Coniferous plants (conifers) for the garden with photos and names

Every day more and more people use coniferous trees to decorate their summer cottage, and this is not surprising. Conifers not only have a high decorative effect, but also have a cleansing bactericidal effect. When deciding to plant conifers in the country house and garden, it is important not only to decide on the name and photo, but also the nuances of choice.

Advantages of growing coniferous trees on the site

Gardeners and landscape design specialists value the following in conifers:

• their ability to grow even in shaded areas;
• endure modeling, shaping and cutting;
• maintain the green color of the crown throughout the year, which maintains the decorative appearance of the site;
• It is easy to endure bad weather conditions: hurricanes, drought, heat or rain.
• have a high level of resistance to various diseases, unlike most other garden trees;
• do not require frequent haircuts;
• protect the area during strong winds, as well as strengthen the soil;
• release beneficial phytoncides into the air and have a bactericidal and relaxing effect on the human body.

Types of coniferous trees

The choice of conifers for planting in summer cottages and gardens is quite large, and each class of plants is characterized by its own unique characteristics and decorative properties. Below are the main types of ornamental coniferous trees, photos and names.

Tall

They represent decorative coniferous trees, the height of which does not exceed 2 m. These include:

• One-color fir;
• Cedar pine;
• Balsam fir;
• Blue spruce;
• Mountain pine;
• Cypress blunt-leaved.

Their crown needs annual shaping, without which it loses its shape and the tree loses its decorative qualities.

Deciduous crops are often planted around tall conifers.

Average

Medium-height trees are the most popular representatives of coniferous species in landscape design, as they are suitable for decorating both small gardens and large-scale plots. Designers often use them as a basis for modeling landscape compositions, as well as as an addition to compact flower beds. Medium-height conifers include:

• Golden yew;
• Yew berry;
• Cypress pea;
• Western thuja;
• Canadian hemlock;
• Thuja spherical.

Dwarf

Dwarf conifers have rich decorative properties and a palette of needle colors, which allows them to be used to create unusual and colorful compositions. This type includes:

• Canadian spruce;
• Spruce spherical;
• Prickly spruce;
• Balsam fir;
• Juniper horizontal.

Often, dwarf coniferous species are used in group plantings, mix borders, rocky gardens and flower beds.

Shade-tolerant

Shade-tolerant conifers are a real find for decorating shaded areas. This type of tree does not require constant care; it is used to form hedges, design alpine slides and create decorative groups. Conifers growing in shade and partial shade include:

• Prickly spruce;
• Canadian yew;
• Siberian fir;
• Canadian spruce;
• Japanese arborvita;
• Echinoformis.

What types of coniferous trees are there?

In botany, there are a huge number of conifers with different parameters, needle color, cultivation characteristics and decorative properties. Below is a list of the best coniferous trees for growing in a summer cottage with their brief description.

Yew

Yew is a member of the Yew family. Its annual growth can vary from 2 to 15 cm. There are dioecious and monoecious representatives. Their height ranges from 1 to 25 m with a trunk diameter of 3 m. The tree has a very dense crown of a columnar or ovoid-cylindrical shape. The bark of the yew is smooth, colored reddish-gray. On the trunk there are dormant buds from which side shoots develop. Yew needles are glossy, needle-shaped and rich dark green in color.

The following species are considered most suitable for cultivation on the site:

• Short-leaved yew – characterized by a slow growth rate (in 30 years - 1 m in height), the average height of the plant varies from 5 to 25 m. It is a conifer with a wide crown and drooping branches with needles 1 - 2 cm in length;
  
• Canadian yew - lives in the undergrowth zone of coniferous forests. It is a low bushy tree from 1 to 2 m in height. The needles of the plant are crescent-shaped, their color is yellowish-green on the upper surface and light green on the lower surface. The culture is characterized by a high level of frost tolerance;
  
• Yew berry - dioecious conifer up to 15 - 17 m in height with a spreading, dense crown. The needles of the plant are renewed every 7 - 8 years, have a length of 2 - 3 cm. The tree tolerates shaded places and severe frosts, easily adapts to cutting, shaping and replanting;
  
• Far Eastern yew - is a tall coniferous tree up to 20 - 22 m with an irregular crown shape and horizontal branches. The plant is characterized by narrow sickle-shaped leaves 2 - 3 cm in length. This type of yew can easily withstand temperature drops down to -40 °C, easily tolerates dry periods and is undemanding to the composition of the soil.
  

Spruce

Spruce is an evergreen coniferous plant belonging to the Pine family. Ephedra can reach 50 meters in height, and its average lifespan is 250 - 300 years.

At the initial stages of development, spruce tends to grow upward without producing lateral branches. The trunk is straight, round in shape and has gray bark, which exfoliates into small thin plates. The needles are thin, located on the branches in a spiral pattern. The palette of possible colors includes green, blue, yellow and dove. The cones are pointed, slightly elongated cylindrical in shape.Their length is up to 15 cm, and their diameter is at least 4 cm.

Today, botany includes more than 45 species of spruce, from 30 cm to 50 m in height. Each species has a characteristic crown structure and needle color.

Names and photos of the most common types of spruce coniferous plants for planting in the country:

• Norway spruce (common) is an evergreen coniferous plant up to 30 - 50 m in height. This species has cone-shaped needles. Drooping or outstretched branches of the plant are arranged whorled. The dark gray bark of the trunk peels off over time in the form of thin plates. The needles are tetrahedral, arranged on the shoots according to the principle of a spiral;
  
• Siberian spruce - this is an evergreen coniferous tree up to 30 m in height with a pyramidal crown shape and a trunk diameter of up to 70 - 80 cm. The Siberian variety has shorter and prickly needles than the common spruce;
  
• Eastern spruce - grows from 30 to 55 m in height, has a conical crown and densely spaced branches. The bark of the conifer is low-resinous, scaly, gray-brown in color. This coniferous species is also characterized by shiny, slightly flattened tetrahedral needles with a rounded end;
  
• Korean spruce. The height of the tree is 30 - 40 m, and the diameter of the pillar is 75 - 80 cm. Its crown is pyramidal in shape, with drooping branches and drooping resinous tetrahedral needles;
  
• Spruce ayanskaya (small-seeded) has a appearance similar to Norway spruce. This coniferous tree is characterized by a pyramidal crown shape with bright green, almost non-resinous, sharp needles. In adulthood, the conifer reaches 30 - 40 m in height, in some cases - 50 m with a trunk diameter of 1 m;
  
• Tien Shan spruce – has a trunk diameter of 1.7 - 2 m and can reach more than 60 m in height. This type of conifer is characterized by a cylindrical or pyramidal crown shape. The needles can be straight or slightly curved;
  
• Canadian spruce - is a slender evergreen tree, the height of which does not exceed 15 - 20 m, and the diameter of the trunk is 1 m. The plant has a thin bark covered with scales. Young plant seedlings are characterized by a narrow-conical crown, in contrast to the cylindrical shape of adult representatives. This coniferous variety has long (up to 2.5 cm) blue-green needles with a diamond-shaped cross-section;
  
• Blue spruce (prickly) is one of the most common types of coniferous plants, which is used to decorate gardens and summer cottages. Its average height is 25 - 30 m with a trunk diameter of 1.5 m, although some representatives can reach 45 m in adulthood. Young conifer seedlings have a narrowly conical crown shape, which over time develops into a cylindrical one. The shade of the needles can vary from gray-green to bright blue. The length of the tree cones is 6 - 11 cm.
  

Cryptomeria

The Japanese classify cryptomeria as a coniferous plant of national culture, and in Russia, conifer is an exotic decoration for decorating a garden or summer cottage. Cryptomeria is a member of the Cypress family that reaches more than 60 m in height.

Over time, botanists have developed a sufficient number of decorative varieties of this conifer, the height of which does not exceed 2 m, and the plant itself perfectly complements single and composition plantings. The needles of the conifer are not prickly to the touch, short and awl-shaped.Cryptomeria also has round, brown-colored fruits that take less than a year to ripen. Some varieties are characterized by golden or smoky gray foliage. When choosing such a conifer for planting in the country, it is important to take into account: cryptomeria is particularly demanding on the planting site and its level of illumination.

Fir

Fir is an evergreen coniferous tree of the Pine family, which includes more than 50 species of plants growing in the Northern Hemisphere. Ephedra branches are often used to create Christmas wreaths and garlands.

The most popular types of fir:

• Balsam fir — has the highest level of resistance to soil waterlogging. Its average lifespan is 150 - 200 years; in adulthood, the plant reaches 15 - 25 m in height. Designers use balsam fir to create group and single plantings. At the initial stages of development, it grows quite slowly; in adulthood it reaches 15 m in height. It has cone-shaped fruits of a rich blue color. The distinctive features of this variety are a high level of winter hardiness and unique decorative qualities;
  
• Caucasian fir - comes from the western zones of the Caucasus Mountains. At maturity it reaches 60 m in height, its trunk diameter is 2 m. This type of conifer has a narrow cone-shaped crown, is characterized by a rapid growth rate and long life expectancy (up to 500 years), but the level of winter hardiness of Caucasian fir is quite low;
  
• Fir one color - in adulthood it can reach up to 60 m in height, its average life expectancy is up to 350 years. The needles are thin, with a bluish color. The crop tolerates strong winds and air smoke well, and germinates better in bright areas.
  

Kupresocioparis

Cupressociparis is an evergreen coniferous tree with thin, long and delicate branches, a dense columnar crown, reaching up to 20 m in height in adulthood. It is characterized by a rapid growth rate, its annual growth is up to 1.5 m.

In total, there are more than 12 species of cupressocioparis, among which the following varieties are most often used for planting in dachas:

• Cupressocyparis Robins Gold is an accidental hybrid. A characteristic feature of the variety is a wide, squat, pin-shaped crown. The leaves of young seedlings are painted bronze-yellow, which becomes yellow-golden with age;
  
• Cupressocyparis Leighton Green - is a loose coniferous tree with a clearly visible main shoot and unevenly spaced, flat-lying branches. Its needles are yellowish-green or light green in color;
  
• Cupressocyparis Green Spire is a columnar tree with light yellow leaves and branches located at different distances from each other. This representative of conifers is undemanding in care and has a high level of shade tolerance. It feels best in fresh, moderately moist soil rich in minerals.

Juniper

Juniper is an evergreen coniferous tree of the Cypress family, reaching more than 20 m in height at maturity. Its needles can be either scaly or needle-shaped: it all depends on the species.The most common varieties of this conifer for planting in a summer cottage are:

• Common juniper - is a multi-stemmed coniferous tree, the height of which reaches more than 18 m at maturity. Its branches are spreading, arranged chaotically, with flowers of yellow and light green color. The fruits are represented by cone-berries of a bluish-black color, the ripening period of which is about 2 years;
  
• Juniper dahurian - creeping shrub with a height of up to 50 cm and a crown width of up to 2.5 m. It is characterized by its undemandingness to the soil, as well as a high level of resistance to frost and dry periods. Ephedra has scaly needles with long needles, as well as powerful flexible branches forming a lush hemisphere;
  
• Caucasian juniper - a tall conifer with a scaly type of needles, saturated with essential oils. It is often used to combat moths, and the most popular variety in the field of landscape design is the Erecta species - a tree 2 m in height with a pyramidal crown shape.
  

Thuja

Thuja is called the queen of conifers used in landscape design, because, in addition to its unique decorative features, the plant is characterized by its medicinal qualities.

Almost all varieties of thuja are used for landscaping, despite some differences: conifer varieties tolerate cold climates especially well (for example, Smaragd, Barabant) and are often used for hedges, the height of which can be up to 4 m.

• Western thuja - is considered the most popular variety, due to its unpretentiousness to growing conditions, high level of frost resistance and long life expectancy. The needles have a dark yellowish-green color.In the design of gardens and cottages, trees with spherical, pyramidal and columnar shapes are most often used.
  
• Arbor vitae – its characteristic feature is vertically located fan-shaped branches. In maturity, a coniferous tree can reach up to 20 m in height. Its needles are colored green. Oriental thuja is thermophilic, grows and develops well in shaded areas;
  
• Thuja foldata - distinguished by horizontal branches, a conical crown, as well as dark green needles with a characteristic aroma. In adulthood, the height of the coniferous tree is 60 meters with a crown diameter of 2 m. The conifer does not tolerate severe frosts and also prefers well-moistened fertile soil;
  
• Thuja japonica It is distinguished by soft, multi-colored needles: the upper surface of the needles is green, while white spots are visible on the lower surface. Japanese thuja is undemanding in care and has a high level of frost resistance.
  

Cedar

This coniferous species is great for decorating countryside and park areas. Ephedra purifies the air and has characteristic decorative qualities. Cedar is an evergreen monoecious tree, reaching 40 m in height with a loose pyramidal crown and hard bluish-green needles collected in bunches. Ephedra has fruits in the form of light brown cones, which ripen in the third year of the plant’s life. Best suited for planting in the country:

• Atlas cedar — is a light-loving evergreen coniferous tree with a high level of drought and frost resistance. It develops poorly on calcareous soil and does not tolerate excess moisture.Coniferous trees are planted in the spring; they are used to create single and group plantings. Ephedra adapts well to cutting and shaping, which is why it is actively used to create hedges. Its crown is cone-shaped, flat on top in adult representatives. The needles are colored light green with a bluish tint;
  Attention! Young Atlas cedar seedlings need shelter for the winter.

  

• Himalayan cedar — grows well in shaded areas and in humid climates, is unpretentious to soil quality, and can easily tolerate temperature drops down to -20 oC.
  

Pine

Pine is an evergreen coniferous member of the Pine family. Depending on their height, trees are divided into three groups: tall (more than 10 m), medium-sized (3 - 9 m), low-growing (less than 3 m), and dwarf plant varieties.

• Scots pine - one of the most common types of wood. It has a fast growth rate, is unpretentious to the level of soil fertility, is winter-hardy and develops best in well-lit places. The only drawback is considered to be the special sensitivity of common pine to the level of air pollution;
  
• Balkan pine - reaches 40 m in height, has a dense, narrow pyramidal shape. Young seedlings are characterized by smooth gray-brown bark, which over time turns into scaly and rough. A plant with dense needles of a dark green color;
  
• dwarf pine - is a small creeping coniferous plant with spreading branches. Representatives of this species may also have a tree-like or cup-shaped crown;
  
• Mountain pine – a tree 1 - 1.5 m high, with a round or oval crown, also has a high level of winter hardiness and drought resistance. Undemanding to soil composition, it rarely succumbs to diseases and pests. It is best combined when planted with birch trees, Balkan pine or spruce;
  

Cypress

Ephedra with a straight or curved trunk and thin, smooth gray bark. Its branches are located throughout the plane, with scaly leaves. At maturity, the tree can reach up to 30 m in height, its average lifespan is 1500 - 2000 years. It has a high level of drought resistance.

• Cypress pyramidal - a tall conifer with a narrow, columnar-shaped crown. The needles of the plant are small, dark green in color. Unpretentious in care, it is able to grow and develop well in almost any soil;
  
• Arizona cypress – a tall coniferous plant with a fast growth rate, blue needles and dense, heavy branches. It has a significant level of resistance to severe drought and frost.
  

Cypress

Cypress is an evergreen, monoecious coniferous plant with a cone-shaped crown with drooping or prostrate branches. In adulthood, it reaches a height of about 70 m. The shoots of young seedlings are slightly flattened, adult representatives have scaly, pointed leaves.

• Thuja cypress - often grown in containers or flowerpots. This is a small conifer with a columnar crown, the height of which does not exceed 1.5 - 2 m;
  
• Nootka cypress especially appreciated by lovers of large specimens of conifers. This is a tree with a wide pyramidal crown and weeping branches of a bluish-green color.As it matures, its crown acquires a spreading shape, and cone-shaped fruits with a diameter of about 1 cm are formed on the branches;
  
• Dumb cypress may appeal to lovers of exotic crops: an elegant decorative conifer, the height of which does not exceed half a meter at the age of 10 years. Due to its round shape, it is in great demand in the field of landscape design. It tolerates shaded places well, but the level of air humidity is also very important for it: that is why the best place for planting is considered to be an area near a reservoir.
  Important! Blunt cypress is not characterized by high frost tolerance, which also must be taken into account when choosing a plant.

  

Larch

In nature there are more than 10 species of larches. These are tall deciduous trees with horizontal, widely spaced branches and soft, thin needles of a light green or blue hue. Larch has small, oblong, cone-shaped fruits, from which seeds fall out over time. Its average lifespan is up to 500 years. In adulthood, the height of the conifer is up to 50 m. Larch has dense, non-rotting wood, for which it is highly valued by gardeners. For planting in the country, the following types of conifers are often used:

• European larch - common in the mountainous areas of Central Europe. Has a wide variety of crown shapes and growth types;
  
• Dahurian larch — participates in the formation of forests in the Far East. Due to its dwarf growth and curved shape, it is used in creating bonsai. The needles of the plant are delicate, bluish in color;
  
• Siberian larch and American larch - characterized by their high level of frost resistance.Fir, thuja or pine look good next to larches with fallen needles. These types of conifers tolerate pruning well, and young seedlings are flexible, which allows decorators to shape tree trunks and branches to create “living” arches and arbors.
  

Douglasia

The distinctive features of Douglas (pseudo-hemlock) are its growth, as well as the shape and color of the needles. At maturity it can reach more than 50 m in height. The crown of young seedlings has a cone-shaped shape, which becomes round and spherical as the plant grows. Over time, a bluish tint begins to appear on the lower part: the reason is the resin that Douglas fir produces. The fruits are presented in the form of cones up to 12 cm in length with curved scales. The cones of some species are purple, which further enhances its decorative qualities as a conifer. For planting in a summer cottage, the following types are used:

• Douglasia macrocone - is distinguished by its especially large fruit size: the cones of the plant can reach a length of up to 15 - 18 cm. The seeds are quite heavy and are not able to spread on their own, so birds help the reproduction of this species of false sugi;
  
• Douglasia menzies is the only original species growing in Europe. Ephedra is a powerful evergreen tree with a conical crown. The branches of young seedlings are slightly raised, have an orange-red color and smooth bark on the trunk.
  

The use of conifers in landscape design

There are quite a few varieties and types of conifers that can be easily used to decorate a summer cottage or garden plot. The most popular options for using coniferous plants in the country:

Formation of flower beds from conifers.

Depending on the size of the dacha or garden plot and the construction scheme, there are several types of decorative flower beds:

1. Compact flower bed. It does not take up much space; slow-growing, low-growing conifers are often used to form it. To add brightness to the flowerbed, decorators use perennial flowers.
2. Large flower bed. In the first rows there is horizontal juniper or hemlock, followed by thuja and deciduous shrubs. On the third row there are several tall coniferous trees: European larch, yew and pine.
3. Symmetrical flower bed. Identical coniferous plants are planted in the direction from the center of the composition: a spruce can be located in the center, thuja seedlings behind it, and juniper at the edges. Landscape designers often use wooden garden sculptures to decorate such a flower bed.
4. Landscape flower bed. Outwardly it resembles a section of wild forest. Looks especially impressive together with large uncut stones.

Conifers in the design of alpine hills and ponds.

Alpine hills, streams and ponds are considered an ideal option for decorating a summer cottage. For alpine hills, dwarf species are most often used, which are easy to trim and shape, with different crown shapes - spherical; conical; cylindrical; creeping:

• Coniferous bonsai. Conifers, which grow in the southern regions, become especially susceptible to any temperature changes, and any significant decrease in temperature can lead to the death of the plant. A way out of this situation may be to plant conifers in containers, which are placed on the site during the warm period and removed for the winter.Dwarf and creeping varieties feel best in confined spaces;
  
• Living fence made of conifers. To create it, thuja occidentalis, juniper, yew or spruce are most often used. To obtain a dense and even coniferous wall, young seedlings are placed close to each other, and annual growth is also pinched and the crown is trimmed to give it the desired shape.
  

How to choose coniferous trees for your dacha and plot

When choosing the type and variety of coniferous tree for planting on a summer cottage, it is important to consider the following nuances:

• size of the plant in adulthood;

• growth rate;
• needle color;
• decorative features;
• the exactingness of the conifer to the planting soil;
• care rules.

Most conifers are light-loving plants, which is why for healthy growth it is important to provide them with a sufficient amount of light and space in which they will not suffer due to lack of air.

A particularly high level of adaptability is characteristic of yew, which is able to develop well even in conditions of complete shade. Fir, Douglas fir, spruce, hemlock, cryptomeria, fir and some types of pine tolerate partial shade well. Cypress trees are conifers that grow primarily in the sun, so the best option for the tree would be a fully lit space.

Each type of conifer is demanding in its own way regarding soil conditions. The most unpretentious include larch, juniper, pine and cypress. These types of conifers develop well in sandy-clayey soil, and pines adapt even to rocky soils. In addition, juniper easily adapts to drying soils.Cypress trees need a sufficient level of soil moisture, while spruce trees prefer moist clay-sandy soils. Firs are distinguished by their demands on soil quality: the best option for them is deep clay-sandy, moderately moist, nutrient-rich soil. Swampy terrain is suitable exclusively for swamp cypress trees.

For growing in the temperate climate of the Moscow region, Cossack juniper, horizontal juniper (prostrate) and common juniper are best suited.

Larch, thuja, and fir adapt well to the climate of the middle zone.

Interesting facts about conifers

1. Even in ancient times, cypress was perceived as a symbol of sadness. In Ancient Greece and Rome, conifer branches were laid on graves, and in Asia Minor, cypress can often be found in cemeteries. However, in Christianity, on the contrary, a tree is one of the symbols of eternal life.
2. Externally, juniper fruits are very reminiscent of berries, despite the fact that they are cones. This is where they got their name - cone berries. They are allowed to be eaten (the fruits are juicy and sweet in taste), including as a spice.
3. Despite the fact that thuja is classified as a short tree, in its natural habitat in Japan its height can reach more than 30 m.
4. Yew is characterized by its slow growth rate and longevity: on average, a tree can grow for more than 1000 years. That is why conifers of this species, which have lived for several centuries, are considered young plants. The oldest representatives of this species are 2000 years old.
5. Most conifers are represented by trees; shrubs are much less common. There is also a separate type - parasites.
6. The largest coniferous tree is considered to be the giant sequoia (giant sequoiadendron), which reaches more than 120 m in height, its trunk diameter is 23 m. This type of conifer is considered the most ancient on Earth. Several thousand years ago, trees were distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, but today representatives of the giant sequoia remain only in California and the western part of North America.

Conclusion

Coniferous trees are increasingly used to decorate summer cottages. There are a huge number of species and varieties of conifers, each of which has its own unique decorative qualities. There are many options for using coniferous plants for a garden: it can be a hedge, a garden bed or a bonsai. When choosing a tree for a summer cottage, it is important to pay attention to the main characteristics of the plant: this will help create the most comfortable conditions for growing the plant and correctly build the desired landscape composition.

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