Conifers are precious trees in the garden because they keep their foliage in all seasons. Resistant, as beautiful in isolated subjects as in hedges, they are part of the fundamentals in a garden.
A wide variety of shapes, a wide range of colors and hardiness are all part of the conifer program!
What is a conifer?
Unlike most trees which are angiosperms, conifers are gymnosperms, which means that they generally produce their seeds (naked ovules) on the scales of their cones. They do not flower in the usual sense of the term. Most conifers keep their foliage in winter (except for ginkgo and larch), which is an important asset in the garden, especially in the case of windbreaks or privacy hedges that must also be effective during the bad season. The tough leaves are often needle-like or scale-like, which gives them a very good resistance to climatic elements, such as heat or cold. The foliage is also less sensitive to evaporation thanks to this constitution.
Conifers for all tastes
In addition to the cedar well known for its rapid growth and its use in hedges for decades, the world of conifers offers an amazing variety that is interesting to exploit in a garden. There are conifers for all tastes and for all gardens, from the largest to the smallest, thanks to the dwarf and creeping varieties.
Sequoias are best reserved for large gardens with their 100 meter height and their consequent spread, as is the Cedar of Lebanon, ideal as an isolated subject on a lawn in mountainous areas which it particularly likes. Whether it comes from Lebanon, the Himalayas or the Atlas, the cedar is always a majestic tree requiring space because it can reach up to 50 meters in height! In terms of colors, the cedar covers a palette ranging from dark green to blue.
The common yew is very interesting in hedges and topiary because it supports well the pruning. Its growth is slow, so pruning operations to obtain a beautiful hedge are limited compared to other trees.
Beware, the foliage and berries are toxic.
Cypress comes in 24 species, the most famous of which is Cupressus sempervirens, the Italian cypress with its characteristic silhouette reaching for the sky. Rustic, ornamental, resistant to pollution, heat and drought, the cypress has enormous assets. It will be used to mark the entrance of a property as a sign of welcome, but also to make graphic alignments marking the contours of a driveway. This cypress can also be used as a hedge.
Among the best known and most widespread conifers are of course the pines. A vast family of about a hundred species, including the umbrella pine with its characteristic silhouette reminiscent of the seashore and sandy soil that it loves, but also the Scots pine, which is more fond of freshness, as well as the Austrian black pine, which is well suited to high altitudes to form vast forests.
We don't think much about juniper in the garden and yet it has many assets. Its bark is decorative and aromatic, its bluish foliage and its berries are all ornamental values. Hardy, it also tolerates drought, heat and sea spray. It grows in all types of soil, even sandy! Among the many species you will certainly find the one that suits you. The creeping forms will be able to cover an embankment, the tortuous forms will be appropriate perfectly in isolated subject, whereas the species with prickly foliage will constitute defensive hedges!
