the zone to which a particular species belongs, the more thermophilic it is. True, the “southerners” also have varieties that grow well in some gardens, despite their high sensitivity to frost. An important factor at the same time, it is not so much a landing site protected from cold winds as a shelter with snow, therefore, most often stunted or creeping forms. For example, in the Moscow region, located on the border of the 4th and 5th zones, plants can overwinter even from zone 6.
Free cheese?
At the end of autumn, many stores sell plants at a discount. But a very tempting offer can turn into a complete disappointment, because there is practically no time left for normal rooting. In fairness, it should be noted that not all gardeners who buy conifers at sales find them dead in the spring. There are experienced amateurs who specifically hunt for such specimens. Residents of regions remote from the center, where each new plant is not only a rarity, but also a very expensive pleasure, also take the opportunity. Such plants after planting and in the first spring will need more attention and support in the form of stimulating rooting and anti-stress drugs.
False alarm
Although conifers are sometimes damaged by pests and diseases, there are incidental cases when healthy plants are mistaken for sick ones. For example, the cross-pair microbiota in the cold season has a completely unpresentable appearance: its needles seem “rusty”.
But this is just a characteristic this species and saving the plant from spring burns - by the summer, the ugly redhead will disappear, the microbiota will again delight with emerald greenery. When buying her seedlings in early spring or mid-autumn, this should be borne in mind.
A brown tint appears by winter in many golden forms of the western thuja. It usually disappears on its own, but plants can be helped by spraying with anti-stress drugs.
Landing announced!
When planting conifers in the garden, it is very important to follow the technology and take into account the characteristics of the growth and development of different species. This will help you avoid future disappointments.
Movement in depth
The size of the planting hole for conifers depends on the composition and fertility of the soil. On fertilized loose loam, a volume twice as large as root system seedling. The poorer and heavier the soil, the deeper and wider the hole. On heavy loamy, in addition, drainage is made from broken bricks, gravel or pebbles. A close standing ground water requires landing on mounds.
When preparing the substrate for the planting pit, the determining factor is the immediate requirements of the plants. For example, western thuja and European larch prefer well-moistened nutrient soils, while horizontal and Cossack junipers grow well on dry sandy ones.
Sequencing
Plants with a closed root system are easier to plant. Spill the soil well, lightly squeeze the sides of the container (for a better clod lag), then carefully turn the pot upside down and pull out the seedling, holding it with your other hand. Straighten the folded roots and, if necessary, cut too tangled or dried roots, then plant the plant in a prepared hole. Be sure to ensure that the root neck is at the same level as in the container.
For plants with open roots, you should try to preserve the earthen ball as much as possible. Carefully unfold the burlap, carefully straighten the root system and place in landing pit, gradually filling it with the prepared substrate. When filling the ground, compact it a little, then water it well and mulch it.
Before rooting, spray the seedlings in the evening hours and water in a timely manner, preventing the soil from drying out in the near-stem circle. After planting, and then annually on the eve of spring (end of February, March), conifers are protected from sunlight by a screen with stretched burlap. In the first year, do not fertilize the plant, supporting it with stimulating rooting and anti-stress drugs. In the next - add to trunk circle humus and compost soil, feed mineral fertilizers.
When buying a seedling, you need to know exactly its type and variety. This is necessary not so much in order to provide the plant the necessary conditions how much to determine frost resistance. So, the eastern thuja, often found on sale, winters well only in the southern regions - all your efforts will be in vain. The same fate awaits Lawson's cypress and some other species. In order not to be mistaken in the absence of a signature, it is better to first find out what the plant you have chosen looks like.
Anticipating the future
A common mistake when planting conifers is that they are too close to each other or to other plants. Buying a small seedling is preferable in terms of survival, but very risky in terms of placement. After 5-10 years (depending on the growth rate), the plant can greatly increase in size and either block everything that was successfully located in the background in the first years, or cover its neighbors with overgrown shoots. It is worse if coniferous species were also planted around: their transplantation can be very painful and even harmful - the plants are already adults. Knowing the exact size of an adult specimen will help to avoid an unpleasant situation. And you can fill a temporarily empty space with herbaceous plants or fast-growing and easily propagating shrubs such as Japanese spirea.
Because of the same slip under the crowns of conifers, bulbous ones often remain “buried”. For example, a pretty juniper grew and grew, and around it there were daffodils that delighted in the spring rapid flowering. But one day they stop blooming, and juniper roots do not allow digging deep-seated bulbs. And you have to make a choice between saving a slowly growing coniferous plant or fine variety daffodils. As a rule, bulbs are sacrificed, so it is better to plant them in the distance and take timely measures to dig and transplant.
Vertical forms of conifers do not look good if they are lower than herbaceous plants growing nearby. In the case of fast-growing species, it is better to put up with disharmony for a couple of years than to deal with transplants later.
But it is preferable to plant dwarfs and slow-growing varieties at some distance from both herbaceous neighbors and shrubs and surround them with ground cover species or stones.
Many conifers love the sun. However, in the spring, some varieties may suffer from burns, so they are planted in partial shade. In shaded places, ordinary and Cossack junipers, microbiota and western thuja with the usual green color feel good. Plants are more friable than in full sun.
Foreword
The warm season is ideal for a flowering garden. But you really want him to be able to please even in winter. And this is where a flower bed of conifers will help you - it can inspire with greenery throughout the year. Tui, junipers and other species fit perfectly into general style your garden, and in summer the flower beds can be supplemented with other flowers and shrubs.
A flowerbed of coniferous plants - a scheme and stages of creation
There is nothing difficult in creating such a flower bed. It is important to know exactly the stages of work, as well as study the recommendations experienced gardeners on the choice and care of plants in the future.
Making a flower bed with your own hands:
- Soil preparation. Although evergreen conifers can grow in almost any soil, it is best to mix turf or leaf soil with peat and sand. Don't forget to add special formulations for these types of trees, which can be purchased at a regular gardening store.
- After that, we proceed to landing. It is best to plant tall species in the center of the flower bed. For example, you can choose junipers, which we install at a distance of about a meter from each other. The depth of the dug holes should be approximately 50-70 cm, lay out on the bottom soil mixtures. You can not do without drainage, which can be sand or pebbles. Around in the same way we plant lower plants.
- We tamp, mulch and decorate the flower bed. After planting the plants, the soil must be carefully watered, compacted, adding a layer of earth if necessary. Next, we carry out mulching with peat or pine chips, while the layer should be at least 10 cm. decorating fit pebbles or marble chips.
- We are beautifying the area. Undoubtedly, not only landing is important, but also the creation of a decent entourage. A moat should be dug around our evergreen flower bed, where we will plant lower flowers and plants. The soil should be neutral, "flavored" with mineral fertilizers - this will allow you to grow lush and healthy shrubs. When choosing plants, follow the period of their flowering and select according to the same principle - this will allow you to get beautiful flower beds from conifers.
A flowerbed of conifers - ensuring proper care
With a small example, we will show how best to arrange an evergreen flower bed. Before proceeding with the task, determine the future type of composition, taking into account the size, style, relative position, and then, based on these factors, select plants. The main thing is that they look and can be side by side. The easiest option is to create a flower bed with a symmetrical arrangement of shrubs and trees. As the main (central) element, a pyramidal, “funnel-shaped” plant should be taken. For example, it can be a Chinese juniper - the tree grows up to 2.5 m. After that, we plant shrubs of the “second order” symmetrically. These include mountain pine, western thuja, european spruce- those types of evergreens that reach 1.5 m in height.
