Conifer Information
Conifers
What is a conifer: A cone bearing tree.
Although a few Conifers are deciduous, such as the Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba), Taxodium distichum, the Golden Larch (Pseudolarix Kæmpferi), and the true Larches, the great bulk of the family consists of evergreens. It is to the Coniferæ, indeed, that belong the only hardy evergreen trees which in stature and size rival the large deciduous trees of cool temperate latitudes.
Although the only British native Conifers are the Yew, the Scotch Pine, and the Juniper, there is a sufficient variety of soil and climate within the limits of the British Isles to provide suitable conditions for nearly the whole of the family. It is only a few sub-tropical species that cannot be accommodated. This does not imply that the whole of the hardy Conifers can be grown satisfactorily in any one place.
In even the best Conifer localities there are some species that will not reach perfection, and in the general run of gardens there is a considerable proportion of species about which the same must be said. This fact, however, has often been overlooked.
Conifer Popularity
The extreme popularity of Conifers, undoubtedly led to the enriching of the parks and gardens of Britain with what are now, in many instances, magnificent specimens. But Conifer planting, from both artistic and merely cultural points of view, was overdone. Conifers began to fill an undue proportion of space in gardens, and displaced to a large extent the beautiful flower-bearing deciduous vegetation whose seasonable variations give such charm and interest. With all their symmetry and richness of hue, the popular species of Abies and Picea often have a heavy, even sombre, aspect.
Heavy masses of Pine, Spruce, and Fir can never give that changing aspect in the landscape that comes with deciduous vegetation. The tender tints of spring, the flowers, the gold and purple of autumn, it is to these that the seasons of our northern latitudes owe their greatest delights.
Single specimens on lawns of Abies, Picea, and of many other genera are always effective, and nothing in the whole range of native or foreign trees is more stately and picturesque than the Cedar of Lebanon.
Conifer Planting
Before planting Conifers largely in any garden where they are to be grown for their purely ornamental qualities, a study should be made of the species planted in other gardens where the conditions as to soil, moisture, and altitude are similar. On the peaty formations in Surrey and Hampshire where Rhododendrons succeed so well, many Conifers thrive exceedingly well also. The Common Spruce and its allies are nearly all failures on light dry soil, especially where the subsoil is gravel.
In places, however, where the Spruces fail, the Common Larch and the Lawson Cypress succeed well. In chalk districts many Conifers refuse to grow, but the following are among those that thrive: Abies magnifica, Abies nobilis, Abies nordmanniana, and A. Pinsapo, the Cedars, Cupressus lawsoniana, Cupressus macrocarpa, and Cupressus nootkatensis, the Maidenhair tree, the Junipers, the Thuyas, the Yews, and the following Pines: Pinus Laricio and Pinus. austriaca, the Scotch Pine, Pinus excelsa, and Pinus. Pinaster. Most of the Pines, too, are happy on gravelly or stony ground.
Conifers for the Coast
None of the Silver Firs (Abies) or Spruces (Picea) are good trees for planting at the seaside, unless there is sufficient shelter to break the force of the wind, and even then there are very few that will succeed. The species most suitable for planting where there is a thick outer belt are Abies nobilis, Abies concolor, Abies nordmanniana, and Abies pectinata, the Common Silver Fir.
Of the Spruces, Picea nigra and Picea alba, the North American Spruces, succeed better than the Norway Spruce, Picea excelsa, but these, like the Silver Firs, must have the shelter of a good wind break; Picea pungens, Picea pungens glauca, and Picea Engelmanni will not succeed in exposed places, even in inland localities, and fail entirely by the sea. There is a difference of opinion about Engelmanni. In some places it seems to stand winds well.
The Conifers that will thrive by the sea are very few, and probably not
more than half-a-dozen kinds can be trusted. The finest of all is
undoubtedly Pinus Pinaster, which is essentially a sea-coast Pine,
revelling in storms and sprays. For warmer parts, is the Aleppo Pine
(Picea halepensis), but is only for southern and warm coasts. Picea
insignis is somewhat tender, but stands the sea gales fairly well, and
Picea austriaca, and its relative, Picea Laricio, are both excellent,
specially for making the first barrier against the winds. The hardy
Scotch Pine (Picea sylvestris), if planted in large masses, grows well,
but does not luxuriate close to the sea, and is especially liable to be
browned in foliage by the salt spray.
Besides the Pines, one of the finest of Conifers is the Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), which is hardy everywhere on the coast in Britain; it grows finer than it does in its home on the Pacific coast. It makes a fine front barrier against the wind, especially when mixed with the foregoing Pines. The variety C. lambertiana is also excellent. There are two other Conifers which, though not much planted by the sea-coast, will, we believe, prove reliable; these are Cedrus atlantica and Thuya gigantea (sometimes called Thuya Lobbii).
A third Conifer that we have seen doing well by the sea is Abies Pinsapo, but it must have a temporary shelter in its small state. This subject of seaside planting - the most difficult in a tree planter's practice - is an important one, and it is only possible to treat the matter generally.
Conifer - Common Spruce
The Common Spruce, for instance, has given birth to many pigmy forms. The Yew, the Scotch Pine, and various others have "sported" in a similar way. But no hardy tree varies so much, perhaps, as the Lawson Cypress when raised from seed. The species has assumed almost every shade of colour that Conifers do assume, and every form of growth. Beautiful golden, variegated, pendulous, and erect varieties have been raised, and not only from the Lawson Cypress, but from many other Conifers also.
The Golden Yews, the yellow form of the Monterey Cypress, and the golden variety of the Scotch Pine, may be recommended to those who require this colour, although in the Pine it only shows itself in winter. The blue-white or glaucous hue that is more or less present in most Conifers, shows itself most conspicuously in the Blue Spruce (Picea pungens glauca), in Cedrus atlantica glauca, in the new Cork Fir from Arizona (Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica), and in Abies concolor violacea.