My love of Conifers is matched by my amazement at the lack of interest so many gardeners have in this huge family—so many beautiful textures, shapes, and sizes and foliage that looks like ferns, green nests, blue pillars. And fluffy, funny witch’s brooms. I love walking through the hoop houses in winter when the summer colors have changed completely to bright yellows, rich bronze and rose. Bright stalwarts in the snow. Come by the nursery and see what you’re missing.
Many Conifers classified as Miniature, Dwarf, and Intermediate are selections or cultivars that are fairly new and have no evolutionary specifications yet. The height listed is an approximation, not a promise. These are the parameters from the American Conifer Society:
“Miniature grows less than 1″ per year; less than 1′ in 10 – 15 years. Dwarf grows 1 – 6″ per year; 1 – 6′ in 10-15 years. Intermediate grows 6 – 12″ per year; 6 – 15′ in 10-15 years. Large grows 12″ or more per year; 15′ or more in 10-15 years.”
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Columnaris Glauuca’
20×2′ Zone 5 Beautiful soft blue vertical frond-like branches. Grows 6’12″/yr. Su
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Ellwood’s Pillar’
6×2′ Zone 5 Fast growing very dense and narrow upright cone. Wonderful emerald green with blue hues. Accent for rock gardens. Sun RG
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’
30x 5′ Zone 5 Pendulous soft branches on this weeping Alaskan Cedar. Another stand alone specimen.
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Blue Feathers’ (False Cypress)
3×3′ Zone 5 Dwarf globe grows 2-4″ per year with lacy powder blue juvenile foliage.
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Charbo Yoderi’
4×3′ Zone 5 Dome shaped dwarf with irregular fanlike sprays. Tips bronze in winter. RG BON
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Crisppii’
20×18′ Zone 5 Spreading pyramid of bright golden yellow elongated sprays. Can take full sun.
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Dainty Doll’
3×4′ Zone 5 This Hinoli grows 1-2″/yr. starting out as a plump mound and maturing into an upright spreader. Has very nice lacy leaves. RG BON
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Fernspray Gold’
6×4′ Zone 5 Fernlike drooping and twisting branches are yellow in sun turning bronze in winter.
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Golden Fastigiata’
3×2′ Zone 5 Rigid upright yellow Hinoki column. Trough accent. RG
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Kosteri’
36×24″ Zone 5 Perfect layers of irregular twisted deep green foliage. Bronze in winter. Slow growing. RG BON
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Meroke’
3×2′ Zone 5 Slow growing tight narrow-to-conical form with yellow new growth sun but needs afternoon shade. RG
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Aurea’
6×3 ‘- Zone 5 Faster growing and more open and golder than ‘Nana Lutea’.
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Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Split Rock’
4×3′ Zone 5 The bluest Hinoki has both juvenile and mature foliageon upright leader. A compact pyramidal slow grower with irregular juvenile wisps. RG BON
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tetragona Aurea’
16×14′ Zone 4 Graceful fern-like branches gold in summer beautiful rich bronze swirls in winter. This is one of my favorite conifers. Needs part shade.
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Torulosa’
8×4′ Zone 5 Twisted and contorted swirling foliage. Wonderfully weird cockscombs at tips. Great background plant.
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tsatsumi Gold’
4×4′ Zone 5 Contorted coils of green with yellow edges red bark and occasional cockscombs make this a most unusual specimen. Full sun.
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tsatsumi’
4×4′ Zone 5 Twisting curling green foliage with red branches showing through. Compact habit. Cockscombs. Great accent in rock garden. RG BON
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Curly Tops’
8×5′ Zone 4 Same color as Chamaecyparis p. ‘Boulevard’ but soft blue tufts are twisted at the tips. A streak of white in the needles adds to the distinctive look.
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘True Blue’
3×3′ Zone 4 Dwarf sport of Cham. p. ‘Boulevard’ forms dense round ball with minimal browning. White accents in needles give a shimmering appearance in the sun. RG
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Tsukumo’
10″x12″ Zone 3 Extremely slow growing. Fine textured foliage forming tiny cushion. RG BON
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘White Pygmy’
10×10″ Zone 5 White tips on green background especially strong in Spring make a very tidy flat bun. One you want to pet! Sun
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Black Dragon’ (Japanese Temple Cedar)
10×8′ Zone 5 Rich black/green drooping foliage. New growth light green on dense pyramid. RG BON
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans Nana’
2×3′ Zone 6 Long green needles on a dense asymetrical mound that is bluish green in summer and purple/bronze in winter. RG BON
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Hino’
2’x2” Zone 5 Cute slow growing tight mound. Green in summer and blackish/burgundy in winter. Sun. RG BON
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Spiraliter Falcata’ (Japanese Temple Cedar)
3×3′ Zone 6 Extremely twisted light green foliage. Contorted thin branches show reddish in winter. This is a collector’s Must Have! Sun.
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Tansu’
14×10″ Zone 5 Tight very dense mound of tiny needles. Green juvenile foliage turns orange/bronze in winter. This plant has grown from a cutting in my yard and after 10 years is only 10″ high and wide. It is a neat little gem! RG BON
Juniperus chinensis ‘Gold Lace’
8×36″ Zone 5 Delicate bright yellow streaks radiating outwards on a bacground of spreading blue foliage. Especially stunning in Spring but holds colors through season. Groundcover. Sun.
Juniperus communis ‘Gold Cone’
4×2′ Zone 3 Bright gold columnar slow grower has silver cast. This is a wonderful accent plant in sun. RG BON
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Howard’s Pancake’ (Creeping Juniper)
2×30″ Zone 5 Howard Pfeifer and Nick Nickou brought this from Newfoundland. Very prostrate spreading soft blanket has burgundy foliage winter. Sun RG BON
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Limeglow‘
10″x spreading Zone 3 Soft V-shaped lime green juvenile foliage stands out amonst other greens. The best show is in winter when the color changes to rosy/pinkish burgundy Fast growing 6-8″/yr. Hard to describe how striking this guy is. Sun
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’
8×40″ Zone 5 Slow prostrate spreading groundcover is orange/gold overall. Winter foliage is plum color. Special crawling over a wall! Sun
Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ (Flaky Bark Juniper)
(Holland) 18″ Zone 4 Steel blue foliage on spreading mound. Really nice accent. RG BON
Larix decidua ‘Varied Directions’
6x15x15′ Zone 3 Another Dr. Waxman creation. This deciduous larch twists and turns and heads off on it’s own whim.
Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)
30×20′ Zone 5 Deciduous tree with red bark and bright green soft needles which turn yellow in fall This tree was found in China in 1945 after being thought to be extinct. Sun
Microbiota decussata (Siberian Carpet)
1′ Zone 2 Bright green feathery leaves turn bronze in winter. Groundcover Shade Cary Award
Picea ‘Peggy Taylor’
1×3′ Zone 5 Peggy Taylor found this at a farm stand with the tomatoes. A beautiful flat top birds nest spruce. Sun
Picea echiniformis ‘Hedgehog’
1×1′ Zone 5 Flat birdsnest type dwarf spruce. This came from Dick Redfield’s Garden. Sun RG
Picea glauca ‘Arneson’s Blue’
4×5′ Zone 3 Fatter and slower than ‘Conica’. Plant is blue/green and very dense. Sun RG
Picea glauca ‘Rainbow’s End’
5×3′ Zone 5 Eye-catching new growth waits ’til August to turn yellow. Plant looks like it is decorated with Christmas lights. Dense conical dwarf. Sun RG
Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’ (White Pine)
30×40″ Zone 3 Blue/silver needles. A blue ‘Soft Touch’ from Sid Waxman’s Witches Brooms
Pinus strobus ‘Connecticut Slate’ (Eastern White Pine)
Slow blue/green specimen is my favorite of Sid Waxman’s Witches Broom selections and has long needles and a somewhat weeping habit This is a beautiful plant. Sun
Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’
20×20′ Zone 3 Long blue green needles on cascading twisted branches make this graceful Weeping White Pine a widely used landscape small tree.
Pinus strobus ‘Sea Urchin’
1×2′ Zone 3 Short blue needles on a wonderful dense Waxman miniature Broom. Sun RG
Pinus strobus ‘Shaggy Dog’ (Witches’ Broom)
5×8′ Zone 3 Irregular open and unpredictable growth on long needled specimen. Witches’ broom.
Pinus strobus ‘Soft Touch’
4×5′ Zone 3 Slow growth on this soft puff tight ball. This is the most well known of Sid Waxman’s Witches Brooms. Before the deer got to mine it grew to about 30″x40″ and was so dense the teenage snakes used to sun themselves on it’s top. It’s amazingly growing back so I suppose they’ll be back soon too. Yuck! Anyway this is a great plant!
Pinus strobus ‘Torulosa’
Pinus strobus ‘Torulosa’ (Eastern White Pine Native Sport) 40’ x 40’ Zone 3 Curled, twisted blue needles form a fuller, fast growing tree.
Sciadopitys verticillata (Japanese Umbrella Pine)
20′ Zone 4 Long narrow shiny leaves. Slow growing. Unique.
Chamaecyparis Obtusa `Templehof`
8 x 4′ – Zone 4 – Deep green whorls turn bronze in Winter. Click image for enlargement.
Thuja orientalis ‘Collen’s Gold’ (Chinese Arborvitae)
10×2′ Zone 5 Very narrow orange/yellow accent conifer. Full Sun
Thuja orientalis ‘Raffles’
30×10″ Zone 5 Thick vertical flat yellow fronds form squat pyramid. Very slow and unusual!
Tsuga canadensis ‘Bennett’
Zone 4 Compact low growing amd graceful mound. Arching branches. RG BON
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Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate’
5′ Zone 4 Flat dense branches fanning in many directions. RG BON
Tsuga canadensis ‘Gentsch White’
4×4′ Zone 5 Frosted foliage on eyecatching dwarf.
Tsuga canadensis ‘Winter Gold’
A really yellow sport. Probably same as species but yellow.
Pinus strobus Witches’ Brooms
Dr. Sidney Waxman Pinus Strobus Witches’ Brooms. Grown from seed from mutated clusters found on White Pines. The story goes that Sid would shoot a 22 at the “brooms” until cones would fall to the ground. This saved him from climbing the tree but the rest of the story is that he sent his wife crawling around under the boughs to collect the tiny prizes! Sid spent his life teaching at UCONN and developing many different plants such as Rhododendron ‘Cornell Pink’. He developed a Maple Broom (mine is over 45 years old and is 30″ tall!) and many dwarf forms of conifers and Sciadopytis selections.
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltoni’
1 x 7′ – Zone 3 – Prostrate creeper. Tolerates Drought, erosion, heat, poor rocky/dry soils AND is Deer Resistant! Click image for enlargement.
Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’
8 x 6″ – Zone 4 – Prostrate creeper. Tolerates Drought, erosion, heat, poor rocky/dry soils AND is Deer Resistant! Click image for enlargement.
Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’
Zone 4 – 1-2’H x spreading – Slow growing steel blue conifer does well in dryer soils
Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’
4 x 5′ – Zone 2 – Dwarf Colorado Blue Spr ce loves sun/moist soil. Incredible color specimen. DR. Click image for enlargement.
Pinus strobus ‘Horsford Dwarf’
28×42 – Zone 4 – Miniature soft needled conifer. Likes Sun/moist . Prune upright growth. DR. Click image for enlargement.
Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’
14×4 – Zone 2 – Pyramidal shape is cleaner, more formal than usual Arbovitae selections, Unfortunately, Deer love them. Click image for enlargement.
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Bar Harbor’
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Bar Harbor’ (Native Creeping Juniper) 1’ x 5’ Z 3 Tough groundcover Conifer grows quickly in dry, shallow, rocky, windy and steep sites. Green/blue/purple • Habitat