Conifers for every garden

There is nothing quite like a conifer in the garden. They are a plant that demands attention and with such variety of colors, textures, shapes and sizes they're easy to incorporate into any design. Whether you want a mixed evergreen border or a specimen plant to use as a focal point, you can always find a conifer that will fit the bill.

Often when I mention conifers to clients I know they are initially thinking of long hedges of green giant arborvitae or swaths of yew shrubs that can get gangly and overgrown. Yet there are multitudes of interesting specimens that will add so much beauty and visual interest to your garden if planted with an overall design aesthetic in mind.

One of my favorite ways to use conifers is in mixed borders, adding a blue or gold dwarf conifer in amongst other blooming shrubs, perennials, or evergreens. That color remains year round, after blooms have faded and leaves have fallen. I also like using groundcover conifers in front of ornamental trees and even rose hedges. They are perfect at letting another plant be the star most of the year and then subtly reminding us of their workhorse status once the show is long over for those plants and we have only winter interest in the landscape.

And then there are of course the larger trees and shrubs that are used to anchor a garden design and create focal points in the landscape. Those larger spruces and pines are stunning when they are placed in the proper space for them to grow to their full maturity. A weeping conifer can be trained over an arbor or positioned in the middle of a bed as a alternative to a flowering shrub or ornamental tree. The playful use of structure and texture against softer leaves and branches are what give conifers their distinction as a must-have plant for every garden design.