| Plant
A Conifer
15
September 2007
Don’t
let gardeners of my age put you off. Conifers
were made for gardens. They did, deservedly,
get a bad press 25 years ago but that was because
of bad advice by the people selling them. Their
command of the English language wasn’t
good and they mixed up the words dwarf with
slow growing. This resulted in conifers growing
in rockeries and containers that looked good
for a few years and then started to grow and
grow and grow.
There are many superb dwarf conifers that may
reach 3 ft high in a lifetime and others that
will struggle to reach 6 ft in 15 years.
 Where
they are being grown in containers use a soil
based compost. Keep the top of the compost at
least 2-3 inches below the rim of the pot to
allow for watering, feeding and an annual top
up with fresh soil.
In the garden choose a site free from perennial
weeds. Most conifers prefer a moisture retentive,
free draining soil that is neutral to acid.
Some such as yew are tolerant of a chalk soil.
Dig in lots of old, well rotted, farmyard manure
and add a handful of bone meal to the planting
hole.
Find out the ultimate spread of the conifers
as well as the height and space them accordingly.
There are slow growing yews such as the upright,
columnar bright yellow leafed Taxus baccata
fastigiata ‘Aureomarginata’ which
may grow to 6 ft in 10 years.
 The
Noah’s Ark juniper, Juniperus communis
‘Compressa’ forms a tight, narrow,
upright blue-green conifer that is incredibly
slow growing making it ideal for a container
or a rockery.
Thuja orientalis ‘Aurea Nana’ has
flattened branches of greenish yellow foliage.
The young growths are bright yellow throughout
summer.
There are slow growing pines and larches although
some will eventually reach 8-10 ft in height.
If you consult a good reference book and speak
to the plant expert at your local garden centre
then you will have no cause to rubbish the conifer.
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