Garden conifers for me still conjure up images of the 1970s, a conifer bed, surrounded by heathers and in front of a house with stone cladding. Maybe I need to move on, forget the past, after all I was only there (in the 70s) for the latter few years.
One conifer that breaks that mold is Sciadopitys verticillata, the umbrella pine, a fabulous looking conifer that really is at home in an exotic theme.
Sciadopitys verticillata
We have one in a pot on the steps just as you leave the conservatory, and it never fails to capture my gaze as I step out of the house. It has been remarkably unfussy for us, and perhaps at some point we will need to consider finding it a more permanent home in the ground, but for now a pot in a prime spot allows us to enjoy it.
Hailing from Japan, it should be perfectly hardy for most of the UK, however it is famously slow growing and usually relatively expensive as a result. But worth tracking down a nice specimen.
So with out a heather or stone clad house in sight, perhaps I should re-evaluate how I think of conifers!
Gaz