Fir trees, spice trees, how to recognize them?

In the vast family of conifers, few people can tell the difference between a fir and spruce, especially since the famous Christmas tree has been confusing the issue for decades. Here are a few tips to avoid making mistakes and to recognize them.

What is a fir tree?

A real fir is a coniferous tree that belongs to the Abies genus, which includes about fifty species of trees with a high growth rate (up to 50 m high for Abies alba). Firs grow naturally in mountainous and northern regions. Very hardy, they appreciate rich, fresh and well-drained soils with an acidic tendency.

What is spruce?

The spruce is a conifer that belongs to the genus Picea, which includes about forty species of trees growing in the cooler areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Very hardy, they like full sun and acidic, cool and well-drained soils.

How to differentiate a fir from spruce?

To differentiate the two types, there are a few tricks:

1- the needles 

• Fir branches have linear and flattened leaves (needles) that are often shiny green and have two white stripes on the back along the length of each leaf. When pulled off, they leave a round scar on the branch.
• The leaves of the spruce are arranged all around the twig. They are tough and have 3 sides that can be felt when a needle is rolled under the finger. The tip of the needle is prickly. When a leaf is torn off, a deep scar is left on the branch taking a small piece of bark.

2- Cones

• The female cones of the fir are born around May-June at the end of the branches, they are compact and purple-blue in color, at maturity they split and release the seeds. At the top, the male cones, often green and then purple blue to brown, appear later in the season. The female cone is erect and remains on the tree, where over time, only its central part called candle will remain.
• The female cones of the spruce carried by the main and secondary shoots are woody, oblong to cylindrical and especially pendulous, which definitely differentiates them from those of the fir, which are well erect. They fall to the ground in autumn. The yellow or red male cones, ovoid, appear in March

The myth of the Christmas tree

For a long time, Picea abies, the common spruce, has been used for the Christmas tree market because it is one of the easiest to produce and one of the cheapest on the market. The term 'Fir' is therefore misplaced, as it is in fact a spruce. Nowadays, French producers offer for sale Abies nobilis or Abies nordmanniana, real fir trees whose needles are more resistant to the dryness of overheated houses in winter but which remain more expensive to buy.

Pruning and maintenance of the Florence cypress

Very graphic, slender towards the sky, the Florence cypress is an exceptional ornamental subject in a garden. From routine maintenance to pruning, here's how to maintain its distinctive habit.

The needs of the Florence Cypress

Cupressus sempervirens is a coniferous tree with a naturally conical habit, very resistant to the elements but also to pollution and disease.

It works wonders as an isolated subject to mark the entrance of a property or planted every 5 m to emphasize a wide path. It can also be planted in dense hedges as a windbreak or privacy screen thanks to its dark green evergreen foliage.

Easy to maintain, it only requires a very sunny location and extremely well drained soil to grow.

After planting, remember to water it regularly for the first two years to give it every chance of recovery. In this respect, it is always preferable to plant a young bare-root plant in autumn rather than an older plant in a container. The former will have a better chance of recovering, will be more vigorous and will quickly catch up with the latter.

Once well established, the Florence Cypress will be satisfied with what nature offers in terms of watering.

If you wish to see it grow faster, as part of the installation of a hedge for example, do not hesitate to scratch a little compost and ground horn powder at its foot in spring and then every two months until autumn. This large tree can grow up to 30 meters high if the conditions are right.

Pruning the Florence Cypress

A Florence Cypress can grow very well without any pruning being done on its branches; it will then keep its natural habit but will become very tall.

It will keep its natural growth habit but will become very tall. However, some pruning can ensure a better branching and thus make it denser and more bushy.

When to prune the Florence Cypress?

Prune in spring and a second time at the end of August if necessary.

How to prune the Florence Cypress?

• You should only prune the young stems and never attack the old wood.
• Proceed in spring on the young shoots when they reach 10 cm. Prune them by half so that the branches branch out to make the subject more bushy when it is young.
• On older plants or for hedges, prune in the spring the shoots that protrude all around the plant in order to regain aestheticism. If you need to contain the plant in height, prune gently, very regularly, without ever cutting into the old wood.
• A second pruning can be done at the end of August to keep all its splendor to your hedge. This pruning simply consists of removing half of the ends of the shoots that have developed during the summer.

Trimming a coniferous hedge

Vigorous conifers used to form hedges need pruning to keep an aesthetic appearance throughout the year. Let's see how to proceed...

When to prune your coniferous hedge?

Leyland cypress or cedar are the two species most often used to create hedges. These trees are fast growing and have an amazing development if the growing conditions are right for them. Keep in mind that in the wild, these trees can grow up to 20 meters tall, so you need to curb their eagerness to grow twice a year. The first pruning is done in April or early May, the second at the end of August if necessary.

General information on pruning

Conifers sometimes have a tendency to recede from the base, regular pruning should avoid this phenomenon.

To trim your hedge, use a lopper, shears or a hedge trimmer.

If you are pruning high up in the tree, you may want to use a scaffold to avoid having to keep moving your ladder and wasting time securing it to the ground.

If you use the hedge trimmer, keep it level with your body to gain precision and limit fatigue (and tendonitis).

Put a line between two stakes to determine the height of your hedge, so it will be straight and not form 'waves'.

Always trim your hedge so that its base is wider than its top. This allows for better air, light and rain penetration and compensates for the ever-increasing top growth.

If it snows at your place, do not prune your hedge flat during the second pruning in August but make a rounding at the top so that the snow does not break the branches.

How to prune a conifer hedge?

Start by placing the line horizontally to determine the maximum height of your hedge.

First, trim the base of your hedge. To do this, remove the young shoots by cutting off 2/3 of the end of the stem with disinfected shears. The width chosen will then be the maximum width of the hedge.

Never prune in the old wood because new shoots could not form. Moreover, pruning large branches is an open door to various cryptogamic diseases. If you ever have to cut this type of branch anyway, coat the wound with clay to protect it.

Keep the blades of the shears or hedge trimmer parallel to the hedge.

Then step back and examine your work to determine any oversights.

Once the bottom is trimmed, set up your scaffold parallel to the hedge. Be sure to calculate its height so that you don't have to bend or kneel to trim your hedge. The tool you use must be able to stay in the extension of your arm when standing.

Trim the sides and then the top, following the line. Step down from your scaffolding to take a step back and identify any adjustments that need to be made.

Choosing the right hedge plants

Growing conditions

The first thing to know about a plant, when you want to buy it, is the way it has been cultivated?

Cold resistance 

Has the plant been grown in a heated greenhouse, cold greenhouse or outdoors? A plant grown in a greenhouse, where temperatures do not go below 0°C for a cold greenhouse, does not have the same capacity to resist the cold as a plant grown outside. The first climatic hazard will be fatal.

Disease resistance 

Has the plant received phytosanitary treatments or not? If, during its first months or years of cultivation, it has received treatments, its capacity to defend itself against external aggressions is null; it will thus remain dependent on its treatments, to face possible future diseases.

The capacity to feed itself 

Has the plant received regular fertilization or not? A plant that has grown with a lot of fertilizer has not developed an efficient root system. If, once planted, you stop giving it nutrients, its recovery may be compromised.

A plant from an organic nursery that uses natural treatments in a reasonable way is prepared to grow and prosper later on with a minimum of care.

Points to check

At a glance you can also verify, in part, the quality of a plant for sale.

The root system

A plant that is not sufficiently rooted has little chance of recovering after being transplanted.

If when you gently pull the plant by the stem to remove the root ball from the pot and some soil remains stuck on the edges of the pot, the rooting is bad.

On the other hand, too strong a rooting, visible by roots that turn at the bottom of the pot, can cause the formation of a root bun, which will eventually suffocate the plant.

Tip: good rooting can be seen when the root ball is firm and keeps the shape of the pot when unstuck.

Branching

Numerous branches are a sign that the plant has been pruned several times, by a professional, to give it a bushy and dense habit, ideal for a hedge.

The root ball

The trunk, just below the collar, must be attached to the root ball. If it is not the case, do not buy it.

Create a themed hedge

A hedge doesn't have to be a plain green wall with no surprises! Ecological, scented, flowery, country-style... Hedges come in a variety of forms and themes. Here is a quick overview...

Hedges adapted to the soil

Many themes revolve around the climate, the nature of the soil or the specificities of your region. The choice will be made according to these criteria.

The seaside hedge: it will be composed of shrubs that can withstand sea spray, sandy soil and sometimes violent winds. Among them are eleagnus, escallonia, juniper or phormium.

The hedge for mild climates: it will include moderately hardy shrubs that can withstand the heat well. Oleanders, grevilleas or tamarisk are perfectly adapted to this use.

Hedges for limestone soils: limestone is not tolerated by all plants, which is why there are "ready-to-plant" kits for hedges in limestone soils. You will find buddleias, lilacs or seringats.

Hedges for shady gardens: most plants like the sun and will not grow well in the shade, fortunately some plants are still adapted to it. Among them, camellias, hollies, or even large rustic fuchsias.

Ornamental hedges

Beauty will be the criterion for selecting the shrubs that make up these hedges, but always following a very specific theme.

The hedge with colored foliage: as its name indicates, it is composed of shrubs with remarkable foliage that can vary with the seasons. The choice is vast among the cultivars of holly, spindle trees with variegated foliage, but let's not forget the warm colored foliage of dogwoods, photinias or cotinus.

The flowering hedge: the shrubs chosen will be for their opulent flowering and staggered over several months. Ceanothes, spireas, choisyas, deutzias or forsythias are perfect for this purpose.

The decorative berry hedge: some shrubs produce bunches of red berries after flowering, such as Nandina and holly, but also purple fruits such as the amazing Callicarpa and Mahonia, or black ones such as sambuscus.

Practical hedges

This type of hedge is bound to be useful in the garden.

The windbreak or privacy hedge: it should be composed exclusively of evergreen shrubs to ensure its protective function throughout the year. Bamboos, conifers but also boxwoods will have these assets.

The ecological hedge: it attracts the gardener's helpers by offering them shelter and food. Low shrubs, but also taller subjects will compose it. Flowers, berries... a maximum of diversity should be made available to the animals. Berberis, Cornus, viburnum or prunus can be used.

Tips for planting and maintaining an open hedge

The free-standing hedge is a modern-day hedge in which the gardener has intervened. This means that the plants have been consciously chosen and planted, unlike the natural hedge.

Choice of species for an open hedge

In the free hedge, local species are preferred, respecting the following proportion in its composition: 1/3 deciduous plants (hazelnut) and 2/3 evergreen plants (tin laurel) or the opposite, but in all cases conifers are to be avoided.

Regarding the choice of deciduous species, we prefer melliferous species (buddleia) to provide pollen and nectar to foragers, as well as flowering species (hibiscus) for their aesthetic side.

Advice:

• The use of 1, 2 or 3 trees can give verticality to a horizontal hedge.
• The combination of upright and stocky species is more aesthetically pleasing than the use of a single type of plant.

Advantages of an open hedge

• It is a place that attracts and protects beneficial insects;
• It is a hedge that evolves with the seasons, that is "alive";
• It is a hedge that requires much less maintenance than a pruned hedge: 0 to 1 pruning per year for the free hedge against 2 to 4 prunings per year for the pruned hedge.

To obtain the minimum of maintenance, it is necessary to choose the species that will compose it. Ideally, you should seek the help of a professional.

To help gardeners, nurserymen offer "ready-to-plant" hedge kits.

Planting an open hedge

An open hedge takes up a lot of space, precisely because it is not very well trimmed. Plan on a minimum width of 1.50 meters.

Indoors, the plants can be spaced 1 meter apart. To obtain a beautiful, dense hedge, opt for a staggered planting, in two rows spaced about 60 cm apart. This arrangement allows you to obtain a closed visual while giving relief to the whole.

Pruning an open hedge

In an open hedge, if you choose to prune, you must respect the physiology of each plant. Pruning is therefore done according to the flowering period of the plant: spring flowering plants will be pruned just after flowering while summer flowering shrubs will be pruned in February/March.

Tip

Install a tarp at the foot of the shrubs to limit the development of weeds and to keep the soil moist, which is necessary for the plants to recover.