5 conifers you must grow
They're probably not the type of conifers you're picturing!
Hello chaps, I write this “plants you must grow” from a beautiful river in the Netherlands, as I’m currently on a cruise... working, not leisure (but it is a little bit leisurely…) most importantly, it’s allowing me to catch up with my work, the square that I am.
Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen my posts about conifers on Instagram recently (get over yourself Michael, we’re too busy looking for recipes for smashed burgers...) - anyways, I’ve been going conifer crazy.
They are such an overlooked family of plants, but when I was at the Garden Press Event in London recently, my eyes were opened by the guys at Golden Grove Nursery. Not only do conifers look pretty attractive, but they also have a lot of great attributes for the garden; from being evergreen to fixing carbon in the soil, to offering a habitat for wildlife to vibrant colours and unique shapes…
However, they’ve gotten themselves a bad image over the years... click here to see my reel about Leylandii… oh, and the one about dwarf conifers…
So, for this edition of PYMG, I’m giving you 5 awesome conifers that barely look like conifers!
Sciadopitys verticillata
This one has the rather exciting name of “umbrella pine”, and I’m tipping this as one of the next trendy plants. Just look at it, baby!
Such a handsome specimen, just like myself, LOL (oh, do get over yourself, Michael). But, in all seriousness, this is a plant with an Award of Garden Merit, and a height of only one metre after 10 years. As it matures, it has a beautiful conical shape.
Now, I think you all gotta rush to the garden centres quicksteps, and sell them all out of this fine plant. It will be the Delia effect, like when she sold out all the egg slicers or something like that…
Buy it here.
Cryptomeria japonica 'Sekkan-Sugi'
Once you start getting obsessed with conifers, one of your big obsession areas will be Cryptomeria.
Their fine-leaved appearance is just bloody wonderful. The Japanese Cedar is a great plant for sun or partial shade, and pretty easy to grow. They can be quite fast growing, but that’s good, because we are often quite impatient ain’t we! This particular cultivar, with a lemony glow, will get up to 3 metres without intervention.
Buy it here.
Abies pinsapo 'Aurea'
Do you remember Stickle Bricks, this looks just like them doesn’t it?
A very slow growing conifer with an Award of Garden Merit again. Also known as the Golden Spanish Fir, I am immediately seduced, because I love everything Spanish.
Don’t be misled by the photo, this is a very young plant; it can get up to 8 metres, but I think it might look quite cool as a bonsai!
Buy it here.
Keep reading to discover a conifer that could be used in floristry, with the rather curious appearance of coral reef. You’re also going to see the ultimate conifer for small gardens and containers, and it’s a Yew… oooh!