As evergreens, conifers will display it's wonderful foliage all year. This is particularly useful in Winter, when most gardens lack colour.
Conifers are wonderful. We're pretty sure you agree with us there, as conifer hedges are one of the most popular in the country - you never need to travel too far to see a conifer. They have been around for a while - experts think they were around 300 million years ago, so they've had a while to work on their popularity!
They come in all shapes and sizes, from large cone bearing trees to little potted conifers, characterised by that unmistakable green foliage - there's a conifer out there for all of us! In this blog we want to run through everything you need to know about these special evergreens, so that by the end you will know exactly how to care for your conifers to help them thrive, like when to trim conifers and the best time to plant conifers.
The many benefits of Conifers
Before we get into the best ways to look after conifers, we first want to take a quick look at why conifers are so wonderful. There are so many benefits to having them in your garden:
- Year-round interest: As evergreens, conifers will display it's wonderful foliage all year. This is particularly useful in Winter, when most gardens lack colour.
- Fast-growing: Conifers grow quickly, making them perfect when you want to add a new hedge to your garden. Some can grow up to 60cm a year.
- Variety: As we mentioned above, there is so much choice when it comes to conifers so you can pick the perfect one for your needs and taste.
- Low-maintenance: As we are going to show further down this blog, conifers are easy to look after making them perfect for gardeners with less experience and time, as well as the pros!
Choosing the right Conifers
When looking for the perfect conifer for your garden, there are quite a few things to consider - owing to the fact that there are so many conifers out there! Here are some things to look out for:
Size and Shape
Before you buy a conifer, you need to work out how big you want it to be. If you're wondering 'how tall do conifers grow', then it varies dramatically from species to species. You can get dwarf conifers, like the Thuja Danica, that only measure around 30 cm, or you can get huge conifer trees that will keep growing and growing and growing, up to 100 meters, although most conifers will be much smaller than these towering trees. How big do you want yours to be?
Growth Speed
Some people will want a new hedge quickly, so will opt for a fast-growing variety, whereas other may be happier with a slower growing conifer, which will require less trimming and pruning. If you are moving into a new build house, fast growing conifers will be perfect. You can also buy specimen plants, which will provide an immediate border.
Colour
Not all conifers are that beautiful green colour that they are most well-known for. Try the Juniperus Blue, or the burnt orange of the Thuja occidentalis Rheingold. There are yellowy-greens, as well as deep, dark greens. Have a think about which would work best in your garden.
How to grow Conifers
Now that you are on your way to choosing which conifer is best for you, let's look at how to grow them.
Planting a conifer
Here is our quick-look guide to planting conifers:
- Best time to plant conifers: Early autumn is probably best, but any time from Autumn to late Winter is fine. Avoid planting during particularly dry spells.
- Where to plant conifers: Conifers prefer well drained soil, with plenty of moisture. They are better in slightly acidic soil. and it's always best to add in plenty of organic compost.
- Soak: Soak the root ball in water for about 20 minutes before planting.
- Digging a planting hole: You hole should be as deep as the root ball or the same depth as the container that the conifer came in. That way you can ensure that the root system will be full covered. Loosen up the ground around the hole so that it is ready for root growth.
- Add in plenty of compost: This will help ensure the soil is in the best possible condition.
- Tease out the roots: If you have roots circling around the container, tease them out gently so that they grow outwards, giving better stability.
- Refill: Refill the hole and pat it down.
Ongoing Conifer care
You should make sure your conifer is well watered during the first two growing seasons, just to make sure it gets all the water it needs. After that, it should be pretty self-sufficient.
Feed every spring with a fertiliser, and mulch with compost. This will help to fend off disease, and reduce the amount of weeds that compete for water and nutrients.
There are two other main jobs when it comes to looking after conifers - trimming and pruning. We will cover those in their own sections now.
How to trim Conifers
You may want to trim your conifers to keep them in a nice shape. Now, in terms of when to trim conifers the best time is from the late Winter or early Spring. This is when they will come out of dormancy and start their growing season.
There are few things to remember when you are trimming conifers - don't over-cut, which will cause undue strain and leave you with bare patches. Focus on the overgrown branches, and just cut them back in line with the others. Take your time, and step back regularly to see how the shape is forming.
How to prune Conifers
Pruning conifers is a slightly bigger job - this focuses more on the health of your trees, rather than the the aesthetics. Here are our top tips for pruning conifers:
- When to prune conifers: Any time from April to August - Spring to late summer.
- What to look for when you are pruning: Dead or diseased branches - remove these straight away.
- What not to do: Don't cut into old wood, or brown wood, as it won't be able to regenerate. Don't remove more than one third of the height in one go.
- Top tip: Taper your conifer hedges in at the top - this will make sure the lower parts will get enough sunlight.
Conifer Care Conclusion
Now you know all the basics, it's time to take the plunge and have a look through our huge range of conifers to find the perfect one for you. Think how they could work with other plants for the garden, like our Winter shrubs, to create your perfect setup.
