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GARDEN CONIFERS AT A GLANCE
TWG Editor: These are Rich and Susan’s favorites as discussed in the article. The ten-year height of each tree is in parentheses.
Fastigiate Form
Miniature: Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’ (2-3’); Juniperus communis ‘Pencil Point’ (2-3’); Juniperus communis ‘Succica Nana’ (2-3’).
Dwarf: Picea abies ‘Hillside Upright’ (3’); Picea abies ‘Berry Garden Fast’ (5’); Picea glauca ‘Pendula’ (5’); Pinus cembra ‘Glauca’ (4’); Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Fastigiata’ (6’); Thuja occidentalis ‘Degroots Spire’ (4’); Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ (5’).
Intermediate: Picea abies ‘Cupressina’ (6’); Picea omorika ‘Pendula’ (6’); Picea pungens ‘Fastigiata’ (6’); Pinus strobus ‘Fastigiata’ (6’); Pinus sylvestris ‘Fastigiata’ (7’).
Globose Form
Miniature: Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’ (2’); Pinus strobus ‘Horsford’ (2’).
Dwarf: Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’ (3’).
Mounding Form
Miniature: Picea abies ‘Mucronanta’ (2.5’); Pinus mugo ‘Teeny’ (1’); Pinus mugo ‘Sherwood Compact’ (2’). For shade: Tsuga canadensis ‘Gracilis’ (2-3’).
Dwarf: Pinus nigra ‘Hornibrookiana’ (3’); Pinus strobus ‘Nana’ (3’); For shade: Tsuga canadensis ‘Bennett’ (3’); Tsuga canadensis ‘Jeddeloh’ (3’).
Pyramidal Form
Miniature: Picea abies ‘Mucronata’ (2.5’); Picea glauca ‘Jean’s Dilly’ (2.5’); Picea glauca ‘Pixie’ (1.5’); Pinus flexilis ‘Nana’ (2.5’). For shade: Tsuga canadensis ‘Jervis’ (2’).
Dwarf: Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ (3’); Picea abies ‘Clanbrassiliana Stricta’ (3’); Picea abies ‘Compacta Asselyn’ (3’). For shade: Tsuga canadensis ‘Lewis’ (4’); Tsuga canadensis ‘Geneva’ (3’).
Spreading Form
Miniature: Picea abies ‘Pumila’ (2.5-3’).
Dwarf: Picea abies ‘Elegans’ (3’); Picea abies ‘Repens’ (3’).
Weeping Form
Dwarf: Picea abies ‘Frohberg’ (narrow form) (4-5’); Pinus sylvestris ‘Albyns’ (prostrate; 5’); Pinus sylvestris ‘Hillside Creeper’ (3’); Pinus sylvestris ‘Mitsch Weeping’ (5’). For shade: Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Graceful Grace’ (5’); Tsuga canadensis ‘Pendula’ (5’).
Intermediate: Picea abies ‘Pendula’ (6’); Picea pungens ‘Glauca Pendula’ (7’); Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’ (5’); Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Glauca Pendula’ (6’); Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Green Arrow’ (narrow form) (6-7’).
For Relatively Heavy, Wet Soils
Larch (Larix)
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia)
Baldcypress (Taxodium)
Arborvitae (Thuja)
For Shade
Arborvitae (Thuja)
Hemlock (Tsuga)
Yews (Taxus)
For Part Shade
(4-5 hours of sun each day in summer)
Norway spruce (Picea abies)
Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)
Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra )
Golden or Yellow Conifers
Miniature: Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop’ (2.5’); Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Sungold’ (1.5’).
Dwarf: Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea Nana’ (3’); Juniperus chinensis ‘Saybrook Gold’ #5014 (3’); Juniperus communis ‘Gold Cone’ (3’); Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’ #5948 (3’); Juniperus x media ‘Daub’s Frosted’ (3’); Pinus mugo ‘Aurea’ (3’). For shade: Tsuga c. ‘New Gold’ (4’).
Intermediate: Thuja occidentalis ‘Sunkist’ (4’); Thuja occidentalis ‘Yellow Ribbon’ (1’); For shade: Tsuga canadensis ‘Golden Splendor’ (6’).
Bi-Color Conifers
Dwarf: Abies koreana ‘Silberlocke’ (4’); Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aureovariegata’ (3’); Picea bicolor ‘Howell’s Dwarf’ (4’); Picea omorika ‘Nana’ (3’); Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus-draconis’ (5’).
Intermediate: Picea omorika ‘Pendula’ (6’); Picea omorika ‘Expansa’ (1’).
Blue Conifers
Dwarf: Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica (4’); Abies lasiocarpa ‘Glauca Compacta’ (3’); Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Heatherbun’ (purple in winter) (3’).
Intermediate: Picea pungens ‘Glauca Pendula’ (7’); Picea pungens ‘Hoopsii’ (7’); Picea pungens ‘Thomsen’ (7’); Pinus sylvestris ‘Glauca Nana’ (4’); Pinus sylvestris ‘Watereri’ (5’).
Great Cones
In General: Pinus parviflora; Abies. Dwarf: Picea abies ‘Acrocona’ (6’); Intermediate: Abies concolor ‘Candicans’ (5’).
White Tips on Needles
Miniature: Tsuga canadensis ‘Gentsch White’ (2’).