A flowerbed of conifers: a scheme, the best neighborhood of plants

Scheme and plants

A flower bed, consisting of several types of coniferous crops, is considered a complex landscape composition, so it is quite difficult to create it with your own hands in an arbitrary style without prior preparation and a plan. You need to start creating a flower bed with conifers by drawing up a diagram on which the location of each plant is applied in detail. A properly designed flower bed layout should take into account the following points:

• the territory on which the flowerbed with conifers will be located should be in an open sunny place;

• so that the coniferous composition does not merge, the plants must be contrasting in color, shape and size;
• priority in the flower bed should be given to compact and undersized varieties – against their background, single coniferous trees look more advantageous;
• at the planning stage, you should decide on the finishing materials used to frame and decorate the flower beds – conifers look more spectacular in a stone frame;
• in the plan, all conifers, stones, additional decorative elements should be displayed as accurately as possible, and the sequence of their planting is indicated by numbers.

Next, you should decide on the method of designing a flower bed with coniferous plantations. There are several composition options:

1. Compact. The flower bed occupies a small area where conifers are planted that combine with each other: mountain pine in the center or in the background, several arborvitae and juniper along the edges.
2. Bunk. The coniferous composition consists of two layers of plants, sustained in the same style and combined in size and style: ground cover juniper – the first tier, rocky juniper in combination with dwarf pine or spruce – the second tier.
3. Horizontal. This coniferous composition is located on a gently sloping surface, where all the conifers are planted at the same level. Most often, several varieties of juniper, undersized coniferous crops are used in the design.
4. Big. It is located mainly along fences, fences and contains coniferous plants of several species, located in 3-4 rows.
5. A flower bed imitating a forest. This coniferous composition consists of several decorative trees (spruce, fir, mountain pine, juniper) and resembles a forest landscape.
6. Rocky flowerbed with conifers. This is an imitation of a mountain landscape with low-growing coniferous trees and ground cover juniper on the stones.
7. Mixborder with conifers. A composition consisting of perennial flowers (irises, lilies, roses) and stones, where coniferous crops are located in the center and along the edges.

When creating a composition with do-it-yourself conifers, the question often arises: what other plants can be planted so that they are combined with coniferous plantations? The most popular coniferous species are: spruce, undersized mountain pine, fir, thuja, junipers of various varieties. In addition, the coniferous composition can be supplemented with any flowering perennials.

Of the many plants, roses are most effectively combined with coniferous crops, because it is the green color that creates a bright contrast and favorably sets off the roses. The coniferous composition, in which roses are present, is distinguished by its special sophistication and sophistication. Roses in a mixborder can be planted in various varieties, while it is better to plant low-growing and ground cover roses along the edge, and in the center, against the background of tall trees (thuja, spruce) – spray, standard roses. White lilies and blue irises also go well with greenery, but still bright multi-colored roses in combination with conifers create a special emphasis on such a flower bed.

Video “All about coniferous compositions in the garden”

An indicative video with expert recommendations on the design of coniferous compositions in the garden or on the territory of a private house.

Step by step creation instructions

The arrangement of any flower bed with your own hands begins with the preparation of the soil. And in the case of conifers, the soil must be prepared especially carefully, since they are planted once for many years. First you need to dig deep into the area, since the roots of most conifers are quite long. The soil for conifers should be loose, with good drainage properties, preferably sandy loam with neutral acidity.

After digging, all lumps, roots, weeds must be removed from the soil, and mineral fertilizers suitable for the specific type of conifers that will be planted in the flower bed must be applied. Peat and sand should be added to clay heavy soil, and a little soddy soil should be added to sandy soil. If the flower bed is small, you can buy soil for it at a flower shop – they sell ready-made soil mixtures for each individual type of coniferous trees and shrubs.

After the soil in the flower bed is prepared, you can proceed to the design of the composition of the conifers. Here it is important to transfer the schematic plan of the flower bed as accurately as possible to a real piece of land.

This process is as follows:

1. Outline the borders of the flower bed according to the plan.
2. Decorate the contours with pre-selected materials: stone, curb brick, crushed stone.
3. Next, with the help of a peg, mark the places for planting coniferous plants. At the same time, it is necessary to correctly calculate the distance between the conifers so that in the future they do not obscure or crowd out each other.
4. Dig holes (holes) for plants, taking into account the length of the rhizomes: for coniferous trees 60-70 cm, for undersized shrubs – 40-50 cm.
5. At the bottom of each hole, pour a layer of crushed stone and sand – this will ensure the circulation of air and moisture in the soil.
6. Then add a fertilizer mix suitable for the given type of coniferous plants to each hole.
7. Install the seedlings in the hole vertically.
8. Fill the hole halfway with soil, then lightly tamp it down.
9. Then fill in the remaining soil, and compact the surface again.
10. Now carefully water the conifers.
11. Wet soil cover with the remnants of the soil, and level the surface well.

After the coniferous composition is planted, the soil should be mulched in the flower bed. When choosing a material, it is desirable to take into account not only the decorative properties of the material, but also its practical benefits for plants – organic mulch: fine gravel, granite chips, wood chips and sawdust, in addition to the mulching function, also improve soil properties.  

How to care

In general, conifers are unpretentious, but this is true only for rooted and adult conifers. After planting in a flower bed, young seedlings can begin to wither rapidly, and most often this is due to a change in soil – in a store, a temporary substrate containing special additives is placed in pots with coniferous seedlings. And after planting, the plants enter a completely different environment, and this is a real stress for them. If the seedlings of young conifers begin to die, it is necessary to add special dressing to the soil, or add soil brought from the forest.

In the future, the care of coniferous crops consists of a considerable list of activities, however, they must be performed only as needed:

1. Watering. In the first year of planting, young conifers are watered at intervals of 1 time per week. Most adult coniferous plants do not need watering at all, with the exception of abnormal heat or prolonged drought.
2. Sprinkling. This procedure is performed only in the absence of rain for a long time. However, if desired, crown irrigation can be carried out more often – this will only make coniferous plantations more attractive.
3. Weeding. The flower bed needs to remove weeds, as a rule, in the first years, when the coniferous composition has not grown sufficiently. In the future, plantings will create a shadow, and weeds will stop growing. If the flower bed consists of undersized compact shrubs or dwarf varieties of conifers, weeding is carried out more often, since weeds create a shadow over them and prevent growth.
4. Mulching. Shelter from organic material can be made both in the near-stem circles and over the entire surface in the flower bed. Mulch has many useful functions for plants: it prevents the growth of weeds, retains moisture, and reduces soil freezing. On a flowerbed of conifers, it will be more than appropriate to look at the mulch from the remnants of needles – needles, cones, coniferous bark, sawdust.
5. Loosening. In the first 3 years, soil loosening between coniferous plantations should be carried out regularly to a depth of 7-10 cm after each watering. Then the soil is simply mulched.
6. Top dressing. Coniferous crops do not need frequent feeding. Mineral mixtures with humates, specially designed for conifers, are applied once in spring or early summer.
7. Pruning. Planned pruning of coniferous crops is carried out at the end of August – September in order to give the composition a decorative form.
8. Fight against drying out of needles. From intense heat and lack of moisture, conifers can turn yellow and crumble. In this case, therapeutic measures are needed with spraying the crown with special solutions: Gimisol, Immunocytovit.

In winter, a flower bed with coniferous plantations needs special protection. The soil between the conifers is mulched with a dense layer of peat, compost, dry foliage, coniferous needles, and the conifers themselves are tied with a strong rope so that the crown is not damaged by snow pressure. Low-growing varieties can be completely covered – this will protect them not only from snow, but also from the sudden spring sun.

Video “Selection of options for flower beds”

Video selection of various options for flower beds for the garden and plot.