More recently, it was believed that it would be more correct to decorate a garden with deciduous trees and flowers. “Christmas trees should grow in the forest,” domestic gardeners were confident. But times have changed and views and conifers in landscape design began to occupy one of the most significant places. Today, almost every owner garden plot dreams of his fabulous coniferous garden.
Conifers are very popular among amateur gardeners.
Many summer residents try to plant popular coniferous crops in their garden, such as spruce, fir or pine. In seedlings, these conifers seem miniature, but do not forget that some of them can grow up to the size of a three-story house. This fact must be taken into account when determining the style of your coniferous garden. What else important points should become mandatory for the attention of the owners of these amazing plants? We decided to tell you the basics of a coniferous landscape for beginners.
Best of all, coniferous plants are combined with cereal and deciduous flowers. Take a look at this splendor by the pond
When these coniferous trees grow and get stronger, this corner will turn into a real "coniferous paradise"
Pines - amazing plants- evergreen and unpretentious, fast-growing and diverse: 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 over the combination of colors in advance, then you will get an excellent coniferous composition in landscape design
What are the best conifers to plant in your garden?
Among the variety of coniferous varieties, there are those whose decorative effect is determined by young shoots (candles). For instance:
1. Grow gold. This ornamental pine stands out for its bright yellow fresh candle color.
2. Candel light. The shoots of this variety are bright green. Looks great and grows fast.
The Panderose pine variety will be specially bred for arranging garden and summer cottages. Its fluffy crown and long needles will not leave anyone indifferent.
The Nivaki pine variety was bred in Japan and is the most popular plant in the homeland for creating a bansai garden.
main feature varieties - this is its plasticity, the plant can be given any form of growth
- Panderose. It has very long needles and a fluffy crown, 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 winter without shelter.
- Nevaki (bansai). Variety bred in Japan. It is notable for its plasticity - it can take any shape when shearing.
- Black pine "Nana". This is the most unpretentious coniferous species. It has a dense, dark green crown.
- Velda. Creeping variety, in which each shoot grows horizontally. If the veld is not cut, it can take up to 3 meters of area.
- Pinus flexilis "Pygmy". A very pleasant looking plant with a dense crown. A feature of the Pygmies is that needles grow on branches in thick bunches.
- Cedar. Cedars grow slowly for the first 2-3 years. They are good because, in addition to being decorative, they have special kind bumps. The most common - Siberian cedar, but other species are also noteworthy: Korean cedar, European cedar. A prerequisite for their growth is the sufficient presence of the sun - most of the daylight hours.
- Fir, thuja, juniper. These conifers are the favorites of our gardeners. They successfully decorate yards, 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 garden.
The best dwarf coniferous varieties
If your garden is not large enough to accommodate many coniferous varieties, or the site does not need shade, do not rush to abandon the idea of \u200b\u200bcultivating a coniferous garden. You can plant dwarf conifers:
- Spruce "Konika". It's slow growing ornamental plant will fit even in the smallest space. A feature of the growth of Spruce "Konika" is low winter hardiness. To solve the problem of freezing, this species must either be well covered or grown in pots.
- mountain pine. The plant is good because it lives well both in sheared and in free form, loves partial shade and is not at all capricious. The only drawback of mountain pine is the high price.
Take a look at this area. Great, isn't it? But the plants were only recently planted and all the beauty is yet to come.
Designer's tip: If a few skeletal branches are removed from a pine tree, the rest will go up and form branches with beautiful caps. The wood style will be similar to Japanese.
- Balkan pine grows up to 3 m, which depends only on you. If you pinch a pine, it will be as tall and shaped as you need.
- Pine "Negishi" can become a real pride of your pine garden. The bumps on its young shoots are bright lilac, which makes this tree look like an unusual flowering conifer.
Do you want to create a rockery or rock garden on the site? Conifers are best suited for this area
Pro tip: For pines best neighbors- 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:
- Landing time - late summer or early spring.
- You need to dig a hole 50-70 cm.
- We provide 20 cm drainage (gravel or expanded clay).
- Pour a bucket of water with a rooting stimulator into the pit.
- We take out the seedling from the pot with a lump, straighten the roots and place them in the hole so that the root neck is slightly above the ground.
- We fill the pine with soil with superphosphate (half a glass) and humus (1 bucket).
- We dig in the seedling so that we get a mound around the trunk and a hole for watering.
- Watering the seedling needs from 2 to 4 buckets, which depends on the size of the coniferous plant.
- During spring planting above the needles, you need to build a frame to protect against scorching rays.
An amazing and simple coniferous composition in landscape design in which all the basic rules are observed
Pro tip: Mountain pine doesn't need a hole. It is enough to overlay the roots with stones and sprinkle with soil.
- The soil must always be maintained in a semi-moist state for at least the first months after planting.
- In the same period, the needles need constant water spraying.
- You can water and spray spruce antifungal drugs.
- Needles love sandy soil, especially pine and spruce.
- It is necessary to carry out molding (plucking) of young shoots in early summer.
growth conditions coniferous plants not complicated and quite feasible 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 harmony of green thujas. Happy landings!
Evergreens provide a lot of advantages in the arrangement of the site. Depending on the season, the weather conditions change, and with them the panorama of the landscape. The use of evergreen plantings enlivens the space even in winter, giving the backyard a majestic and rich look. These types of plants are successfully combined with deciduous shrubs, for example, with barberries, hydrangeas or rhododendrons.
How to apply evergreen plantings in landscape design yard and what are their advantages, we will consider in this material.
Advantages of conifers
Planting on an evergreen site offers great advantages over other plants.
- Aesthetics. Conifers retain decorative appearance throughout the year regardless of weather conditions.
- Diversity. Numerous varieties will help create lively compositions different forms and color range.
- unpretentiousness. Such green spaces do not require constant maintenance. They grow on all types of soil, do not need a lot of sunlight and regular watering, so any part of the yard is suitable for planting.
- Environmental friendliness. Conifers allocate essential oils enriching ambient air rich scent of the forest.
Consider 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 plant 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 is good to combine straight paths with squat and voluminous plantings, and a pond with low fluffy trees.
It is also mandatory to take into account the total size of the site. Large ones 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 western. The height of the tree reaches 5 meters. To give it an arrow-shaped shape, the branches are cut. Thuja is used to create hedges. The only requirement is the shading of the landing site.
- Juniper Skyrocket. Reaches a height of up to 3 meters. The shrub is popular due to the unusual color of needles with a bluish tinge.
- El Hupsi. 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 plantations 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 many species and varieties of evergreens, it will not be difficult to choose plants for decorating a summer cottage. 
Design options
With the help of conifers, various compositions are created that perform aesthetic and practical functions.
- Hedges.
- Lawn decor.
- Group landings.
- Mixborders with conifer elements.
- Evergreens in rockeries.
- Container garden and bonsai.
Hedges
Such coniferous plantations serve throughout the year, and not only in the warm season. They are used both for fencing the site, and for zoning. separate parts space.
Conifers with a spherical, pyramidal or columnar crown are best suited for hedges, which tolerate cutting branches well.
Varieties of evergreens are selected depending on the purpose of the hedge. Spruce, pine, fir are suitable for fencing the site. If you need a medium-height fence for zoning, then use different varieties thuja, juniper, yew or cypress. To create low green borders, dwarf species are chosen.
Thematic material:
Varieties of silvery or bluish tones will help to highlight the hedge against the background of other plantings. The main requirement when creating a living fence is the use of fast-growing conifers of the same species.
lawn elements
If green lawns are broken on the site, then they can be supplemented with coniferous crops. At the same time, high-growing or medium-height varieties with expressive crown shapes are chosen. For landing on the lawn, pyramidal and arrow-shaped, as well as spherical varieties of conifers are suitable.
These plants look great alone. A neatly trimmed lawn will serve as a decorative frame and background for separately growing trees and shrubs.
Group landings
Instead of a banal round flower bed with roses, a group planting of conifers is often used, where plants are combined in crown shapes and colors. 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 arborvitae, silver spruce and juniper in one composition.
An expressive effect is achieved by combining deciduous species with conifers. Hydrangea shrubs coexist well with them.
Group plantings are also original, in which coniferous plants with needle and scaly leaves are combined.
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 conifer elements
Mixborders - compositions using different types plants, including evergreens. At the same time, coniferous inclusions often occupy the central place of a prefabricated flower bed or act as a backdrop for perennial flowers.
A win-win option is a combination of conifers in one mix along 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 the hydrangea coexists without problems with spruces and junipers. When dropping this decorative flower it is even recommended to add coniferous soil. Hydrangeas love shaded areas with acidic soils.- just the conditions that create coniferous plantings.
Evergreens in rock gardens
Today, rockeries and rock gardens are often used in landscape design, which provide for the mandatory presence of conifers.
Which plants to choose depends on the size of the rocky garden. In small rockeries, creeping varieties are used, and if space allows, they include dwarf pines and spruces.
Thuja, junipers, firs and other undersized conifers become truly an adornment of rocky gardens.
Evergreens that tolerate shearing with ease are great for topiary. After all, it is here that decorative figures of bizarre forms are created from trees and shrubs, up to the image 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 without any problems. complex configuration. At the same time, you can create masterpieces all year round.
Container gardens and bonsai
Our climatic conditions do not always allow the use of some varieties of coniferous plants. Trees growing in southern regions, are sensitive to temperature changes, and even an indicator of zero degrees leads to their death.
The way out of this situation is to plant plants in containers that are placed on the site during the warm season and removed for the winter in unheated room. The same rule applies to coniferous bonsai.
Each variety of plants requires a certain amount of soil, which must be taken into account when planting in containers. Dwarf and creeping types 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 landings are unpretentious in care and delight the eye all year round. One or more types of evergreens will transform country cottage area turning it into a cozy place to relax.
On long winter evenings, we plan and draw planting patterns, says FORUMHOUSE user LidiiaS. Today we will talk about how users of our portal create compositions from conifers.
Going to the nursery in the spring and buying all the seedlings you like is a common but worst option. It is necessary to start creating a composition with a detailed study of the place on the site and drawing up a plan.
Ttt777ttt FORUMHOUSE user
At a minimum, draw a planting plan yourself, taking into account the habit of the plant, the requirements for soil and lighting.
Designers usually recommend not being limited to the plan, but also photographing the place of the future coniferous group from all points from which you will admire it. Look at the photos until you understand what kind of picture you want to see there.
The tallest trees are planted in the background so that they do not block the view of those that are lower.
The height of the plants should increase as they move away from the viewer.
The composition will be fully perceived at a distance equal to two of its heights. Usually this distance is sown with a lawn, and this combination allows you to kill one more rabbit: against the background of the lawn, any Christmas tree looks more advantageous.
If we are talking about all-round viewing groups that can be viewed from all sides, then the largest tree is placed in the center, in the second and subsequent rows the height of trees and bushes should decrease proportionally. The point is that they do not close, but emphasize the decorative qualities of each other. Therefore, each subsequent row should be at least half as low as the previous one.
Many conifers grow slowly, and sometimes the composition of the composition with spruce in the garden reaches the peak of decorativeness only after ten years. You can plant Christmas trees and thujas closer to each other, and after a few years, partially cut down those that will interfere. And you can plant very small "more spacious" and patiently wait until they turn into the beauty and pride of the site. Waiting is brightened up by planting arrays of perennials, roses and so on. Until the tree skeleton grows up, they will fill the space and delight your eye with flowering and texture. The first or second way to choose - depends on the nature of the owner of the garden.
vaska67 FORUMHOUSE user
That is, it is completely optional, having planted the little ones at once at great distances from each other, all the time before they grow, sigh over a half-empty space.
This composition with spruce on the site will reach the peak of decorativeness in a few years.
When planting conifers in a composition, it is necessary to take into account their future sizes, so that they do not have to crowd further, close up with crowns.
Mountelf FORUMHOUSE user
For plants of one tier - at a distance equal to the sum of their radii in an adult (at least 10 years, and for large trees - 20-30 years) state.
Ttt777ttt FORUMHOUSE user
Type in the search engine the size (habitus) of thuja Smaragd, for example. We look at the width of the plant, divide it in half and get the distance from the center of the planting hole to the edge of the crown. We measure half the width of the next seedling from this point - this will be the center of the planting hole number two.
Christopher FORUMHOUSE user
Just don't overdo it or it will look like this. The bottom picture is only planted conifers, the top one is five years later.
That is, the crowns of plants in the composition will close, but this should happen "not next year and not at the level of a meter from the ground."
Experts recommend not to forget that color is one of the ways to assemble a group of conifers into one. Don't get too carried away different colors needles and different shades of green: “we didn’t draw in childhood,” designers say in such cases.
There is a simple rule: a very small composition (three plants) - two colors, five - a maximum of three is needed, in a large composition, plants are placed in groups of the same color.
Coniferous groups are often diluted not only with perennials, but also with deciduous plants - this gives the garden new colors, evokes new feelings, makes the design of the garden more interesting and multifaceted. What should be the distance of a deciduous bush depends on whether they should fall under the crown of the tree. So, the crowns of spruce and fir reach the ground, which means that the bushes must be planted for the diameter of the crown. Many shrubs in the garden look good when they are practically intertwined with each other. That is, more accurate distances can be calculated after you have completed the first part of the work: decide on a set of crops and varieties and their approximate location.
Ready-made coniferous compositions. Scheme
Here are options for finished compositions with conifers:
Composition of coniferous plants, scheme No. 1.
- Common juniper "Stricta"
- Vesicle viburnum "Darts Gold"
- Derain white "Aurea"
- Juniper rocky (virginsky) "Blue Arrow"
- European larch (falling) "Pendula"
- Soft cuff "Auslese" + Tulips
- Japanese Spiraea "Gold Mound"
- Low-growing yew berry
- Euphorbia cypress.
Almost all homeowners are fond of creating. With a little effort, they transform their homes, ennoble them and create an almost fabulous atmosphere.
It is not so important whether you are the owner of a luxurious mansion or a modest country house. After all, you can create a masterpiece on any site, even if it does not differ in a large area.
In addition, one should not forget that lawns, flower beds and various color compositions rather than standard gardens and orchards. Gradually they fade into the background, and you can not see them very often.
Just a few years ago, landscape designers used flower beds and ornamental shrubs as decoration for garden area. At the same time, coniferous compositions were practically not used.
However, every year their popularity is increasing more and more, so landscape design with coniferous compositions can be seen in almost every area.
Rules for planting coniferous trees
Due to the high cost of the services of professional landscape designers, many homeowners have to deal with the arrangement of their backyard territory on their own. Having studied enough material on correct design site design, you can be sure of success.
But at the same time, it is worth considering the nuance that you have to work with conifers.
There are some rules for planting plants related to softwood, which are not recommended to be violated if you want to get a really beautifully arranged garden as a result. Let's look at these rules in more detail.
The distance from the point from which the review of the tree and shrub species will be conducted to the composition should be 2 of its height. Thus, your composition will look more holistic.
If you are going to use coniferous plants for design, then it would be wiser to give preference to the lawn. It will be a great background to complement the composition.
In the event that your site has a body of water, you should plant coniferous shrubs nearby. Combined with weeping deciduous plants they will look quite original, beautiful and elegant.
According to experts, compositions of coniferous plants should be placed with an orientation to the east, west. Such a composition will look more natural and harmonious.
Do not plant flowers such as roses in close proximity to conifers. And although designers confirm that such a combination looks very impressive, it is worth remembering that any conifers oxidize the soil. And roses, as you know, do not take root well in oxidized soils.
As you can see, these simple rules pretty easy to follow. Therefore, do not neglect them.
Do not forget that only plants and trees planted in accordance with all the rules will be able to delight you for many years and decorate your garden.
Color combinations of coniferous plants
Did you naively believe that all plants and trees that belong to conifers look the same? You were wrong. In fact, there are many plants that belong to this breed, and differ in color.
That is why various compositions are often used, in which there are more than two specimens of plants that differ in color.
combination various colors gives a stunning effect that cannot leave anyone indifferent.
However, do not rush to use the first colorful plants that come across. After all, you need to achieve the creation of a kind of gamut, and this can only be done if you follow a few design tips:
- in the event that you are going to include 3 components in the composition, you should not use more than two colors;
- if the composition includes 5 elements, it is necessary to increase the number of colors to three;
- more bulky compositions, which consist of 25 or more components, should be divided into small groups (approximately 3 copies). Each group must correspond to a single color attribute.
The composition assembled in this way will look like a single ensemble. Each of the selected colors will contribute to the creation of a holistic and harmonious picture.
Photo of coniferous compositions
Today, landscape design has become a favorite hobby of many owners of land and private houses. It is thanks to their efforts that the space that surrounds many private houses, in Lately began to change significantly.
On some household plots gardens and even ordinary orchards begin to gradually lose ground and give way to decorative lawns, bright flower beds and unexpected plant compositions that delight their owners.
But if, flower arrangements have always been held in high esteem by our gardeners, and some unpretentious shrubs have always been often found on the plots, then coniferous evergreens in landscape design are not yet used so widely. Although their popularity is growing.
Conifers in landscape design make it possible decorate outdoor space aesthetically pleasing and rich, in addition, the garden will look like this in all seasons.
The increasing use of coniferous shrubs and trees in landscape design is due to their properties: plants are harmonious both in single plantings and in compositions all year round, most species and forms are unpretentious to soils, tolerate severe weather conditions, are less than deciduous, are susceptible to pests and diseases.
In addition to the already mentioned aesthetic effect, such landings compare favorably:
- Good absorption of street dust and noise;
- Windproof properties;
- Improving the microclimate in the local area;
Suppression of the reproduction of pathogenic viruses and bacteria, due to the release of biologically active substances by all parts of the plant;
Air supply all year round significant amount of oxygen, since most conifers are not deciduous.
Therefore, if there is a dream of a green environment in which the most favorable microclimate for people will be naturally provided, then compositions of coniferous shrubs and trees in landscape design will optimal solution. Moreover, there is always the opportunity to pick up plants of the most unexpected shape and any size of crowns, this allows you to create any compositions on your site.
Landing and care
For planting and growing compositions from coniferous plants, certain rules have already been formulated that are well known to both professional botanists and landscape designers. But, since some site owners want to deal with the design on their own, while others simply do not have the financial ability to hire a qualified specialist, it is necessary to start the process of creating a composition from coniferous from the theoretical part.
When planning a landing, you must immediately take into account that the finished landscape compositions will look holistic if the distance from the place from which they will be most often viewed is at least two of their heights.
An essential point is the careful preparation of the site for planting the plant. It will depend on this further development, and, consequently, the beauty of the whole composition. Places on the site that are subject to periodic flooding are unsuitable for planting. It must be borne in mind that each species develops best on a certain composition of the soil. This needs to be clarified at the stage of choosing species for your garden plot.
In terms of timing, the most optimal time for landing work is the period With last numbers April and early May. At this time, coniferous shrubs and trees do not yet begin active growth and, as a result, they tolerate transplantation more easily and take root in a new place.
When digging a hole, it is necessary to calculate its depth in such a way that when planting a seedling, it is located in it no deeper than the root neck (this is the border where the trunk goes into the root). After planting, you need to water abundantly, this is done to ensure the best contact of the soil with the roots, that is, you need to water it regardless of soil moisture. For the next month, the soil around the plants should not be allowed to dry out until it begins to develop its root system in a new place.
Most conifers are not very capricious when grown, but they, like other artificially grown plants, need care. In hot years, it is required to cover young plants from sunburn, especially for various firs. In winter, take measures to protect southern, imported species from frost (this includes sheltering stunted plants, snow retention, etc.) Saplings are sold with a closed root system (with a clod of earth or in a container) and with an open one (the roots are bare). If planting takes place in the spring, and the roots are open, you need to pay attention to the presence of young roots.
Breaking up the lawn to create a background for coniferous plants will significantly improve the overall visual perception. Often, coniferous plants are planted next to water bodies, so that, together with weeping deciduous plants, they make up a common original composition.
- various types and varieties of junipers: Cossack, rocky, Virginian, Chinese, etc.;
- firs: prickly, European;
- pines: mountain, black, ordinary.
Those. those species of conifers that are common in the wild in our forests without any care. Naturally, wild plants are quite often growing too big, they do not have sufficient decorative qualities, so you need to buy varieties with known qualities.
Junipers, pines and North American prickly spruces are quite photophilous, undemanding to the level of humidity and soil fertility. If the flower bed is in shading for a significant part of the daylight hours, it is recommended to choose zoned (that is, those that have been tested and suitable for growing in your region) varieties of yew berry, European spruce or western thuja.
For a low-maintenance garden (requiring a minimum of work throughout the year) in our latitudes, carefully purchase cypress, hemlock, pseudo-hemlock, microbiota, tuevik, cypress, cupressocypress, fir, Kemfer larch, Japanese cryptomeria, marsh cypress, thuja folded and other rare species of conifers.
According to the size of an adult plant, conifers can be conditionally divide into three groups.
Tall species of coniferous plants
Large plants include: common types:
Srednerosly plants for coniferous compositions
- Branchy and very aesthetic evergreen tree. Growth is slow.
- Yew berry. Compact shrub, dense needles. Popular due to the combination of rich greens and berries, red.
- The yew is golden. It tolerates partial shade well, combined with tall and stunted plants. It grows in the shape of a bowl, the needles are yellowish-green, green or golden. They often serve as the basis for compositions.
Undersized and creeping conifers
For such forms of conifers, it is very important to have enough space for development, because they do not grow up, but in a horizontal plane, forming something similar to a kind of lawn.
- Spruce Lombers ordinary. Undersized plant, thick needles, bright, emerald color.
- Pine mountain Hampi. Used in rock gardens. An unusual property - the kidneys, at temperatures below zero, are painted in beautiful reddish-brown shades.
- Mountain pine, grade Mini Pug. It grows in the form of a kind of pillow.
Compatibility
Despite the unpretentiousness of most coniferous species to growing conditions, it is necessary to form compositions based on them, taking into account some features. Many conifers are characterized by their "aggressiveness". Species are called aggressive, which in the process of evolution have developed the ability to secrete substances that inhibit the development of other plants. In conifers, this feature allows in nature, with their very slow growth, to compete with fast-growing species. So:
Near larch, all coniferous plants feel bad, although they can be planted, but at some distance.
Purchase of plants
Coniferous trees for creating compositions can be bought both in special nurseries and in garden shops.
Digging in natural forests and groves is not worth it, because, firstly, it may turn out to be illegal (if this territory belongs to some kind of biosphere reserve), and secondly, it is unpredictable what an adult plant will be like, even within the same species, wild specimens can vary greatly (it depends on many factors and heredity), thirdly, it is possible to bring new types of pests into your garden.
You don’t need to buy a plant just because it is beautiful and pretty. Definitely recommended learn latin name, first inquire about the size and habit of an adult plant and buy only those plants that are suitable for a particular site.
Conifers, especially of a small age, are strikingly similar and only a specialist is able to distinguish them outwardly. This is a rather expensive acquisition, designed for more than one year, so you should prepare for it in advance, arm yourself with a catalog with descriptions and photographs. Very often one sees the disappointment of buyers of extremely expensive, grown in Western nurseries, topiary (formed by special pruning of seedlings) forms, when they are created from species that are not zoned in our latitudes.
It should not be forgotten that it is advisable to buy coniferous plants with a clod of earth, dendrological nurseries sell them in burlap or wire mesh, the most the best way- grown in a container, they can be plant in any season. Naturally, you need to buy seedlings only in reputable garden centers, after checking the general condition of the needles and the quality of the root system. Many novice gardeners have been “burned” by buying cheap potted cupressocypresses and cypresses often sold in supermarkets, often they stand there, without watering, for weeks. After these conditions, these tender plants are extremely difficult to recover, most often they die during the first wintering.
As for the price of seedlings, conifers usually cost more than deciduous ones, container ones are more expensive than those grown in the ground, grafted and topiary ones are more expensive than those grown without shaping, etc. Designers most often recommend purchasing several accent, central plants (size about 1.0-1.5 m in height), to give the flower bed volume, and buy the rest small (no more than 40 cm). But at the same time, one must be prepared for the fact that dwarf species grow extremely slowly (sometimes less than one cm per year) and, having planted them very small, it will take many years to expect the required decorative effect from them.
Coniferous compositions in landscape design
The principle of constructing a landscape composition of coniferous plants
For proper planning coniferous compositions, initially you need to decide where exactly it should be located, what type is needed, what elements will be included in it. And after that, choose plants that meet the characteristics necessary for the formation of the composition, taking into account the existing conditions.
The facade of the house and the front garden, as a rule, are the first to be seen by guests, so its design should be somewhat solemn and necessarily elegant, it is appropriate here. landscaping with basic elements regular style, which is built on a symmetrical arrangement of all components or a repeating rhythm. It will be better when the range of species here is unnecessarily diverse.
The main, accent plant is a pyramidal, standard plant, which in adulthood reaches a size of no more than 2.5-3 m (based on the size of the flower bed). Then, plants of the second order (sub-accents) are placed symmetrically from it on the sides, with dimensions up to 1-1.5 m. Between them, it is possible (without deviating from a predetermined pattern) to plant dwarf and prostrate conifers, compact ornamental deciduous shrubs and ground cover.
In informal-style plantings, compositions of coniferous plants are recommended to be placed on the lawn. in the form of a flower bed - "island", include them in the composition of the mixborder along the edges of the site, interspersed with decorative foliage plants, thus zoning the space. Here it is more optimal to select the habitus of plants according to the system of "irregular scalene triangle".
After, the remaining space is filled with plants as their importance and external saturation decrease. Lower plants are planted in the foreground of the flower beds, and taller and more voluminous ones towards the center. It is advisable to choose plants with different colors of needles so that the flower bed does not look boring. If the accent plant has silver-colored needles, you do not need to plant a variety of the same color nearby. Do not forget about the illumination of the flower bed and various seasonal plants. Against the background of bright greenery, early bulbs will look great.
For landing on alpine slide or in flowerbeds with a variety of annuals and ground covers, you can use miniature varieties with spherical and cushion forms of growth, as well as ground cover species that cover the ground with a carpet or cascade down from retaining walls.
To create a harmonious landscape composition, certain rules must be observed.
Shape geometry
Contrasting combinations
By combining contrasting colors and shapes, various visual effects can be achieved. Against the background of small plants, large-sized trees will catch the eye; in transitions of various sizes and outlines of crowns, you can smooth out the lines of the exterior.
Asymmetry and symmetry
The use of coniferous plants in landscape design implies a combination of the incongruous. That is, you can decorate the site with both symmetrical compositions and unexpected asymmetric elements that will look quite harmonious.
Currently released a large number of coniferous plants that differ in color. Those who like to experiment with colors should remember that contrasting color scheme components of a small coniferous group can "break up" the composition. Therefore, experts advise in groups of conifers, from three plants, to use no more than two colors, in groups of five seedlings, no more than three colors can be planted. But in significant coniferous groups (more than 30 in number), you can plant plants with different colors, not forgetting to combine them in small groups of three plants of the same color.
Crown height and shape
When creating compositions, it is necessary to take into account not only the color of the seedling, but also its dimensions in adulthood and the outlines of its crown. In order to predict the type of composition in the future, you should initially study the characteristics of the proposed varieties before buying them.
Composition types
Mixborder
The mixborder can be placed where, in accordance with the wishes of the owner of the site, it will look best. Don't be afraid to do what you want. From the manifestation of individuality garden landscape only wins.
For the largest plants prepare a place at the very edge of the future composition, then the plantings are arranged in descending order of size, so the smallest plants are planted at the base of the mixborder. No need to strive to maintain the same geometric accuracy of plantings. Curvature will only emphasize the original beauty of the composition.
The natural harmony of the mixborder must be observed: the width of plantings of large plants must necessarily exceed the space allocated for undersized plantings. As part of the plantation, there may be specimens that differ in the color of the needles and the outlines of the crown.
Coniferous hedge
hedge, using coniferous plants, create quite often. In plantings of a regular style, which is rarely found in our latitudes, a coniferous hedge is nothing more than a hedge, but landscape style and modern makes it possible to apply evergreen hedges as a background for bright perennials. From conifers, dense shaped or unshaped hedges can be formed. In order to create a dense green hedge, plants are placed in several rows, in a checkerboard pattern. One of the most impenetrable hedges is considered to be a shaped staggered spruce planting.
Compositions of coniferous circular view
Compositions of a circular view are called landings, the decorative effect of which should be visible from all sides of the view. Compositions of this kind are usually planted in paving openings or in round flower beds. Planting plants, maybe any - irregular shape or symmetrical. In the center of the symmetrical composition is placed the most dimensional plant, around it on equal distance- types of small dimensions.
For asymmetrical groups, the same principle applies: the height of each subsequent row should gradually decrease, thereby emphasizing the visual perception of the previous row. The formation of an asymmetrical composition is one of the most complex work for the landscape designer. It must provide an overview of the landing from all angles.
For example, consider the option of using Scots pine as an accent plant. It is necessary to choose the variety of this tree, reaching a height of 2-2.5 m, with small bluish-gray needles.
In front of it, a specimen of a slow-growing, fairly frost-resistant Korean cedar pine is planted, a pyramid-shaped variety is desirable, with long needles of a silver-blue hue. Three Cossack junipers can be placed in the corner of the composition. To the left of them, plant two slow-growing dwarf ones. You can add several western thujas to the composition. The space between the plants is covered with a layer of decorative mulch, it is aesthetically pleasing to use ground spruce cones as it. Such a composition does not need special care.
Compositions with a geometric shape of the crown
In such a composition, prickly spruce, with bluish-white needles, will look good. The height of the selected variety should not be more than 3-4 meters.
To the left of it, you can place the thuja western, a variety with a narrow cone-shaped crown. Between spruce and thuja, four plants of slow-growing mountain pine, a spherical variety with dark green needles, will look good. There are varieties of mountain pine with an original property - they have needles, with the first frosts, turn yellow, and the green color returns in the spring.
In addition to those listed, there are still a huge variety of different compositions and combinations of plants. This article lists only some of the more common ones.
Conclusion
Here, in a nutshell, are the basics of creating coniferous compositions. But this information is only an invitation to world full of creativity and beauty landscape design, in general, and the creation of coniferous compositions in particular.
Any person can turn both a significant plot and a small area near the house into a unique and unique composition of living plants. It is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance - a little patience, knowledge and your own imagination.