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| Go greener |
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| With a growing number of gardeners eschewing chemicals in favour of natural alternatives, we can suggest some effective products from our organic gardening selection |
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| Relax and refresh |
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| Good food freshly prepared daily, aromatic coffee, chilled wine and a grassy play area for the children. What more could you need? |
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| The Discovery Walk |
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| As thousands of daffodils herald the spring, stroll or stride around our Walk while the youngsters enjoy the Nature Trail |
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Being comfortable with conifers!
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| Thursday, 1st November 2007 |
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IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
Conifers generally have a bad press! They are often regarded as ‘boring’ and ‘green’. And then there is that debacle that constantly rages about one particular type of conifer – the Leyland Cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii).
Gardeners throughout the world find it difficult to understand the paranoia that has become attached in Britain to this conifer. It is known for its fast growth and is planted as a hedge in tens of thousands every year. In honesty it is an entirely innocent plant that has caused costly legal disputes between neighbours simply because people plant it in the wrong place or fail to trim it sufficiently.
This conifer aside, very many of the rest are actually fine garden plants. Far from being dull, to the observant they can be both awe-inspiring and magical.
Conifers come in all shapes and sizes – miniatures may grow less that 3ft (90cm) in a hundred years, whilst others might reach 130ft (40m) or more over the same period of time.
Conifers are record-breakers, too. Amongst their number is the oldest living plant in the world, the ancient Bristlecone Pine, whose 4,500-year-old branches cling to life high up in the White Mountains of California. Then there is the tallest plant in the world – the Coast Redwood – also in California and reaching almost 400ft (120m) in height.
Back in our part of the world conifers can make very successful garden plants – if chosen wisely and planted properly. Mostly they are thought of as evergreen, but there are some important deciduous types too; think of larch, the Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum) and another popular type that is increasing in popularity, the Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba).
Many gardeners plant this last tree in the belief that it is a ‘normal’ or ‘broad-leaved’ tree, ie. not a conifer. But actually it is a conifer…defined by the fact that it produces a cone and not a traditional flower. As a deciduous tree, it turns to a fabulous golden yellow in autumn before the leaves drop.
As for the evergreen forms, well, green can be a colour that dominates. But if you search for them you can also find forms in a wealth of different colours. The hues of new growth include brilliant powder-blues, oranges, yellows, creams, and even reddy-crimson.
Some conifers, such as junipers, carry both prickly young and quite different coarser mature foliage at the same time. Others (mainly the firs, spruces and pines) have bright silver-blue undersides to their leaves, which are gloriously revealed when they turn to face the light. And some conifers also have an aromatic fragrance when brushed past.
If you haven’t guessed it already, I’m quite a fan of conifers. Here are my six of the best:
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Boulevard’: Deservedly popular since it was introduced in the 1930s, it makes a dense bush of young foliage, brilliant silver-blue in summer. Pyramid-shaped when young, it eventually makes a broader plant. It will reach a height of 5ft (1.8m) and a width of 3ft (1m).
Cedrus libani Nana Group: The Cedar of Lebanon is seldom planted these days, having been superseded by other, better conifers. However one cultivar of it, known as Nana Group, offers a lovely, dense mound of very slow-growing evergreen cover that is absolutely perfect for a rock garden. Height and width after 10 years: 2ft (60cm).
Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Wilma’: A hundred years ago the Monterey Cypress was the ‘Leyland Cypress’ of its day – that is, known for its fast growth and it was seen everywhere! It is now much less seen in gardens, and mostly you will see it being offered in shops as a houseplant, for the fresh young growths are almost luminous and grow softly in the warmth of the home. Outdoors, however they are equally content, although they may need acclimatising to the colder weather slowly if they were bought as indoors specimens. I love the bright yellow forms, of which ‘Wilma’ is one of the best.
Taxus baccata: This is the common yew, and it makes a fantastic hedge; the berries in autumn can be spectacular. They’re poisonous if swallowed, but this shouldn’t deter you from growing the plant; after all it’s one of the few native plants of Britain, and it appears in the countryside everywhere – particularly in church yards where rumour has it that it was planted to keep cattle away from the graves as, apparently, cows know if something is poisonous without actually eating it!
Gingko biloba: By looking at fossils archaeologists know that the Maidenhair Tree grew 150 million years ago. After many years in the ground it can grow to be a large tree. New forms have been introduced in recent years, and one to look out for in the future is a variety called ‘Gnome’, which won awards at trade shows earlier this year.
Thuja plicata: Finally, if you want a reasonably quick-maturing hedge that from ten yards away appears like the Leyland Cypress, but you don’t want all the hassle of cutting it twice a year and black looks from your neighbours, give Thuja plicata a try. Known as the Western Red Cedar it is neither red nor a cedar. It does, however, come from the west, the Pacific coast of America actually, and it makes a fantastically dense hedge.
I’ve really only just touched the surface of the wonderful world of conifers. And if I’ve convinced just one reader of The Guide to purchase just one conifer over the next year, then it will all have been worth it! Happy gardening!
This week in your garden
Broad beans can be sown now. They like a sunny spot, and should be sown as a double row, 23cm (9in) apart in the row and the same between the rows. Choose a suitable variety, such as ‘Aquadulce Claudia’, for a late spring picking.
Close greenhouse vents by mid-afternoon to help retain optimum warmth.
Watch out for the slightly tender cape heaths (Erica hyemalis) that are being sold from now on in garden centres. These are heathers from South Africa that make perfect winter pot plants for the cool conservatory. Don’t subject them to outdoor winter temperatures, however, as they’ll just be too cold and die.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
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