Conifers bring joy Dressing up the cool-season landscape

Conifers bring joy

Dressing up the cool-season landscape

by Norman Winter, Horticulturist, Author and Speaker

There is nothing that adds a thrill to the winter landscape quite

like conifers. Much

to the chagrin of my wife, I could be forever happy gardening among conifers. I love green selections, blue-gray varieties and there is nothing that causes my heart to race quite like the gold varieties. Then to add the magic I would like as many shapes and sizes as possible.

My son James, a landscape guru, just installed a cool-season bed for a commercial client measuring several hundred square feet. Over the years this progressive business has given him the opportunity to use large woody nursery stock as a temporary or seasonal attraction to catch the eye and to make a statement with the hundreds of pansies, dianthus and snapdragons.

Even in the South the dwarf Alberta spruce will work great as a seasonal plant in a coolseason mixed container.

This year a colorful conifer garden was planted and may draw the eye even more than the flowers. Forever Goldy arborvitae, Thuja plicata, a Southern Living Plant Collection conifer, stands out with its 24-karat foliage, making a dramatic statement. It is grown in combination with the blue gray of Carolina Sapphire Arizona cypress, Cupressus arizonica, and Emerald Green arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis.

The small round or compact conifers make just as big of an impact. Gold Mop or threadleaf cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera, and Pancake arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis - also a Southern Living Plant Collections conifer but with blue foliage - makes an electrifying, complementary partnership. Supplement with the golden chartreuse foliage of the dwarf Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica ‘globosa nana,’ and you have to bring out the camera.

You can do something similar in your area, whether permanent with your region's recommended conifers or seasonal like in Columbus, GA. You will want to select a site with as much sun as possible. This really allows the colors to pop. The conifers and cool-season annuals alike absolutely must have fertile soil with great drainage.

If your soil is tight, heavy clay and not well drained, then plan on amending it with 3 to 4 inches of organic matter and work the bed to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. The best idea might be to copy what the commercial landscapers do: plant in raised beds using a prepared soil mix.

Even though good drainage is paramount, water will be necessary to allow the conifers to maintain their health and appearance and to get roots acclimated and expanded in your bed. It is likewise absolutely critical for the pansies and dianthus or the cool-season color of your choice to literally explode with new growth and blooms. Be sure and add a good layer of mulch to keep soil temperatures moderate, conserve moisture and deter weed growth.

In the South the winter season allows us to celebrate like our friends in the north or even the California west coast. If we want to plant a Douglas Fir or Alberta Spruce (or better yet a cluster of three) and grow them as an annual we can do that.

If you don’t think this is a trending idea you should look at how many Lemon Cypresses are being sold. This drop-dead gorgeous

conifer that is more at home along California’s Monterey Bay than the torrid heat and humidity of Georgia is nonetheless a must-have plant. We cannot pass these by; we love them if even for a season.

Conifers bring joy to the garden, porch, patio and deck. The more colors, sizes and shapes the happier we will be, whether we are growing them for a season or a lifetime.

About the author

Norman Winter is the former director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm, now retired. These days he is an author and speaker on horticultural topics.

Facebook: NormanWinterTheGardenGuy

Forever Goldy arborvitae and Gold Mop chamaecyparis seem to light up this cool season bed. Lemon Zest Cypress is a must-have plant for the cool season landscape looking like a Christmas tree surrounded by purple leafed kale.

Forever Goldy arborvitae and Pancake arborvitae make a picturesque complementary partnership.