As readers will know, our garden is full of plants and although we find room for more, I am always keen to find new ones for containers. With winter approaching, I am on the hunt for evergreens and a visit to my local Notcutts garden center recently revealed plenty of ideas including an interesting range of slow growing conifers.
One of the charms of conifers is the way that they change color through the year – often with softly coloured new growth in the spring, which matures to a deeper color through summer and then changes again for the colder winter months. Their neat shapes also look great covered in heavy frost or snow, which will not harm the plants as they are so hardy!
One of my favorite conifers is Chamaecyparis ‘Boulevard’ with its beautiful silvery blue growth and upright, tiered habit. Although it will eventually outgrow a container, ‘Boulevard’ is slow growing enough to stay in a large one for several years.
Blue conifers fascinate me with their steely gray needles that harden for the winter and the soft spring growth which is a paler color. Picea pungens ‘Hoopsii’ (Colorado Blue Spruce) is a classic Christmas tree shape but again, slow growing enough for a big pot. The prickly needles are dull blue through the winter but the metallic looking new spring growth lights up the plants. This choice could also serve another purpose as an extra Christmas tree to welcome friends if I put it by the front door and rig up some lights!
Picea glauca ‘Lilliput’ is another Spruce which is a true miniature, slowly making a ball of prickly needles that are deep green through the winter and have new spring growths of creamy white. It is a gem for the front of a border, rock garden or even an alpine sink as it is so slow growing.
Junipers are one of the most versatile of conifers, some have upright growth and some are ground hugging and spreading. They are excellent in most situations and will tolerate dry soil making them a good bet as ground cover in difficult places. J. communis ’Compressa’ has silvery green needles that are very closely packed together to make a pencil thin, slow growing plant that is one of the best for an alpine sink where it will take many years to grow to any size and always maintains its beautiful shape.
Thuja ‘Teddy’ is a new variety to me, but it looks interesting, making a neat ball of bright green through spring and summer. I am going to plant this with some deep pink winter flowering Heathers that will contrast beautifully with Teddy’s winter coat of purple leaves and be food for any bees that are tempted out on milder days.
Conifers do best in acid soil, so I have purchased a big bag of ericaceous compost to fill my containers as well as a packet of slow release fertilizer granules suitable for ericaceous plants to mix in with it and give the plants the best possible start!
