Dwarf conifers. Conifers for the garden (36 photos) - types and features. Disadvantages of coniferous dwarfs

Nothing decorates flower beds like miniature ones coniferous trees... For a small garden, most of them are a real salvation, since they take up little space and at the same time are very decorative. Without them, now the design of flower beds, rockeries or any element landscape design looks incomplete and boring.

Juniper Compressa

  • Almost all species are evergreen, although the color can be different and decorative throughout the year.
  • Almost all are adapted to our cold climate, and if not, they are easy to shelter for the winter.
  • Caring for them is much easier, since you do not need to form a crown.
  • They are planted in areas of any size.

Dwarf conifers for the garden

So, we have a choice of dwarf species of pine, spruce, juniper, fir, thuja, elfin. Rounded, conical, creeping along the ground, from 50 cm to 1.5 m in height, they look elegant and unusual all year round.

Spruce black Nana

They also differ in the height and shape of the crown, the length and color of the needles. Bred varieties with golden, yellow, blue, silver-gray needles. And how many shades of green they give on the site!

In modern breeding, the following classification of trees and shrubs is practiced:

  1. Dwarf - annual growth of 8-15 cm;
  2. Miniature - an increase of 3-8 cm per year;
  3. Microscopic - an increase of no more than 3 cm per year.

The largest number of varieties ornamental plants gave a pine and a spruce. For example, the Winter Gold pine changes the color of its foliage - it is green in summer and golden in winter.

Norway spruce

Spruce Glauca (gray) Conica

  • Spruce Glauca (gray) Conica - regular cone-shaped crown, dense bright green needles.
  • Maxwelli - round pillow-shaped crown, no more than 1.5 m high, dark green prickly needles with a yellowish tinge.
  • Nidiformis - the shape of its crown resembles a nest, the needles are of a beautiful rich green color.
  • Little Gem - flat-rounded crown with a nesting depression, fluffy and dense needles with very thin needles.
  • Reflexa is a creeping bush.
  • Repens is a creeping species no more than 50 cm high, the color of the needles is from yellow-green to dark green.
  • Pygmaea - its height does not exceed 100 cm, the needles are green.
  • Glauca Globosa - round crown, blue needles.
  • Moll is a wide-conical crown with beautiful blue and white needles.

Juniper

Juniper horizontal Glauca

  • Juniper ordinary Compressa - columnar shape, gray-green needles.
  • Glauca is a creeping blue-tinted species.
  • Juniper scaly Meyeri is a straight shrub with blue foliage with a steel sheen.

Pine

Thuja Little Gem

  • Nana is a compact shrub with bluish green needles.
  • Compressa is a columnar crown.
  • Mountain pine Mops - round crown.
  • Brevifolia - compact bush barrel-shaped with dark green needles.
  • Winter Gold is a spherical bush with needles that change color. It is green in summer and golden in winter.
  • Shrub Pine Gnom is a spherical bush with dark green foliage.

Cedar elfin

  • Glauca is a multi-stemmed compact shrub with bluish foliage.

Thuja western

  • Ellwangeriana Aurea - bright golden needles with a copper sheen.
  • Rosenthali is a columnar bush.

Fir

  • Balsam fir Hudsoniana - no more than 30 cm high.
  • - up to half a meter high with amazingly beautiful cones.

Canadian hemlock

  • Pendula - with a spreading crown of a weeping shape.

When choosing seedlings, specify the names of suitable conifers for the garden, their varieties and specify how much they will grow on your site.

Where to plant

The advantage of small species of shrubs is that they do not need to be cut, they look beautiful almost anywhere against the background of low flowers or in a composition with taller shrubs.

They look especially impressive in a combination of greenery and stones. A small ephedra planted in the center of the flower bed will give it additional charm. And the creeping species will not cover too much beautiful sites land.

If you intend to create a decorative composition from several species, consider how they will look in 5-10-15 years. Pits for planting must be dug "for growth" so that after a few years the plants do not interfere with each other.

Mountain pine Sherwood Compact

Estimate in advance the vertical profile of the composition, because they all stretch out in different ways.

Not worth planting dwarf conifers in the shade of deciduous trees. Falling foliage creates a favorable background for the reproduction of pests.

Dwarf care

Most evergreens are drought sensitive. They are watered not only at the root, but it is advisable to arrange a shower for them on the needles, the so-called sprinkling.

The soil they need is not very fertile, but they require more light.

To prevent young shoots from getting a spring burn, it is worth wrapping the crown of decorative spruces and pines (especially green ones) with burlap at the end of winter, and removing it in April, and gradually.

Conifers root system located very close to the surface. Therefore, so that sensitive roots do not suffer, it is good to lay out a tiled path along the planting.

Juniper horizontal Wiltoni

Conifers for the garden are also good because you do not need to remove fallen leaves. And the use of creeping varieties when decorating flower beds can replace mulching.

When creating landscape design, conifers are actively used. Evergreen shrubs, trees look attractive at any time of the year. They are unpretentious, spend a large number of time and effort to take care of them will not be necessary. With the help of coniferous crops, you can decorate any site, creating a unique design.

Conifers for a garden and a summer residence

Evergreen shrubs and trees are considered unpretentious, but each of the species needs to create the most suitable conditions for growth and development. When choosing, you need to pay attention to the size of the plants and the rules for placing on personal plot.

Tall

Tall coniferous plants look spectacular in large gardens, parks or adjoining plots. If there is little space, then the tree can become the center of the composition. Other plants are placed around it so that a harmonious ensemble is created.

When disembarking tall species it must be borne in mind that plants will eventually take large area... Their root system grows well. There will be shade from tall trees, so shade-loving crops are planted next to them.

Eli Hoopsii (Hoopsii)

Popular types of tall conifers include blue spruce... The Hoopsie variety is valued for its attractive appearance and predictable growth. When planting, you can immediately assume what size the spruce will be in a few years. Upon reaching the age of 30, the spruce height will be 10 m, and the crown will grow up to 4 m in diameter. Spruce grows up to 15 m in height and 5 in diameter.

When disembarking, preference should be given to sunny areas. The needles of the Hoopsie spruce are prickly and thick, and the shoots are strong, flexible. The needles grow up to 3 cm in length. The branches are covered with a dense layer of silver-blue needles. Many people note the special appeal of this tree in late spring and early summer, when young light blue twigs appear.

Ate varieties of Hoopsie differ:

  • love for sunny areas;
  • frost resistance;
  • good adaptive abilities;
  • unpretentiousness to potting mixes.

It is advisable to periodically fertilize the soil in which spruces grow. When forming landscape design, experts recommend shading Hoopsie with an emerald-colored lawn. Such spruce goes well with weeping species of deciduous trees and shrubs.

Spruce Hoopsie tolerates haircuts well

A slow-growing coniferous tree that is popular with many is Korean fir... Under natural conditions, mature trees grow to a height of 12 m.Distinguishing characteristics:

  • the presence of soft dense needles, the edges of which are rounded;
  • the length of the needles reaches 2 cm;
  • the needles are glossy, bright green on top, 2 silvery longitudinal stripes are visible below;
  • cones are arranged vertically, they begin to grow on young trees, the height of which is 1–1.2 m;
  • young cones are purple-purple in color, over time their color changes to dark brown.

The tree is demanding on the level of moisture and soil fertility. In the first years of life, it is recommended to create partial shade for him; at a more mature age, it can grow in open areas.

Korean fir is a shade-resistant plant.

Columnar can grow up to 45 m in height serbian spruce... Upon reaching the age of 10, the coniferous tree grows up to 10 m, the diameter during this period is 2 m. Its branches are short, the lower ones are inclined to the ground.

The branches are covered with flattened dark green needles. From the bottom side, 2 stripes of a bluish-white hue are visible on them. The cones are blue-black; at maturity, their color changes to brown.

Serbian spruce is unpretentious to growing conditions, it is distinguished by good frost resistance and relative smoke and gas resistance. For normal growth, the development of the plant needs regular watering, but it tolerates dry periods better than ordinary spruces.

This coniferous tree is classified as shade-tolerant. It is used in group and single plantings.

Serbian spruce is best planted on loamy soils

Thuja Smaragd

Thuja of the Smaragd variety is popular with landscape designers. Its height reaches 5 m, while its diameter does not exceed 1–1.5 m. The smaragd is a coniferous tree with a regular cone-shaped crown, and its branches grow vertically.

Thuja belongs to slow-growing trees. It adds no more than 20 cm in height and 5 cm in width per year.

It is not difficult to care for thujas Smaragd, but they need constant watering, it is undesirable to allow the soil to dry out. If the plant is in sunny areas, then the crown will be dense, and the needles will be bright. In shaded areas, it can grow, but the crown will become more rare.

Thuja Smaragd needles are shiny, bright green

Juniper Skyrocket

Skyrocket is known as the pencil tree. The plant reaches 6–8 m in height, and does not exceed 1 m in width. Its shape is columnar, narrow. The branches of the specified type of juniper grow vertically. The needles of the plant are gray-blue, they can be needle-like or scaly.

Skyrocket is planted in small personal plots. When choosing a place for growing, it is better to give preference to open areas that are well lit by the sun.

You can also grow juniper in areas with a deficit nutrients

Dwarf

With the help of small plants, you can make a unique landscape design even on small area... Traditionally, they are placed along the paths, in the corners household plots with a lawn or used as an element of complex compositions.

Pine Compacta Glauca

Dwarf cedar pine great for creating landscaping. The main characteristics include the following:

  • when grown in middle lane height does not exceed 3 cm, width - 1.5 m;
  • the needles are bluish-green in color, the needles are 8-9 cm long;
  • branches grow densely, they are directed upwards.

When creating heather, stone gardens the dwarf pine of the Compact Glauk is used. Plants look good on alpine coaster and in planting on lawns. The specified type of pine is best grown on moderately acidic and moderately moist soils.

When planting pine, preference should be given to well-lit, sunny areas.

Mountain pine

Two types of pines are popular with the owners of personal plots.

Winter Gold is a hemispherical pine tree. Her crown is squat, on the sides it is unevenly developed. In summer, the needles of a mountain pine are light green, and in winter they acquire a yellow-golden color. At the age of 10, the plant height is 0.5 m, and the crown diameter is 1 m.

The Ophir variety has a regular round shape. But after a few years of growth, the pine can become a little lopsided and more spreading. Adult 10-year-old plants are usually no more than 0.5 m in height, and they can be about 1 m in diameter.

The Mini Mops mountain pine variety is considered to be no less popular. It is used to decorate plots. Pine grows very slowly, the annual growth is 2 cm. Upon reaching the age of 10, the height of the ephedra does not exceed 40 cm. Mini Pug needles are dark green in color, young shoots are light green in color. A flattened spherical crown is formed from the branches.

The Mini Pug plant is light-loving, it can tolerate a little shade, but with a constant lack of sunlight, its growth deteriorates, the tree can dry out. Pine is undemanding to soils, it grows even on soils with a lack of nutrients. It tolerates frost and wind well.

Gardeners, if desired, can form a crown near a mountain pine, the plant tolerates haircuts well

Spruce Barry (Barryi)

Popular slow-growing species include the common Barry spruce. In young low-growing plants, the crown has a rounded shape. Over time, the branches grow to the sides. By the age of 30, the spruce grows about 2 m in height.

The needles of the Barry variety are dark green, brown-orange young shoots appear in the spring. Spruce is shade-tolerant, it can be safely planted in shaded areas. Coniferous tree takes root better and grows on loamy and sandy loam, well-drained soils.

Excessive waterlogging is harmful to Barry's spruce

Tuya Danica (Danica)

In summer cottages and plots near private houses, many planted evergreen thuja. Danica is one of the most common varieties. The plant is in the shape of a ball. At the age of 10, its diameter is 0.4 m. Maximum size adult shrubs - 0.8 m in height and 1 m in diameter.

TO distinctive features tui Danica include:

  • needles are shiny, bright, dark green;
  • bumps round shape, Brown color, 8–12 mm in size;
  • the needles have a flat scaly shape, it is located vertically;
  • the root system is superficial, there are several deep roots.

Thuja can grow without problems in partial shade and in the sun.

In brightly lit areas, thuja will be brighter and denser

Conica spruce

Thanks to the attractive appearance Konik spruce is planted by many in their dachas and gardens. The variety is distinguished by a fluffy, dense crown, an ideal conical shape, which is obtained naturally without haircuts.

Features of the view:

  • in natural conditions, Konica grows up to 3-4 m, when planted in parks, gardens, in summer cottages - up to 2 m;
  • light green soft spruce needles, needles no more than 1 cm long;
  • annual growth is about 6–10 cm in height, 3–5 cm in width;
  • spruce trees should be planted in sunny places; in the first years after planting, it is recommended to shade the plants on the south side with white spanbond;
  • grows well on neutral and slightly acidic soils with plenty of moisture, but reacts poorly to waterlogging.

Landscape designers often planted Konik spruce in the foreground, they look good in single placement and in groups.

Spruce has a small growth due to strong branching and a short distance from one internode to another.

Creeping

Creepers are often used as a decorative element in rocky gardens. With their help, you can add volume to landscape flower beds.

Juniper Wilton

V flower arrangements at summer cottages, garden plots many add horizontal junipers. The Wilton variety spreads with a low cover on the ground. At the age of 10 years, it rises above the surface of the earth by no more than 15 cm. At the same time, it can grow 2-3 m in breadth. The needles of the Wilton juniper are silvery-blue.

Wilton is one of the varieties that can be safely grown in an urban environment. It is undemanding to the composition of the soil, frost-resistant and tolerates temporary droughts well.

It can be planted as a single plant or in group plantings. Wilton looks good in rockeries, rock gardens. This view looks spectacular if its branches hang from the retaining walls.

Juniper Plumosa

The Chinese variety of juniper Plumosa belongs to the creeping. But in height it reaches 30-50 cm. On the surface, the plant spreads to 2-2.5 m. Old branches lie on the ground, and from them young shoots rise upwards at an angle of 45 °.

The branches of the plumose juniper are feather-shaped. The needles in the summer-autumn time are gray-green, in winter the needles acquire magenta tint... The variety is light-loving, but it grows well in shaded areas. In the shade, the color becomes light green. Juniper is undemanding to soil.

Acidic and alkaline soils are suitable for junipers.

Canadian hemlock

The hemlock is an ephedra belonging to the pine family. Landscape designers like to use weeping hemlock types for individual or group plantings, which are located on rocky areas, near water bodies, in open areas.

The slow-growing variety of hemlock Prostrate is popular. It belongs to creeping cushion plants.

Variety characteristics:

  • the needles are tender, small, green;
  • annual growth up to 6 cm;
  • at the age of 10 years, the Canadian hemlock grows up to 50 cm in height, on the ground it spreads 1 m.

It is better to plant hemlock Prostrate in partial shade. She needs coolness and high humidity. The plant does not tolerate heat, drought well. Wet soils, characterized by a slightly acidic reaction, are ideal for planting; it is important that they contain a large amount of nutrients.

Loreley spruce

The Lorelei variety belongs to the weeping species. common spruce... Its trunk is arched, the lower branches are spread along the ground. Creeping spruce becomes after grafting into the root collar. The branches rise to a height of no more than 0.6 m, then the shoots fall and spread over the surface of the earth.

For planting, it is better to give preference to sunny areas, although the spruce grows in partial shade. The soils should be drained, slightly moistened, sandy loam and loamy soils are suitable.

When forming a landscape design, it is necessary to take into account that the Lorelei spruce looks good on areas with varying heights.

Stagnant moisture is harmful to spruce

Cross-pair microbiota (Decussate)

The cross-pair microbiota belongs to the cypress family. It can be grown in difficult climatic conditions, it is not afraid of it strong winds, rocky ground and shade. Branches in natural conditions can rise up to 1 m in height, but when grown in gardens, in summer cottages, its height usually does not exceed 60 cm.

On young shoots of the microbiota, the needles are needle-like, over time it becomes scaly. In summer, the needles are dark green, and in winter period the color changes to copper brown. When planting cross-paired microbiota, preference should be given to shady areas. The plant looks good in single plantings in the center of the lawn, in mixed compositions when planting along lawns, flower beds, slopes, coastal zones.

Shoots of microbiota form a flattened shape with well-defined tiers

Photo gallery: conifers in landscape design - site design ideas

Coniferous crops are actively used to create individual landscape design on sites. When planting, it is necessary to take into account what soils plants prefer, how they relate to sunny and shaded areas. Only plants with the same care can be planted nearby. Compositions of conifers, with a well-formed design, will delight owners for many years.

to grow in your greenhouse exotic plant it is important to observe the subtleties of care. Everyone wants to grow exotic flowers. The secrets of the content of many color groups do not differ. In this article, the authors intended to cite many secrets in order to avoid mistakes when keeping a certain plant. Each plant requires a different approach. It should be understood in order to determine the subsequent procedures, to which group your flower belongs.

A few words about design - conifers guard the healing air

But these evergreen trees are not only beneficial to health, they also delight the eye with their bizarre crowns and delicately prickly paws-branches. Therefore, conifers play a special role in garden design. Moreover, by adding "thorny accents" to the style of the infield, they give the territory bright personality, because among the many breeds you can find bizarre shapes dwarf trees, sprawling giants, weeping and fragile bushes.

And their most important advantage is that the conifers in the garden near the house all year round, in winter and summer, will delight all household members with their bright decorative effect. And the correct and competent placement of even one coniferous unit on the site can radically change its mood.

Choosing conifers for the garden

There are a lot of varieties of evergreens, but for a garden it is necessary to take into account the aspect of complex survival conifers, poor transplant transfer and love of the natural environment. Therefore, it is recommended to use coniferous plants in garden design from local flora or those that take root well with it:

By choosing suitable variety, you can safely proceed to the design of the composition.

The use of conifers for a summer cottage

The appearance and natural features of evergreen crops are such that they are most beneficial to use as a hedge. Moreover, depending on the desired and selected breeds, these can be high, low or medium height green fences.

For example, such conifers in landscape design as ordinary spruce or even blue Canadian spruce can make up a shady, dense hedge of medium height. As a rule, they look perfect at a height of one meter, maximum two. They are planted in a line at a distance of about one meter, and each year, to maintain the required height and density, pinch the tops.

The common juniper will be an ideal candidate for the role of an evergreen hedge. He only needs a regular haircut, otherwise his "naughty branches-paws" will upset the even rows of the fence.

Dwarf conifers for the garden will be an excellent option for a rock garden. They will become the central figure of the landscape design of the territory, and they can be planted both in the center of the composition and in its background. Again, creeping juniper can bring originality to the rock garden. The same dwarf or undersized conifers in the garden can decorate and perfectly decorate the shores of an artificial reservoir.

Thorny and evergreen conifers selected in height and height in the design of a personal plot can make up an original flower garden - a mixborder. For this flower bed, the number of plants does not matter, its goal is to harmoniously mix several species in one composition. But in order for the mixborder to look great, the conifers in the garden must be selected approximately the same in color, shape and height. And in autumn and spring, complement the composition with bright spots of flowering crops and herbs: species of heather, eric, bulbous flowers.

And it is noteworthy that such mixed beds and flower beds with conifers can be diluted hardwoods trees and shrubs. The spines of needles and roses are very close and at the same time incommensurably distant - a slightly non-standard and brightly fragrant combination. Rhododendrons, dwarf magnonias or even barberries will look good with conifers. But here it is worth considering one "but", conifers in the garden will not tolerate fast-growing plants next to them.

But not necessarily coniferous evergreens in landscape design should be included in the composition. Not at all. There are such proud and powerful representatives of thorny species as: cedar, pine, fir, larch or spruce, which, planted in one copy (being tapeworms), can give a backyard a quiet, calm mood, and fill the atmosphere with a sense of security. But these proud specimens should be planted in the most prominent (ceremonial) place - not far from the house.

Fashionable trend: conifers in tubs in the country garden

In recent years, conifers have been participating in design in a very peculiar way. They are not planted on a personal plot, but are placed, for example, near the entrance to a house in large beautiful tubs or pots. The forms and types of such decorations can be very diverse, and therefore create a unique effect.

These can be tall varieties of conifers trimmed in a spiral, lush breeds, as a rule, are decorated figuratively: balls, pyramids, animals, and so on. Such conifers in tubs minimize care, it is only necessary to remember that in winter they must either be dug into the ground or brought into a cool place.

Garden plants

Conifers for the garden

Recently, the use of evergreen conifers for creating a garden landscape has become increasingly popular. Now around the cottages and country houses can be found different types pine, fir, spruce, hemlock, cypress, metasequoia, juniper, thuja.

Depending on the type of coniferous plant, they can be used as a decorative element to decorate a garden or to create a hedge around it.

As well as all plants, conifers are: frost-resistant and heat-loving, undersized and tall, shade-tolerant and sun-loving.

Therefore, before you buy conifers for planting in your garden, you need to find out in what conditions which varieties can be grown.

To create landscapes, frost-resistant and shade-tolerant plants are most often chosen, which are characterized by unpretentious care and resistance to adverse weather conditions. We will consider them in more detail in our article.

Frost-resistant conifers for the garden

  • fir - balsamic, monochrome, whole-leaved, Korean, subalpine, white-brown, Sakhalin, Siberian, Vich;
  • pea cypress;
  • juniper - hard, Chinese, Virginia, ordinary, Cossack, Siberian, scaly, horizontal;
  • larch - European, Gmelin, Japanese, American, Siberian;
  • spruce - ordinary, Engelman, blue, Canadian, Korean, black, Siberian, Serbian, prickly, red;
  • pine - Banksa, twisted, mountain, black, Rumelian, yellow, resinous, ordinary, Weymouth, European cedar, Siberian cedar and dwarf cedar;
  • cross-pair microbiota;
  • drooping tuevik;
  • pseudo-legged Mensis;
  • yew - berry, Far Eastern, Canadian;
  • thuja western.

Shade-tolerant conifers for the garden

  • spruce canadian;
  • prickly spruce;
  • common spruce;
  • Serbian spruce;
  • Entelmani spruce;
  • echinoformis;
  • cross-pair microbiota;
  • balsam fir;
  • Korean fir;
  • single-colored fir;
  • Siberian fir;
  • yew Canadian Pyramidalis;
  • yew berry Repandens;
  • drooping tuevik, or Japanese;
  • thuja western Brabant.

Low-growing (dwarf) varieties of conifers for the garden

The peculiarity of the plants of these varieties is that they are spherical, conical and pillow-shaped, which does not need to be created artificially.

  • spruce common varieties Typner, Little Gem and Nidiformis;
  • gray spruce "Echiniformis", "Conica", "Laurin";
  • oriental spruce "Thom Thumb Gold"
  • mountain pine "Mini Mops" and "Gnom" "Picobello"
  • Serbian spruce "Nana" ;.
  • prickly spruce "Mseno"
  • Albert's dwarf spruce
  • Echinoformis;
  • pseudo-legged Menzies "Fletcheri
  • thuja western "Malonyana Holub" "Danica" and "Globosa Nana";
  • juniper "Blue Star" ("Blue star"). "King of Spring" and Chinese.

Tall conifers for the garden

Compositions with coniferous plants of low forms are used for small gardens, as well as in the design of flower beds, paths and flower beds. Tall conifers can be used as a background for other plants, in single and group compositions.

Thanks to the variety of shades of green in conifers, your garden will look great all year round.

Choosing dwarf conifers

Nothing decorates flower beds like miniature conifers. For a small garden, most of them are a real salvation, since they take up little space and at the same time are very decorative. Without them, the design of flower beds, rockeries or any element of landscape design now looks incomplete and boring.

Why dwarf?

  • Almost all species are evergreen, although the color can be different and decorative throughout the year.
  • Almost all are adapted to our cold climate, and if not, they are easy to shelter for the winter.
  • Caring for them is much easier, since you do not need to form a crown.
  • They are planted in areas of any size.

Dwarf conifers for the garden

So, we have a choice of dwarf species of pine, spruce, juniper, fir, thuja, elfin. Rounded, conical, creeping along the ground, with a height of 50 cm to 1.5 m, they look elegant and unusual all year round.

Spruce black Nana

They also differ in the height and shape of the crown, the length and color of the needles. Bred varieties with golden, yellow, blue, silver-gray needles. And how many shades of green they give on the site!

In modern breeding, the following classification of trees and shrubs is practiced:

  1. Dwarf - annual growth of 8-15 cm;
  2. Miniature - an increase of 3-8 cm per year;
  3. Microscopic - an increase of no more than 3 cm per year.

The largest number of varieties of ornamental plants was given by pine and spruce. For example, the Winter Gold pine changes the color of its foliage - it is green in summer and golden in winter.

Norway spruce

Spruce Glauca (gray) Conica

  • Spruce Glauca (gray) Conica - regular cone-shaped crown, dense bright green needles.
  • Maxwelli - round pillow-shaped crown, no more than 1.5 m high, dark green prickly needles with a yellowish tinge.
  • Nidiformis - the shape of its crown resembles a nest, the needles are of a beautiful rich green color.
  • Little Gem - flat-rounded crown with a nesting depression, fluffy and dense needles with very thin needles.
  • Reflexa is a creeping bush.
  • Repens is a creeping species no more than 50 cm high, the color of the needles is from yellow-green to dark green.
  • Pygmaea - its height does not exceed 100 cm, the needles are green.
  • Glauca Globosa - round crown, blue needles.
  • Moll is a wide-conical crown with beautiful blue and white needles.

Juniper

Juniper horizontal Glauca

  • Juniper ordinary Compressa - columnar shape, gray-green needles.
  • Juniper horizontal Glauca is a creeping species of blue hue.
  • Juniper scaly Meyeri is a straight shrub with blue foliage with a steel sheen.

Pine

Thuja Little Gem

  • Nana is a compact shrub with bluish green needles.
  • Compressa is a columnar crown.
  • Mountain pine Mops - round crown.
  • Brevifolia is a compact barrel-shaped shrub with dark green needles.
  • Winter Gold is a spherical bush with needles that change color. It is green in summer and golden in winter.
  • Shrub Pine Gnom is a spherical bush with dark green foliage.

Cedar elfin

  • Glauca is a multi-stemmed compact shrub with bluish foliage.

Thuja western

  • Ellwangeriana Aurea - bright golden needles with a copper sheen.
  • Rosenthali is a columnar bush.

Fir

  • Balsam fir Hudsoniana - no more than 30 cm high.
  • Korean fir Brilliant - up to half a meter high with amazingly beautiful cones.

Canadian hemlock

  • Pendula - with a spreading crown of a weeping shape.

When choosing seedlings, specify the names of suitable conifers for the garden, their varieties and specify how much they will grow on your site.

Where to plant

The advantage of small species of shrubs is that they do not need to be cut, they look beautiful almost anywhere against the background of low flowers or in a composition with taller shrubs.

They look especially impressive in a combination of greenery and stones. A small ephedra planted in the center of the flower bed will give it additional charm. And creeping views will cover not too beautiful plots of land.

If you intend to create a decorative composition from several species, consider how they will look in 5-10-15 years. Pits for planting must be dug "for growth" so that after a few years the plants do not interfere with each other.

Mountain pine Sherwood Compact

Estimate in advance the vertical profile of the composition, because they all stretch out in different ways.

Do not plant dwarf conifers in the shade of deciduous trees. Falling foliage creates a favorable background for the reproduction of pests.

Dwarf care

Most evergreens are drought sensitive. They are watered not only at the root, but it is advisable to arrange a shower for them on the needles, the so-called sprinkling.

    see photo), spinous, Japanese (Umbrella), Japanese white, oriental white, mountain, European cedar;
  • fir - Korean, balsamic, Frazera, one-color;
  • Metasequoia;
  • spruce - Hoopsii, Aureospicata, blue;
  • dull cypress;
  • Canadian hemlock.

Dwarf and decorative varieties:

  • spruce - common (Typner, Little Gem, Nidiformis), gray (Echiniformis, Conica, Laurin), eastern (Thom Thumb Gold), Serbian Nana, prickly Mseno, Alberta, Echinoformis;
  • pine - mountain (Mini Mops, Gnom, Picobello);
  • juniper - Chinese, Blue Star, King of Spring;
  • thuja - western (Malonyana Holub, Danica, Globosa Nana);
  • Menzies' pseudo-slug.

Features of growth and shape

Coniferous shade-tolerant species have many advantages over other decorative deciduous plants:

Coniferous plant care

Caring for conifers is quite simple, but has its own nuances. Shade-loving plants should not be planted in open sunny places, on hills, elevations. For good growth conifers need partial shade, diffused sunlight, so it is better to plant them in groups. But so that the growing crown of tall trees does not interfere with the growth of undersized and dwarf specimens.

It is important to provide the trees with sufficient moisture in the soil and air - on hot days, water more often, capturing the crown, and plant next to water bodies.

Despite the fact that conifers are shade-loving, they should be planted at a distance of at least 1.5-3 m from each other. The soil should be well-drained, fertilized, from time to time it should be mulched. In winter, snow should be shaken off the branches to avoid fractures.

To protect from the winds, young seedlings should be strengthened - a rigid frame is installed around the plant or metal mesh... This provides snow retention, wind protection and crown freezing. Adult plants do not require such protection measures, since they have good frost resistance.

Thanks to the achievements of breeding, conifers for the garden are presented in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors. Everyone can create a unique design suburban area, to receive aesthetic pleasure all year round and to saturate the body with health.

Recently, interest in conifers in Russia has grown significantly. This is understandable. A huge number of private territories appeared, the culture of decorating among the population increased, the flow of imported planting material... In addition, it became clear that conifers, like evergreen crops, are able to decorate adjoining territories all year round. This is especially true for our winter, which lasts no less than 6 months. And apart from conifers, nothing diversifies the white landscapes.

The assortment is huge, but the area of ​​the available garden limits the choice, based on the final size of the planted conifers. At small areas of course, miniature plants will be of the greatest interest. Of course, miniature is relative. In this consideration, we will restrict ourselves to dimensions in height that do not exceed 1.5 m. Any lower limit is possible, on average it is 25-30 cm. Now there are already such crumbs, fascinating with their beauty.

Interest in this size range is noticeable not only from the owners of small summer cottages... The fact is that such plants can be used in a garden of any size to fill the lower and middle tiers of various compositions. In addition, miniature plants, which go under the snow in winter, can significantly expand the range of conifers, which in normal sizes have problems with wintering in mid-latitudes. And finally, conifers of this size are a real find for collectors.

However, to maintain the decorativeness of the miniature forms of conifers in the garden, special care is needed. And its features are determined by the history of the appearance of a particular plant variety with a limited size.

How dwarf forms of conifers are obtained

You can get a cultivar with a small size in several ways. This is, first of all, the regulation of the ratio of growth hormones in the plant, often not without human help.

Growth processes in plants are controlled by natural growth regulators. One of them is gibberellin. Some plants are known to genetically synthesize very few gibberellins. Therefore, their cells grow poorly, which leads to dwarfism. If this quality is hereditarily fixed, then all offspring will be such. However, if the amount of gibberellins is artificially reduced (treatment with retardants), then a compact, dense, beautiful plant with a presentation will be obtained. But subsequently, the effect of retardants ends, and the plant returns to its original, often not entirely attractive, appearance. Many met with such a phenomenon: Kalanchoe, chrysanthemums, gentian, ficuses, platycodons were bought with very cute blooming balls, which were subsequently "shot" with long shoots in different directions. For conifers, an example of treatment with retardants is the Scotch pine of the Globoza (rounded) form, which subsequently turned out to be not at all a "globose".

However, retardants are expensive pleasure, and it is difficult with ecology as well. retardants are poisonous. Therefore, they are now mainly engaged in the creation of varieties in which the natural synthesis of gibberellins is lower than normal, i.e. breeding genetic dwarfs. But once you stimulate them with gibberellins, they will regain their growth again. Gibberellins are already on sale in the form of preparations for stimulating the development of fruits "Ovyaz".

Other plant growth hormones are brassins. There is also a synthetic analogue of Epin-extra on sale. If the plants lack natural brassins, dwarfism also occurs. Brassin-deficient genetic dwarfs normalize growth after Epin treatment. Therefore, it will not be surprising if, before planting, you treat the plant with Epin, and it begins to grow vigorously, and although after a while the active growth will stop, it will already distort the appearance of the plant.

The third natural growth hormone is auxin. It also affects the elongation of cells, and therefore their division. With insufficient synthesis of this hormone, dwarfism also occurs, but of a different quality. If in the first two cases there is simply a reduced copy of the original plant, then with a lack of auxins, the situation changes. In shoots, not only internodes decrease, as in the first two cases, but enhanced branching occurs. Shoots become strongly branched: an shoot grows on the stem from almost every dormant bud. An example of such dwarfism is thuja western Teddy, from deciduous - viburnum ordinary Nana - dwarf, dense, non-flowering balls. Thus, we have considered one of the ways of the appearance of diminutiveness, which is so desirable for us in this case.

But there is another way - this is the use of natural mutations. In the west, already from the middle of the last century, they began to engage in the selection and selection of conifers of reduced size. Dwarf forms are usually chosen from thousands of seedlings. To increase the yield of plants with deviations from the original size, the seeds are purposefully treated with chemical reagents (colchicine) before sowing, or γ-radiation is used.

Similar mutations occur spontaneously in nature. As a result, “witch's brooms” appear on the tree - clots in the crown of abnormally growing branches (similar to rooks' nests). By grafting these branches onto the corresponding stock and get new variety coniferous plant. Such mutations are sufficient in all types of conifers. There are several reasons for this phenomenon. The most harmless is a kidney mutation, which can lead to either dwarfism or gigantism. It can be hereditarily fixed (when the damage affects the hereditary apparatus), but it may not persist in the offspring (when the ratio of hormones in the kidney only changes).

The latter phenomenon is very common in the world of roses (at claimings) - the Iceberg and Gloria Day varieties often give mutations in color and size of the flower, the size of the whole plant is not an inherited mutation.

All this hormonal and genetic educational program aimed to show that plants with reduced forms must be handled competently, and, if stimulants are applied to them, then very carefully. Otherwise, you can cause a reversion - a return to the original form. The end result is a mutant freak.

Sometimes diminutiveness can be associated with the action of external conditions: their improvement and approaching the necessary increases the size of plants, and vice versa. For example, for thermophilic plants, when moving north, winter temperature is a decisive factor. As a result, the tree sometimes turns into a bush or turns into a herbaceous form (for example, buddley). A deficiency of mineral nutrition elements or, conversely, an excess can also lead to a decrease in geometric dimensions. That's why dwarf forms should not be intensively fed, especially with nitrogen fertilizers.

Regular mechanical damage also contributes to a decrease in the size of plants (on windy coasts, during the formation of bonsai).

In addition to dwarfs, there are simply plants that slowly develop at the beginning of life. An example is a species mountain pine (Pinus mugo): in the first 10-30 years, it does not exceed 1-2 m in height, but in the future it can reach 10-12 m. This does not mean genetic dwarfs, which are abundant in this species.

Lately for giving required sizes and habitus, the method of molding is increasingly being applied to conifers. Depending on their types, the ways to achieve the required size and habit are different. But this is a completely different direction in caring for such conifers. However, in this case, restraint in the use of fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers, is necessary.

And of course, general principle when choosing a cultivar in a retail network - the value of the last increase. It is she who will determine what the plant will be like in 10 years. And if the annual growth is 10-15 cm, then in 10 years you will get a far from miniature plant. But such characteristics as winter hardiness and resistance to the spring sun (especially important for conifers) are determined not by the variety, but by the botanical species to which it belongs.

Care for dwarf conifers

Generally, the smaller the plant, the greater the density of the branches. And this fact makes adjustments to the care of them. A brown "cocoon" of dead needles always forms inside the plants. This is not a disease, but a physiological phenomenon. The growing young twigs shade the inner part of the plant, which leads to the death of the needles. Many plants, especially dwarf ones, cannot free themselves from it on their own. Such internal thickening, which prevents airing and contributes to outbreaks of fungal diseases, which can not only significantly spoil the decorative effect, but also lead the plant to death (very rapid drying and falling of the needles for no apparent reason).

This fact should be taken into account. To enhance ventilation, and, consequently, to eliminate the conditions for an outbreak of fungal diseases, it is necessary to periodically (1-2 times per season) "shake out" the dried needles from the inner areas. This procedure will not be superfluous even for medium-sized plants with a dense crown. A textbook example is spruce Canadian Konica (Picea glauca"Conica" ) ... There are no complaints about winter hardiness. However, very often her death is discovered in the spring. There are several reasons for this. It is a canopy plant of dark coniferous forests, and therefore prefers moist air and shading. And our winter temperatures(we do not take into account the winter of 2013-2014) they dry it up a lot. And frozen roots do not work to replenish moisture in the needles. As an option for a tolerable existence - landing in the shade. But often the root cause of spring death is fungal infection of needles in the fall, which is facilitated by dense backwoods. Winter only makes the situation worse. Therefore, such plants also require regular (mandatory in autumn) cleaning of the inner brown "cocoon".

However, providing ventilation inside the plant is only necessary condition to prevent disease. And sufficient is preventive spraying with fungicides inside and on the surface of plants. It is preferable to do three sprays (spring-April, summer-July, autumn-October). Preventive agent - your choice: one of the chemical fungicides or a biological product. With such care, it is highly likely that your miniature plant will not get sick and, moreover, will not die.

And in general, to ensure high decorativeness of all conifers, without exception, do not spare water. Water from head to toe, spray more often clean water, mulch the root balls to retain moisture. But use all recommendations taking into account the nature of the soil on your site and the preferences of the crop. All conifers prefer humid air, but cannot tolerate even short-term root ball locking.