Conifers in landscape design summer cottages have been used for a relatively long time. Coniferous groups are distinguished by their highly decorative appearance and go well with deciduous and flowering plants, which allows you to create very beautiful and original ones on your personal plot and dacha.

Basic rules for placing conifers in the garden

Tall conifers can be used in the garden as tapeworms, as well as when creating alleys or large group compositions. Particularly highly valued are varieties and types of coniferous crops that have changes in the nature of growth processes, have a crown of an unusual shape, and are also distinguished by an unusual type or color of needles with long-term preservation of decorative qualities.

As a rule, such plants are characterized by small height or belong to dwarf forms. A wide variety of varieties and species allows for landscaping mixed borders, as well as decorating the backyard landscape and garden spaces with ground cover plants. A successful combination with many other crops allows you to effectively and quickly decorate rock gardens, paths along the house or a coastal area of ​​natural and artificial reservoirs.

Conifers in the landscape design of a summer cottage

The use of such plants in landscape design of a backyard or garden plot justified for many reasons:

• conifers do not change their color and do not lose their visual appeal all year round;
• varieties and hybrid forms have a variety of colors and shapes;
• such crops are able to retain dust very well and reduce external noise;
• special substances secreted by needles inhibit the spread of bacterial and viral infections;
• capable of enriching the air with oxygen and a significant amount of phytoncides.

Regardless of the types of forms used to decorate the landscape, such vegetation is attractive and very useful. As a rule, collections include conifers of varying vigor.

How to use conifers in landscape design (video)

Low-growing species

All low-growing species presented:

• dwarf species with an annual growth of 80-150 mm;
• miniature species with an annual growth of 30-80 mm;
• microscopic species with an annual growth of no more than 30 mm.

The most popular low-growing species and varieties in landscape design:

• Norway spruce Beech. It has a dense flattened crown, growth of one and a half centimeters and apical branches. Growth is predominantly in width;
• Kaempfer's larch "Blue Dwarf" is a very low-growing and slow-growing variety with a rounded and dense crown and hanging ends of the branches;
• Canadian hemlock Tracilis variety "Oldenburg" refers to slow-growing dwarf forms with a height of about 25-30 cm and a crown diameter of 40-50 cm;
• dwarf variety "Elk" with a stylescent type of growth and highly decorative bluish-green needles;
• miniature noble fir of the Abies procera variety is one of the most popular coniferous species;
• Canadian hemlock variety "Jeddeloch" is the most common dwarf form at present with a semicircular shape and spirally arranged branches;
• dwarf thuja western varieties"Danika" no more than 80 cm high has a dense and spherical crown with a diameter of 100 cm with a scaly, dense, light green or brownish-green crown.

Depending on the level of illumination, soil and climatic conditions and care, the height of the crop may vary.

Medium-sized coniferous plants

Plants of medium vigor are less demanding in care and harmoniously complement deciduous shrubs, and also go well with roses of various types.

The most popular medium-sized species and forms in landscape design:

• Serbian has flexible thin shoots hanging along the trunk;
• the Blue Diamonds variety has a tall, thin trunk and a neatly formed conical crown;
• Canadian spruce of the “Piccolo” variety is distinguished by a bright and elegant above-ground part with the presence of emerald green needles, which glow blue under the sun’s rays;
• evergreen spruce "Konica" has a very attractive and original appearance, as well as slow growth, due to which it is very popular in our country;
• the medium-sized fruit-bearing berry bush yew has very beautiful needles, which makes it look great when decorating the local area and recreation area;
• medium-sized thuja is an unusual spherical plant consisting of dense and vertically arranged branches;
• Golden yew is characterized by a cup-shaped crown and needles in a yellowish color, and is also ideal for growing in shaded areas.

Landscape design is not always able to look complete if the overall design picture is not complemented by tall conifers.

Tall conifers

To decorate with tall plants, planting thuja, pine and spruce, which are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and durability, is often used.

The most popular tall species and forms in landscape design:

• Watereri pine is evergreen large shrub with a columnar, dense or looser, umbrella-shaped, very picturesque crown and a reddish trunk;
• blue sun-loving spruce Hoopsii has a stable and predictable growth, reaching a height of 10 m with a width of 4 m;
• "pencil tree" or Skyrocket juniper is an upright growing shrub or tree up to 12 m high and 5 m wide;
• evergreen shrub with a spherical aerial part, up to 4 m high and no more than 5 m wide, with golden-yellow or greenish-yellow needles;
• the spiky tall spruce “Hoopsie” reaches a height of 13-15 m and has thick silver-blue needles;
• » reaches a height of 3 m and has a very beautiful crown conical shape with blue needles;
• western thuja Most often used in creating hedges, it tolerates haircuts easily and reaches a height of 5 m.

Tall conifers must be planted in strict accordance with technology and taking into account their growth force.

Creeping varieties

IN recent years especially popular when decorating small backyard gardens Ground cover or creeping highly decorative varieties are increasingly being used:

• Spruce "Lombers" is one of the most popular and sought-after shrub plants creeping along the ground with an attractive emerald green color;
• European larch variety "Repens" is a very attractive low-growing creeping plant with weeping branches lying on the ground;
• Thuja "Timi-Tini" is a spherical, fairly drought-resistant plant that does not require special attention and abundant watering;
• mountain pine "Hampi" is most often used for decorative design rock gardens, and in winter time the buds on the plant acquire a very attractive red tint;
• The miniature pug is able to grow onto the surface of the soil into a very attractive and uniform fluffy cushion.

No less popular are cushion-shaped and weeping spruces, as well as “Blue Forest”, with a height of 20-40 cm with needle-shaped and very prickly needles.

How to make a composition from conifers (video)

Compositions from conifers: options and rules for composition

Conifers combine perfectly with other coniferous crops and green spaces. Before composing compositions, It is very important to determine the width of the growth of such a culture and the characteristics of its care.

Deciduous shrubs and conifers

Decorative landscape compositions on a personal plot must necessarily include a wide variety of elements that look most attractive and advantageous.

It should be remembered that not all cultures get along well with each other, and that is why when combining different representatives of the plant world in one area, it is very important to take into account their basic biological characteristics. This rule especially applies to varieties of juniper that can be affected by “rust”.

Compositions from thujas and conifers

Vegetation with blue needles looks great against a green background. In such compositions, it is necessary to plant thujas in the background, and decorate the foreground dwarf thuja and rock juniper.

Tall coniferous vegetation in the form of spruce and pine trees, placed near garden stairs or retaining walls, supplemented by medium-sized thujas and low-growing deciduous crops. We must remember that pine with cedar and thuja with spruce are quite difficult to take root, so such combinations need to be minimized.

Conifers with roses and other garden flowers

Coniferous crops are not only beautiful in themselves, but also combine very well in all kinds of compositions with a variety of decorative foliage or beautifully flowering plants. They provide an excellent backdrop for beautifully flowering foliage crops such as roses, rhododendrons and hydrangeas. The palette of colors, shades and textures can be very diverse.

Beautiful compositions of coniferous plants

When arranging conifers, it is very important to take into account the growth characteristics of the plant. th, as well as the state and development of the crown of the crop in adulthood, which will not allow the harmony of the composition to be disrupted over time. Experts recommend when creating it yourself landscape composition adhere to the basic principles of contrast and place popular low-growing crops with a spherical crown in the foreground of tall pyramidal conifers.

Prickly spruce varieties “Bialobok”, as well as western thuja varieties “Smaragd” and Yellow Ribbon, common juniper varieties “Hibernica” and “Meyer” or yew berry have proven themselves to be excellent as a top. The gray spruce “Conica” can dominate very impressively. In the second tier you can plant plants with various forms crowns In coniferous mixborders, crops of different heights, crown shapes, and crown colors should be selected.

Group plantings can be varied with brightly flowering rhododendrons, evergreen wintergreen, heathers or variegated shrubs.

Protecting the coniferous garden from the sun and frost

IN winter period Coniferous plants suffer least from low-temperature conditions, and the main danger for them is the frosty and drying wind. Varieties grown in areas with little snow and frost, as well as in Siberia and the Far East, require special attention.

It is advisable to bring the container plant, which is not too voluminous, indoors for the winter. If necessary, you can cover the outdoor container crop with ordinary spruce branches, creating a kind of “hut”. Conifers open ground require insulation of the tree trunk circle a layer of sawdust, straw, peat or pine needles, after which the stem part is wrapped non-woven material or burlap.

Polyethylene is not suitable for winter shelter. It is advisable to install screens or screens to protect from gusty winds and spring sun rays. A spreading coniferous plant requires tying up branches and constructing a canopy or screen. Mature crops such as cedar, yew, fir, spruce and pine need shelter during the winter.

How to plant conifers (video)

For growing almost any variety of coniferous crops in the backyard landscape, areas that are well protected from cold gusty winds and bright light are optimally suited. sunlight. It is best to purchase such plants in nurseries, where the crop has already passed the initial stage of adaptation to agroclimatic conditions in a particular region.

Until recently, it was believed that it would be more appropriate to decorate a garden with deciduous trees and flowers. “Christmas trees should grow in the forest,” domestic gardeners were confident. But times and views have changed, and conifers in landscape design began to occupy one of the most significant places. Today, almost every owner of a garden plot dreams of his own fabulous coniferous garden.

Conifers are very popular among amateur gardeners

Many summer residents try to plant popular coniferous crops such as spruce, fir or pine in their garden. When seen as seedlings, these conifers seem miniature, but do not forget that some of them can grow to the size of a three-story house. This fact must be taken into account when determining the style of your coniferous garden. What other important points should be mandatory for the attention of the owners of these amazing plants? We decided to tell you the basics of coniferous landscapes for beginners.

Best of all, coniferous plants are combined with cereal and leafy flowers. Take a look at this beauty by the pond

When these coniferous trees grow and get stronger, this corner will turn into a real “conifer paradise”

Pines - amazing plants- evergreen and unpretentious, fast-growing and varied: spherical, pyramidal, shrubby, creeping. These long-lived plants can be safely chosen by the most demanding gardeners to decorate their rock garden.

Coniferous plants of different varieties have absolutely different shades and if you think about the combination of colors in advance, you will get an excellent coniferous composition in landscape design

What conifers are best to plant in your garden?

There are among the variety coniferous varieties those whose decorative effect is determined by young shoots (candles). For example:

1. Grow gold. This decorative pine tree features the bright yellow color of fresh candles.
2. Candel light. The shoots of this variety are bright green. It looks impressive and grows quickly.

The Panderosa pine variety is specially bred for landscaping gardens and summer cottages. Its fluffy crown and long needles will not leave anyone indifferent

The Niwaki pine variety was bred in Japan and is the most popular plant for creating a bansai garden in its homeland.

The main feature of the variety is its plasticity; the plant can be given any growth form.

• Panderosa. It has very long needles and a fluffy crown; it belongs to the so-called yellow pines, which for a long time were considered unacceptable for our climate. However, thanks to the efforts of modern gardeners, these species are not only successfully grown in our area, but also spend the winter without shelter.
• Nevaki (bansai). A variety bred in Japan. It is notable for its plasticity - it can take any shape when cut.
• Black pine "Nana". This is the most unpretentious coniferous species. It has a fluffy, dark green crown.
• Velda. A creeping variety in which each shoot grows horizontally. If the veld is not cut, it can occupy up to 3 meters of area.
• Pinus flexilis "Pygmy". A very pleasing plant with a dense crown. The peculiarity of Pygmies is that needles grow on branches in dense bunches.
• Cedar. Cedars grow slowly for the first 2-3 years. They are good because, in addition to being decorative, they have a special type of cones. The most common is Siberian cedar, but other species are also notable: Korean cedar, European cedar. Required condition their growth is ensured by the sufficient presence of sun - most of the daylight hours.
• Fir, thuja, juniper. These conifers are the favorites of our gardeners. They successfully decorate courtyards, grow at the entrance and even form a “living” hedge.

Coniferous plants go well with roses. Just combine your rose garden with a couple of coniferous plants and get a beautiful area

The best dwarf coniferous varieties

If your garden is not large enough to accept many coniferous varieties or the area does not need shade, do not rush to abandon the idea of ​​​​growing a coniferous garden. You can plant dwarf conifers:

• Spruce "Konika". This slow growing ornamental plant will fit even in the most small area. The growth characteristic of the Konika spruce is its low winter hardiness. To solve the problem of freezing, this species must either be well covered or grown in pots.
• mountain pine. The good thing about this plant is that it lives well both trimmed and free, it loves partial shade and is not at all capricious. The only drawback of mountain pine is its high price.

Take a look at this area. Wonderful, isn't it? But the plants were only planted not long ago and all the beauty is yet to come

Designer tip: If you remove several skeletal branches from a pine tree, the rest will go up and form branches with beautiful hats. The wood style will be similar to Japanese.

• Balkan pine grows up to 3 m, which depends only on you. If you pinch the pine tree, it will be the height and shape you need.
• Pine "Negishi" can become the real pride of your pine garden. The cones on its young shoots are bright lilac in color, which makes this tree look like an unusual flowering coniferous plant.

Do you want to create a rock garden or rock garden on your property? Conifers are best suited for this area

Pro tip: The best neighbors for pines are hostas, barberries and cereals.

How to plant a coniferous plant correctly

Even the most experienced gardeners often make mistakes when planting conifers. In order not to repeat them, we advise you to plant your pine trees according to this scheme:

1. Planting time is late summer or early spring.
2. You need to dig a hole 50-70 cm deep.
3. We provide 20 centimeter drainage (gravel or expanded clay).
4. Pour a bucket of water with a root stimulator into the hole.
5. We take the seedling out of the pot together, straighten the roots and place it in the hole so that the root neck is slightly above the ground.
6. We fill the pine tree with soil with superphosphate (half a glass) and humus (1 bucket).
7. We dig in the seedling so that we get a mound around the trunk and a hole for watering.
8. Watering a seedling needs from 2 to 4 buckets, which depends on the size of the coniferous plant.
9. When planting in spring, a frame needs to be built above the needles to protect it from scorching rays.

An amazing and simple coniferous composition in landscape design in which all the basic rules are followed

Pro tip: Mountain pine doesn't need a hole. It is enough to cover the roots with stones and sprinkle with soil.

• The soil must always be kept semi-moist for at least the first months after planting.
• During this same period, the needles need constant water spraying.
• You can water and spray spruce trees with antifungal drugs.
• The needles love sandy soil, especially pine and spruce.
• Young shoots need to be molded (plucked) in early summer.

Growth conditions coniferous plants not difficult and quite doable in our area. Create your own coniferous compositions in landscape design and you will undoubtedly love them. And we wish you every morning to inhale the unique pine aromas and admire the slenderness of green thujas. Happy landing!

Flower beds, green lawns, hedges and large single shrubs are the basis of landscape design. But everyone wants that even in winter, when most plants fade and lose their foliage, it is important that the green area remains alive and attractive. This function is performed by coniferous compositions in landscape design and single evergreens. But some conifers do not get along next to each other and deciduous trees. To avoid annoying mistakes, professionals share their secrets with those who love gardening.

Flower beds and decorative perennials have long been used by gardeners in landscaping city yards and suburban areas. Abroad, gardens and vegetable gardens have long been abandoned in favor of neat beds of decorative herbs and compact vegetable crops. In the East, for many centuries the Japanese have been practicing a “rock garden” with sakura, red maple, wild grapes and low-growing conifers. The culture of gardening courtyards and thoughtful landscape design is actively taking root in our country.

Central Russia is the natural environment of many species of pine, larch, cedar and juniper. A little further south, Mediterranean cypresses, thujas and other heat-loving evergreen tree-like conifers are perfectly cultivated. Surprisingly, in addition to blue spruces and some other pyramidal forms of this coniferous tree no other related plants were used. The exceptions were the resorts of Crimea and North Caucasus, where back in Soviet times parks and alleys were decorated rare species evergreen forms.

Today decorative forms Coniferous plants are increasingly used in landscape design and gardening of household plots. Asian and Mediterranean forms, through the efforts of domestic and Dutch breeders, are adapted to our climatic conditions. Although evergreen heat-loving plants increasingly decorate our plots, many coniferous native from Italy, Korea and Japan need to sprinkle the roots with sawdust and wrap the crown for the winter, as in the photo.

It is very convenient to purchase cultivated compact forms for landscape design with coniferous compositions through catalogs and a specialized retail network. Although this is expensive in complex landscaping, it has its advantages:

• the root system of a seedling in a pot or tub is protected;
• each plant has a “passport” or brief instructions care;
• If you follow the recommendations for watering and cultivation, 100% rooting of the young conifer is guaranteed.

Attention! If at a retail outlet they offer slightly yellowed plants from a row of identical plants, do not buy them - this is the first sign of the seedling dying! Even when landing in fertile soil and intensive watering will not be able to revive it, with rare exceptions. Such material can only be taken for free - in addition to a batch of other plants to be planted somewhere near the edge.

Coniferous composition on a summer cottage

If you are not sure that the acquired garden forms will take root, in the first year you can hire a professional gardener who will care for the “young growth”. When rooted thujas, juniper and ornamental spruces overwinter and in the spring they put out young, slightly colored branches - a signal that the conifers feel great in a new place and do not need careful care.

Advice. Do not forget that any tree-like plant during the period of active growth needs additional watering (especially in dry summers), fertilizing and wrapping the crown during frosts.

Competent care and thoughtful planting of young evergreen seedlings in landscape design using conifers is a guarantee that the site will be beautiful at any time of the year. The main thing is that they do not shade each other and do not oppress less viable forms with their phytoncides. For example, other conifers do not coexist near a single larch or gradually degrade.

Decorating a cottage with coniferous plants

Landscape design with coniferous plants

It is desirable that the basis of the composition be a single tall or medium-sized plant surrounded by 2-3 coniferous forms of contrasting forms. A green lawn or small gravel is an excellent background for such planting. It can be supplemented with compact flowering perennials or ornamental fruit-bearing shrubs, which can be adjusted annually by pruning.

Attention! You should not plant large conifers, fast-growing and spreading forms in the center of the site and under the windows of the building. Otherwise, in 5-6 years they will turn into forest wilds, creating excess shadow near the flowerbed or front garden.

Several identical conifers should not be planted randomly; it is better to place them along an alley or as a hedge. Compact spruce trees or similar plants combine perfectly with weeping deciduous trees near an artificial pond at the edge of the garden, as in the photo.

Landscape design in coniferous composition

Cottage design with coniferous plants

Cottage design with coniferous plants

Variations of coniferous forms

For most people, coniferous plants are fir trees and pine trees, which are usually decorated for the New Year holidays. They also include Siberian and Lebanese cedars, but the difference is not known to ordinary people. What the branches of larch, thuja, cypress or juniper look like is anyone’s guess.

This is interesting. Each variety of conifers has its own subspecies, with large variations in the color of cones or berries, crown shape and needle length. Italian weeping pine trees are the same as pine trees, but the needles can reach 20-30 cm in length. And there are coniferous forms with large purple cones and small red rose-like cones. For landscaping arboretums they use juniper with blue edible berries, and the variety with bright red fruits is poisonous. Young branches of decorative spruce trees can have a light green, golden or blue hue, examples are in the photo.

Coniferous composition on a summer cottage

Decorating a cottage with coniferous plants

When selecting coniferous compositions in landscape design, it is advisable to become more familiar with the species diversity of these relict plants. Botanists claim that conifers or gymnosperms reigned during the time of dinosaurs, replacing the era of tree-like horsetails and ferns. But they also find it difficult to answer how many natural varieties and subspecies these representatives of the kingdom of flora and fauna have.

Scientists annually discover new endemics in impenetrable virgin forests, which are used by breeders to breed decorative subspecies.

Landscape design with coniferous plants

Landscape design in coniferous composition

The main classification of conifers in nurseries is based on crown shape:

• spherical;
• ovoid,
• spiral;
• spreading flat-topped;
• crying;
• pyramidal;
• columnar;
• oval;
• creeping (flat);
• squat;
• rare crown.

The following forms are also distinguished:

• tall;
• medium height;
• short;
• creeping.

Attention! Over time, low-growing plants will look like medium-sized ones, while dwarf and compact conifers will take up more space. You should not plant them densely, so as not to spoil the original idea in the landscape design.

Cottage design with coniferous plants

Coniferous composition on a summer cottage

How to compose compositions?

Conifers are quite unique plants in many respects. They rarely get sick and are subject to attacks by pests, and withstand the vagaries of the weather. Most do not require particularly fertile soil, although each species has its own preferences. Some shed their needles like larch, others bloom pink in landscape design, like the Crimean thuja. All these forms are classified as evergreens, and most purify the air, filling it with phytoncides that are destructive to pathogenic microflora. Compact trees, densely covered with needles, are quite impressive in single landings, and in a general composition with other “neighbors”, as in the photo.

Decorating a cottage with coniferous plants

Landscape design with coniferous plants

The design of the site is usually divided into several zones, where in the center of the composition there will be certain types plants. Depending on the purpose, from a catalog or in a garden supermarket, you can choose or order different conifers. Most often they offer compact, dwarf and low-growing forms.

Attention! To suit your taste, you can choose any variety of pine, spruce, fir, cedar, larch, thuja, cypress or juniper. But there is one condition - they must be adapted and acclimatized to a specific region. Not all of them are organically perceived in the vicinity of decorative and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs.

Most evergreen forest beauties are in harmony with those trees and shrubs with which they usually coexist in the wild. These are oaks and birches, maples and rowan trees, hawthorn and rose hips.

Attention! You should not plant several conifers from different geographical zones nearby at once; this often looks unnatural.

“Northerners” can suppress stunted and dwarf forms native to the Mediterranean and Far Eastern regions with their phytoncides. And selective and hybrid forms will be oppressed by their natural relatives. Lebanese cedars and Siberian larches are considered the most “quarrelsome”.

Cottage design with coniferous plants

Coniferous composition on a summer cottage

Gardeners have noticed that most evergreens thrive in the shade, so they are planted behind the house on the north side. However, this does not apply to Mediterranean endemics and varieties of Christmas trees with light needles, which fade in the shade.

Cones are a natural dining area for many wild birds, which willingly flock to the site in winter and late autumn, filling the yard with joyful chirping. However, natural fertilizer after treating with seeds can spoil the appearance of a well-groomed coniferous composition in landscape design.

Most cultivated forms lend themselves well to “haircutting”; they can be given the most bizarre shapes - from elephants to precise spirals. But some coniferous plants get sick even if one branch is broken.

Decorating a cottage with coniferous plants

Landscape design with coniferous plants

Landscape design in coniferous composition

If you want to improve your garden plot with evergreen sculptures, you need to choose the right dense forms with small branches and short needles. You will also have to look for specialists who create real masterpieces. You should not experiment with living plants if you are not sure that such “creations” are within your power.

Take a close look at the examples in our photo gallery. Perhaps these ideas will inspire and suggest a new concept for the design of your site.

Video: How to use conifers in landscape design

Evergreens provide many advantages in landscaping. Depending on the season, weather conditions change, and with them the panorama of the landscape. The use of evergreen plantings enlivens the space even in winter, giving the garden plot a majestic and rich appearance. These types of plants go well with deciduous shrubs, for example, with barberries, hydrangeas or rhododendrons.

How to use evergreen plantings in the landscape design of the yard and what their advantages are, we will consider in this material.

Advantages of conifers

Planting evergreens on a plot provides great advantages over other plants.

1. Aesthetics. Conifers retain their decorative appearance throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions.
2. Variety. Numerous varieties will help you create lively compositions different forms and color scheme.
3. Unpretentiousness. Such green spaces do not require constant maintenance. They grow in all types of soil and do not require a lot of sunlight or regular watering, so any area of ​​the yard is suitable for planting.
4. Environmental friendliness. Conifers secrete essential oils, enriching the surrounding air with the rich scent of the forest.

We take into account shapes and sizes

When using evergreens in the landscape design of a summer cottage, their spatial characteristics are taken into account. It is important to take into account the shape, as well as the size that the plants will reach after a certain period of time.

The use of one or another type of evergreen depends on the correct combination of geometric proportions. For example, it’s a good idea to combine straight paths with squat and voluminous plantings, and a pond with low, fluffy trees.

The overall dimensions of the site must also be taken into account. Large areas are decorated with large plants, and small ones are decorated using dwarf varieties.

What types of conifers to choose

If the dimensions of the site allow, the following evergreens are planted:

• Thuja occidentalis. The height of the tree reaches 5 meters. To give it an arrow-shaped shape, the branches are trimmed. Thuja is used to create hedges. The only requirement is that the planting site be shaded.
• Juniper Skyrocket. Reaches a height of up to 3 meters. The shrub is popular due to the unusual color of its needles with a bluish tint.
• El Khupsi. Grows up to 15 meters tall. Suitable for single and group planting. Thanks to the silvery color with a bluish tint, it gives the composition an incredible look.

The plants listed above belong to the category of large plantings and are used in spacious areas. But for small areas, low-growing varieties with crowns of different shapes are suitable.

Of course, this is an incomplete list of conifers that are used in landscape design. Among the numerous species and varieties of evergreens, it will not be difficult to choose plants for decorating your summer cottage.

Design options

With the help of conifers, various compositions are created that perform aesthetic and practical functions.

1. Living hedges.
2. Lawn decor.
3. Group plantings.
4. Mixborders with elements of conifers.
5. Evergreens in a rock garden.
6. Container garden and bonsai.

Hedges

Such coniferous plantings serve throughout the year, and not just in the warm season. They are used both for fencing the site and for zoning individual parts space.

Conifers with a spherical, pyramidal or columnar crown, which tolerate cutting their branches, are best suited for hedges.

Varieties of evergreen plants are selected depending on the purpose of the fence. Spruce, pine and fir trees are suitable for fencing the site. If you need a fence medium height for zoning, then use different varieties thuja, juniper, yew or cypress. To create low green borders, dwarf species are chosen.

Thematic material:

Varieties of silver or bluish tones will help to distinguish the hedge from other plantings. The main requirement when creating a living fence is the use of fast-growing conifers of the same species.

Lawn elements

If there are green lawns on the site, then they can be supplemented with coniferous crops. In this case, tall-growing or medium-height varieties with expressive crown shapes are selected. Pyramidal and arrow-shaped, as well as spherical varieties of conifers are suitable for planting on the lawn.

These plants look great alone. A neatly trimmed lawn will serve as a decorative frame and background for separately growing trees and shrubs.

Group plantings

Instead of a banal round flower bed with roses, group planting of conifers is often used, where the plants are combined in the shapes and colors of the crown. Ensembles based on the contrast of shades and configurations are expressive. For example, columnar varieties of evergreens are combined with spherical and creeping ones. Good option– a combination of thuja, silver spruce and juniper in one composition.

An expressive effect is achieved by combining deciduous species with coniferous ones. Hydrangea bushes go well with them.

Group plantings that combine coniferous plants with needle-like and scaly leaves are also original.

When planning such compositions, the size of mature trees and shrubs is taken into account. After all, many evergreens can reach large dimensions.

Mixborders with elements of conifers

Mixborders are compositions using different types of plants, including evergreens. At the same time, coniferous inclusions often occupy the central place of a prefabricated flower bed or act as a background for perennial flowers.

A win-win option is to combine conifers in one mix with deciduous shrubs, for example, hydrangea, barberry, cotoneaster and others.

When creating a mixborder, it is important to consider plant compatibility. Fallen needles change the acidity of the soil, and some deciduous plantings may simply not be suitable for such a neighborhood.

But hydrangea gets along with spruce and juniper trees without any problems. Upon landing this decorative flower It is even recommended to add coniferous soil. Hydrangeas love shaded areas with acidic soils.- exactly the conditions that coniferous plantings create.

Evergreens in rocky gardens

Today, rock gardens and rock gardens are often used in landscape design, which provide mandatory presence conifers

Which plants to choose depends on the size rocky garden. In small rockeries, creeping varieties are used, and if space allows, dwarf pines and spruces are included.

Arborvitae, junipers, firs and other low-growing conifers truly adorn rocky gardens.

Evergreens that can easily tolerate pruning are excellent for topiary. After all, it is here that decorative figures of bizarre shapes are created from trees and bushes, including images of people and animals.

The popularity of evergreens in topiary art is also explained by the fact that dense and dense needles make it possible to form objects of complex configuration without any problems. At the same time, you can create masterpieces all year round.

Container gardens and bonsais

Our climatic conditions do not always allow the use of some varieties of coniferous plants. Trees growing in the southern regions are sensitive to temperature changes, and even a temperature of zero degrees leads to their death.

The way out of this situation is to plant plants in containers, which are placed on the site during the warm season and put away in an unheated room for the winter. The same rule applies to coniferous bonsai.

Each plant variety requires a certain volume of soil, which must be taken into account when planting in containers. Dwarf and creeping species of conifers feel good in a limited space. Moreover, the larger the plant, the more spacious the container is chosen.

The advantage of such gardens is that the design can be updated over time simply by changing the arrangement.

For landscape design, the use of coniferous plants will be an excellent option to diversify the design. In addition, such plantings are easy to care for and pleasing to the eye all year round. One or more types of evergreen plantings will transform summer cottage plot, turning it into a cozy place to relax.

Many owners of suburban areas are interested in landscape design. As a result of their efforts, the space surrounding not only expensive cottages, but also simple private houses has noticeably transformed. Today, vegetable gardens and even orchards are gradually losing ground and giving way to lawns, flower beds, flower beds and unusual plant compositions that are pleasing to the eye. However, flower beds have always attracted the attention of gardeners, and ornamental shrubs plots were decorated quite often, but conifers were used in landscape design, if at all, not so often. Today they are becoming more and more popular.

There are rules for planting conifers that are well known to landscape designers. But since not every site owner has the financial ability to hire such a specialist, it is better to know these rules yourself in order to independently try to implement them on the site:

• A tree and shrub composition will only look holistic when the distance from the point from which it will most often be viewed is at least twice its height.
• Having a lawn as a background for coniferous plants is most preferable.
• Often coniferous plants are planted near ponds so that, in combination with weeping plants, foliage plants, they formed a single original composition.
• It is most impressive, according to experts, when coniferous compositions in the garden landscape design are oriented to the west or east.

Coniferous plants go well with cereals, leafy plants and flowers, including lilies. This composition on the shore of a pond looks natural and magnificent

The combination of roses and conifers looks great, but the problem is that thujas and other coniferous plants, as a result of their vital activity, oxidize the soil, and roses acidic soils they treat you badly

Coniferous plants can vary significantly in color. If you have to assemble plants into a composition, you need to pay attention to the color of the needles so that a unique range is formed:

• If a composition includes three components, then only two colors can be present in it.
• A five-element composition should consist of no more than three different colors.
• If there are 25 or even more elements in the composition, they must be combined into groups of three, and plants in one group should be selected according to a single color characteristic.

Only in this case will coniferous plants form an ensemble in which they will look harmonious, without violating the integrity of the picture.

Material on the rules for designing group and solitary plantings of decorative conifers will also be useful:

Numerous colors and shades of pine needles can create harmonious combinations if you take care in advance of their compatibility with each other

Crown height and shape

When creating ensembles, it is necessary to take into account not only the color of the plant, but also its height in adulthood, as well as the shape of its crown. To predict the appearance of the composition in the future, you should, armed with knowledge, select in advance from those plants that the modern market or nurseries can offer.

Of course, both the height of an adult plant and the shape of its crown must be taken into account so that after some time the composition does not lose its original attractiveness and does not turn into thickets

Tall species of conifers

Some fairly tall plants include the following species:

• Western thuja. The plant reaches a height of 5 m, prefers shaded areas, and can be trimmed. Often used as a hedge.
• Juniper Skyrocket. A pleasant conical shaped plant with soft blue needles. Grows up to 3m high.
• A very popular variety that can grow up to 15m. It has dense needles of silver-blue color. The plant is resistant to negative natural factors.
• Scots pine Watereri. Its homeland is the Mediterranean, so we can say that it is especially adapted to the southern climate. It has a twisted spherical shape and grows to a height of up to 4 m.
• Pincus sylvestris pine. A real coniferous giant, growing up to 40m in height. It has a straight trunk and columnar structure. In demand due to its absolute unpretentiousness.

If rapid growth upward is undesirable, you can regulate the size of the plants by constantly pinching its shoots, but this must be done regularly: every year. Otherwise, you may end up with a freak plant.

Who would have thought that such a compact plant could eventually turn into a 15-meter giant. But this circumstance must be taken into account when landing

Medium-sized plants for coniferous compositions

Rarely do people decide to use very tall plants in an interior composition. Rather, they form hedge, zoning the site or fencing it. But medium-sized conifers enjoy deserved popularity among landscape designers:

• . This branchy and very showy evergreen tree is in demand because it grows slowly and looks attractive.
• Berry yew. A compact shrub with dense needles looks great on the lawn and is popular due to its combination of lush greenery and bright red berries.
• Western thuja. A very beautiful and compact ball, the branches of which grow densely in a vertical direction in relation to the trunk.
• Golden yew. Can grow in partial shade, feels great next to tall and short plants. It has a bowl shape and yellowish-green or golden needles.

As a rule, it is these plants that form the basis of the compositions. Successfully complemented by low-growing conifers, they look great at any end of the garden.

It is medium-sized plants that often form the basis of all kinds of compositions. Look at this tree that just begs to be added to a Japanese-style garden.

Green thuja with bright red berries brings back memories of wonderful New Year's holidays When does this color combination become most popular?

Low-growing and creeping conifers

When growing such a plant, you need to provide sufficient space for its development. After all, such conifers do not grow upward, but in width, taking over space and forming a kind of prickly lawn.

• Spruce Lumbers. Despite this name, this spruce looks quite unusual. This is a low-growing plant with dense emerald-colored needles.
• Western thuja Tiny Tim. This plant loves light, but does not require abundant watering. It looks like a ball that has rolled out onto the track.
• Hampi mountain pine. The plant serves as decoration for rock gardens. It grows to the sides. At subzero temperatures, its buds acquire a decorative reddish-brown hue.
• Mountain Pine Mini Pug. It grows in the form of a fluffy pillow. Effective and pleasant to look at.

Low-growing conifers in garden design can be especially attractive if they are properly cared for. It is they, in combination with medium-sized ones, that are able to create the indescribable atmosphere of a Japanese garden and its flavor.

Although this spruce is called an ordinary spruce, in appearance it looks more like spruce branches that cover the surface that the designer set aside for it

The mountain pine Mini Pug amazes with its miniature size and adaptability to the most extreme conditions growth. Of course, she deserves to become a garden decoration

We make compositions from conifers

Coniferous plants combine perfectly not only with each other, but also with deciduous shrubs and trees, creating interesting compositions. For the combination of plants, there are rules that you should know when creating the design of the site.

Mixborders from conifers

The mixborder can be placed where, in accordance with your vision, it will be especially appropriate. It is important not to be afraid to do what you want. The landscape only benefits from the manifestation of the designer’s individuality.

For the largest plants, prepare a place at the edge of the composition; then the seedlings are arranged in descending order of size, so the shortest specimens are planted at the foot of the mixborder. You should not try to maintain the geometric accuracy of the landings. Curvature will only emphasize the pristine beauty of the composition.

This attractive composition preserves all the rules that should not be broken when creating a harmonious ensemble of coniferous plants in the garden

The natural harmony of the mixborder must be respected: the width of the area for tall and large plants must exceed the space allocated for small-growing plantings. The seedlings may contain plants that differ in the color of their needles and the shape of their crown. Sometimes on sites you can see exceptionally beautiful and diverse collections of coniferous plants.

prickly hedge

Dividing a suburban area into zones, many designers also use coniferous plants. With their help, you can create a functional fence around the perimeter of the site. To do this, plants are planted in two or even three rows, placed in a checkerboard pattern. An ordinary spruce can make a completely impenetrable fence.

Barriers can also be beautiful, but this does not make them less inaccessible. It will take time for such a fence to appear on the site, but the result is worth it

They look good against the background of Christmas trees or thujas. Creating different combinations plants, you don’t have to worry about artificial decorations of the site: it will be beautiful and evergreen at any time of the year.

Rules for planting coniferous plants

Careful preparation of the place where the plant will be planted is very important. Its health, and, therefore, the beauty of the site depends on this. If water stagnates in any part of the site, plants should not be placed there. Each variety has its own requirements for soil composition. This point should be clarified and taken into account when you are just starting to choose varieties for planting.

As you can see, a coniferous plant seedling does not need to be deepened very much. It is enough that in the hole prepared for it there is that part that we call the root

The most suitable period for planting is from the end of April to the beginning of May. At this time, the seedling has not yet entered the active period of growth, which means that it will more easily tolerate transplantation and will feel good in the new place.

You need to place fertile soil in the hole under the seedling, then compact it well and place the plant in it up to the root, not deeper. After planting, the conifer needs watering. Care must be taken to ensure that the soil does not dry out.

Not all coniferous plants exhibit frost resistance. There are also real sissies who are accustomed to the humid and warm Mediterranean climate. In winter they need to be protected.

Conifers are not picky plants, but they also require care. In the hot summer they need to be protected from sunburn, and in cold winter those specimens that are not frost-resistant should be covered.

Seedlings can have a closed root system or an open one. If planting in spring and the roots are open, pay attention to the presence of white fresh shoots. This plant is ready for planting.