Friday, April 2, 2010

Dwarf Conifers – April Plant of the Month

John Gilrein, Plant of the Month coordinator

Our April POM will be dwarf conifers from Evermay Nursery. These will be small plants, at great prices, suitable for a rock garden, perennial border, or trough.

The beauty of dwarf conifers is that they always look good. Though there’s no flush of gorgeous color, they have no season of blackened, withered foliage or otherwise looking worn out. Dwarf conifers may grow slowly; these will stay small. The plants will generally be less than 12 inches high when mature, except ‘Little Jamie’, which will grow to around 2 feet.

The supplier recommends well drained soil, though some are native to wet soils in nature, and recommends no more that a light dose of fertilizer. They should do well in full sun or part shade in soils that are not excessively acidic or alkaline. For planting in troughs that will not receive winter protection, a plant 2 zones hardier than your USDA hardiness zone is the general recommendation.

Our selection will include some of the following [approximate shape]:

  • Abies balsamea ‘Nana’ (balsam fir), from Northern North America, is hardy to zone 3. [cushion]
  • Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’ (Hinkoki cypress), from Japan, is hardy to zone 5. [globe]
  • Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Tsukumo’ (Sawara cypress), from Japan, is hardy to zone 5. [globe]
  • Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Little Jamie’ (Atlantic white cedar), from the Eastern coastal US, is hardy to zone 4. [cone]
  • Picea abies ‘Little Gem’ (Norway spruce), from Europe, is hardy to zone 3. [globe]
  • Picea mariana ‘Nana’ (black spruce), from Northern North America, is hardy to zone 3. [mound]
  • Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetz midget’ (American arborvitae), from Northeastern North America, is hardy to zone 3. [globe]
For additional information, check the Everymay Nursery web page for dwarf conifers, or the book Rock Garden Plants by Baldassare Mineo.

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