In considering what to post on next concerning the gardens, I started on an all inclusive conifer article. It didn't take long for me to realize that this would have to be done as a series of posts. I have referenced and portrayed some of my conifers in the past, but will now try to bring them all together in this series.
As a starting point, I'll begin with the photo above. On the left is one of three large Norway spruces (Picea abies) planted by myself approximately 16' apart (as points of a triangle ) about 25 years ago when they were only three feet tall. To the right of the spruce is one of several fastigiate scotch pines that I have in the gardens. I used to get very frustrated as branches of these would droop under the weight of snow... when I would try to clear the snow, the branches would often break. I have learned to accept whatever happens with these now and do an occasional pruning on any branches that don't return to vertical. I also have learned that it is best to avoid extremely fastigiate growers unless I am willing to bind them up each season (I'm not). Like many of the pines in the gardens, these have had years when they've burned badly (see 6th photo below) and were almost totally brown in the spring. By the end of summer, they were generally in good shape again with new growth. In front of these are Montgomery spruces of which I have about twenty-five throughout the gardens... many of them are quite mature as they were also planted about 25 years ago. The weeper is a Picea abies 'Pendula' which is one of perhaps a half dozen throughout the gardens. They don't often make cones, but when they do they are an absolutely beautiful hot pink and are held vertically for a time. Below the large Norway spruce is a Bird's Nest Norway spruce (Picea abies 'Nidiformis') showing fresh growth (also pictured below to the left center of the photo and the small photo)... there are actually three in this area as well as another grouping of three in a different part of the garden. They can become very large after many generations of growth. Unfortunately they are beginning to be shaded out as can be noted in this picture, and eventually will have to go. Also seen in the photo below is Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' or the blue rug juniper. These make a great groundcover if properly mulched when planted... you don't want weeds getting a start in them or you'll have a mess on your hands. They also work very well as a plant growing down over rocks and I added a half dozen this past season with that scenario in mind. Others that work well and are similar in nature are the Mother Lode (Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode) variety whose yellow color I really like for contrasts in the garden. A newer version of this that sounds great is 'Gold Strike' and I have my eye out for a few of these. I've read that they mound a bit more than 'Mother Lode', but both are grown for their brilliant yellow color on new growth... it is somewhat more difficult to provide color contrasts amongst conifers in the colder zone 4/5 gardens. I sometimes overlook the junipers which are generally very hardy.
As a starting point, I'll begin with the photo above. On the left is one of three large Norway spruces (Picea abies) planted by myself approximately 16' apart (as points of a triangle ) about 25 years ago when they were only three feet tall. To the right of the spruce is one of several fastigiate scotch pines that I have in the gardens. I used to get very frustrated as branches of these would droop under the weight of snow... when I would try to clear the snow, the branches would often break. I have learned to accept whatever happens with these now and do an occasional pruning on any branches that don't return to vertical. I also have learned that it is best to avoid extremely fastigiate growers unless I am willing to bind them up each season (I'm not). Like many of the pines in the gardens, these have had years when they've burned badly (see 6th photo below) and were almost totally brown in the spring. By the end of summer, they were generally in good shape again with new growth. In front of these are Montgomery spruces of which I have about twenty-five throughout the gardens... many of them are quite mature as they were also planted about 25 years ago. The weeper is a Picea abies 'Pendula' which is one of perhaps a half dozen throughout the gardens. They don't often make cones, but when they do they are an absolutely beautiful hot pink and are held vertically for a time. Below the large Norway spruce is a Bird's Nest Norway spruce (Picea abies 'Nidiformis') showing fresh growth (also pictured below to the left center of the photo and the small photo)... there are actually three in this area as well as another grouping of three in a different part of the garden. They can become very large after many generations of growth. Unfortunately they are beginning to be shaded out as can be noted in this picture, and eventually will have to go. Also seen in the photo below is Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' or the blue rug juniper. These make a great groundcover if properly mulched when planted... you don't want weeds getting a start in them or you'll have a mess on your hands. They also work very well as a plant growing down over rocks and I added a half dozen this past season with that scenario in mind. Others that work well and are similar in nature are the Mother Lode (Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode) variety whose yellow color I really like for contrasts in the garden. A newer version of this that sounds great is 'Gold Strike' and I have my eye out for a few of these. I've read that they mound a bit more than 'Mother Lode', but both are grown for their brilliant yellow color on new growth... it is somewhat more difficult to provide color contrasts amongst conifers in the colder zone 4/5 gardens. I sometimes overlook the junipers which are generally very hardy.
Here are a few more pictures of the conifers mentioned thus far in this post... first of all, Picea pungens Montgomery... One of my favorite things in the spring is the fresh growth on the conifers, as seen here and I really love the beautiful blue of many of the pungens cultivars...
The Montgomery spruces in this photo are pretty much at their mature size of about ten to twelve feet... had they been given more space, they probably would have grown to a greater width. Most Montgomery spruces will eventually form a leader. In trying to maintain a ball shape, I have experimented with removing leaders. The result has been getting a different leader which was not necessarily in the center of the plant. I have now resolved to letting them do their thing, only pruning on plants whose size needs to be maintained to keep them from taking over a path for example.
The Montgomery spruces pictured below are my youngest plants... I've already had to move several as they were headed towards being shaded out by magnolias and decisions will need to be made on these within the next year or so, however, my experience has been that they transplant very easily even when I don't remember to root prune in the previous season....
While these dwarf spruce make excellent specimens in the garden, I really like them for creating the sense of a 'forest' in a small area which is what I've tried to accomplish in the photo below. The Montgomery certainly are one of the top selections of the Picea pungens group, named for an avid collector after he donated his collection to the New York Botanical Garden in 1949. The original plant, named after Col. R.H. Montgomery can still be seen as part of the Montgomery Conifer Collection at the gardens in the Bronx.
Now I'll move to the weeping norways (Picea abies 'Pendula) There are a number of differing selections in the trade and it's probably difficult to distinguish many from one another. I approach conifers in much the same way as I approach hostas... I really don't need ten different cultivars that basically look alike unless I'm thinking in terms of landscaping principles. One cultivar that I am on the lookout for is 'Frohburg', a classier cousin to 'Pendula', it is a narrower plant that is somewhat more refined in appearance because of its smaller needles. Discovered in Switzerland, its more reserved and controlled growth is better suited to smaller spaces. Of course one of the problems that can be run into when selecting conifers, is knowing that you are actually getting the cultivar you paid for... and it's worth noting that the weeping Norways can easily be maintained by pruning. Also keep in mind that without staking, they can make very interesting ground cover and if allowed, can eventually cover a huge territory. Perhaps this is agood time for a reminder that even dwarf conifer with 6" or less growth per year, can eventually become very large after decades of growth. Here are more photos of some of the Picea abies 'Pendulas' that inhabit the gardens at Oak Lawn...
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