COLORFUL CONIFERS IN THE GARDEN
By Trey Pitsenberger, co-owner Golden Gecko

During the late fall and winter as many plants have lost their leaves our gardens sometimes look quite empty. Our reliance on annual and perennial flowers for color does not leave us with much to look at during winter. In addition many trees have gone dormant and add to the empty look. With the onset of the winter blues, we should be able to look upon our gardens for inspiration and cheerfulness.

Conifers are a large group of plants that are often misused or not used enough. The word ‘Conifer’ describes any plant that produces cones for reproduction. Not all Conifers are evergreen. Larch will turn golden in fall and drop all its needles. Most Conifers are evergreen, and most are Deer Resistant. People are familiar with junipers, the most widely planted conifer. As such, some people have an aversion to planting junipers. This is a shame since there are many types of juniper, which are very easy to grow and have great color.

One of my favorites is the ‘Blue Star Juniper’. It has attractive, sparkling blue foliage on a dense spreading form. Use it as an accent in the foreground. Another great juniper that looks fantastic cascading off walls or as a ground cover is called the ‘Blue Rug Juniper’. Intense silver blue foliage is a highlight. How about a juniper that is gold during the growing season but turns yellow-orange in winter. It’s called ‘Motherlode' Juniper’.

A colorful accent is the ‘Montgomery’ Dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce. This gem of a plant forms a globe when young, but broadens when mature. It maintains bright blue color year round and only grows to 3- 4 feet in ten years. Put this plant in a place of prominence to be enjoyed all year. The ‘Mops’ Golden Dwarf Threadbare Cypress is a low mounding cypress that grows 3-4 feet tall and 5-6 feet wide. Bright yellow color helps the garden come alive!

Do you have a wall in full sun that you were thinking of putting a vine on? Instead, try putting a Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar against it. The plant won’t get much wider than a vine, but it can cover a wall 20 feet long. It has blue branches that hang down covering the wall. This is a classy plant that is low maintenance and is easy to grow like most conifers.

The other benefit of the conifers is their cold tolerance. While there are a few that will not tolerate cold temperatures the majority will take mountain weather and are perfect for Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and other high elevation places. The one area to keep an eye on is heat tolerance. Some conifers prefer cooler weather than the valley or lower foothills offer. You can get around this by planting these types where the sun does not beat down on them in the late afternoon of summer. Check with your nurseryperson for details.

Not once have we mentioned green colored conifers in which there are many. I wanted to show you the diversity of conifers and why they should be used more. If you would like low maintenance, easy to grow, deer resistant, plantings in your garden consider the wonderful world of conifers.