Coniferous compositions in landscape design

Every year more and more people begin to use coniferous trees in landscape design to decorate gardens and summer cottages. The craze for the arrangement of lawns and lawns affects the popularization of landscape species and varieties of coniferous trees among plant growers.

The article presents the main rules for composing compositions from conifers in landscape design, as well as photos and distinctive features of each conifer.

Features of coniferous plants in landscape design

The main advantage of garden compositions with conifers in design is the unique decorative properties of these plants: evergreen shrubs and trees look great both on their own and in combination with other ornamental crops.

In addition, plants have a lot of useful properties:

• actively absorb dust particles;
• delay windy gusts;
• soften the microclimate around the house and landing site;
• stop the reproduction of viruses, bacteria and harmful insects;
• absorb noise;
• enrich the air with oxygen and phytoncides.

In the conditions of the city, representatives of conifers will become good helpers in the fight against smog and exhaust gases.

Exquisite appearance, a wide variety of shapes, colors and sizes of coniferous trees help to create unique landscape compositions in both large and medium-sized areas. There are several options for placing conifers in landscape design:

• as hedges;
• in the form of sculptural compositions;
• along the paths;
• in the central part of the site.

Design types of conifers in the country

In the field of landscape design, there are a huge number of varieties and types of coniferous trees to decorate the territory. When drawing up a diagram of a future composition, it is very important to take into account the characteristics of each plant variety: adult size, needle color, crown shape, and growth rate.

Conifer hedge.

In addition to decorative properties, such a landscape composition in design has its own functionality: dense and prickly hedge branches can protect the site from the eyes of other people, as well as from intruders. Ephedra occupy a special place in the creation of a “living fence”: such an artificially created coniferous fence, which remains green throughout the year, goes well in design with both a summer lawn and a white snow cover in winter. The fence well complements the design of the site and around a small country house, and around a huge mansion.

The use of spiky coniferous crops (spruces, pines, fir) will significantly enhance the protective properties of landscape hedges, as well as provide active air ionization due to the release of phytoncides into the environment. 

Preparing material for planting

The most popular option for landscape conifers is propagation by cuttings. Often it is carried out in greenhouse or greenhouse conditions.

Lignified cuttings must be planted in early spring, when the buds swell. For the propagation of juniper, thuja and spruce, green cuttings are used, the rooting of which is several times slower. Cuttings in greenhouses are carried out in autumn and winter, and the average rooting time for most conifers is 70-80 days.

Features of planting a coniferous hedge in landscape design.

For planting a living fence in landscape design, take into account:

1. Proper selection of the landing site. It is important to remember: among the species of coniferous trees there are both light-loving and shade-tolerant representatives. However, gardeners recommend planting cuttings in well-lit areas with easy shade access. This plays an important role for young plants, the needles of which tend to burn under the influence of the active sun. In order for the needles of the tree to retain their bright color, from time to time it needs to be shaded with protective screens.
2. For the southern regions, the most optimal period for planting is autumn, and for the northern regions – spring. Plants with a closed root system are allowed to be planted throughout the growing season.

Feeding a hedge

Representatives of coniferous plants grow well and develop on non-saline land. At the same time, each landscape conifer has its own preferences regarding the soil:

• for pines, sandy soil would be the best option;
• for firs – clay;
• for yew – leafy, rich in humus;
• for thuja and junipers – slightly acidic.

Ephedra respond positively to feeding with sawdust, wood chips, compost and mineral fertilizers (except manure!). From mid-March to August, nitrogen phosphate (25-30 mg / m²) must be introduced into the soil every 2-3 weeks. If the landscape hedge has a thick layer of bark mulch, the dosage can be increased. Top dressing in the form of tablets and special granules with a long-term effect should be applied once a year, in the spring. A special salt is also added to the soil, which can prevent the discoloration of the needles.

At the end of summer, fertilization of coniferous hedges should be stopped so that the plants can prepare for the winter period.

Watering a coniferous hedge

Coniferous hedges need to be watered throughout the growing season. However, in the autumn, watering should be reduced to a minimum so as not to encourage active growth of shoots.

Water the hedge regularly (1 – 2 times a week).

Cypress, thuja, yew and spruce trees need moist air, therefore, in the hot summer period, it is necessary to regularly spray the crown of plants. This will help maintain an optimal level of moisture, as well as remove all the dust accumulated on the crown.

You should not irrigate the soil in hot weather, as this can lead to numerous burns, and also in the evening – due to an increased risk of fungal diseases in the landscape composition.

Pine and juniper easily tolerate periodic drying of the soil, however, drying of the soil can threaten young conifers with death.

hedge trimming

Landscape hedges should be trimmed in spring (April and May) or autumn (September and October). Best of all, thuja, cypress and yew adapt to the haircut.

A special shearing (every year, 1/3 of the annual growth is cut from the sides and top of the hedge) helps to make the spruce hedge more voluminous, which greatly improves the appearance of this design. Spruce hedges should be trimmed on a regular basis, as pruning wood older than three years old can be bad for its condition.

For pine trees, shortening of the upper shoots is necessary, which contributes to the active growth of side branches. It should be carried out in the period from May to June, after the appearance of young growth.

When shaping, do not cut the ends of pine branches with scissors. When the needles begin to separate on young shoots, they need to be clamped with the thumb and forefinger and unscrewed. After that, new buds begin to awaken, and the ends of the branches become thicker and more voluminous.

Other types of conifers can be plucked only in the spring, and juniper – throughout the year.

Conifer beds

In addition to its evergreen appearance throughout the year, club conifer has many advantages for landscape design:

• easy and simple care;
• the ability to preserve coniferous plantations for many years;
• perennial plants do not need annual renewal;
• the creation and maintenance of such a flower bed require much lower costs;
• maintaining a flower bed in proper condition does not take much time.

Features of coniferous flower beds:

1. For a landscape coniferous flower bed, low-growing and compact plants are often used, and the game of contrast of color and shape serves as the basis for its creation.
2. The role of the basis for the design of a coniferous flower bed is a lawn or alpine slides.
3. For additional decoration, flower beds use stones and bark;
4. The most popular club plants are conifers such as pine, spruce, fir and juniper.

Shrubs (rhododendrons, barberries, common heather, boxwood) and perennial herbaceous plants (cereals, ferns) go well with coniferous plants in the design. To create the background of a landscape flower bed, ground cover plants are used: phlox, thyme, creeping tenacious or sedum.

For huge spaces, a large flower bed would be a good idea (the photo is presented below), where conifers such as juniper, western thuja and mountain pine are planted along the fence.

Conifer rockery (briefly)

Coniferous rockery is one of the varieties of flower beds in a stone environment, which perfectly complement the landscape design in the country. It can be created both on flat terrain and on a slope.

An ideal place for arranging rockeries will be the illuminated space in the southwestern part. Such a landscape composition of conifers will perfectly complement the design along the house, near the pond or in the central part of the garden.

When designing garden rockeries, designers adhere to the following landscape principles:

1. In design, it is better not to allow strict symmetry and order in the arrangement of elements.
2. Choose natural shapes and smooth outlines.
3. Try to stick to discreet colors.
4. Correctly combine stones and conifers.
5. Ensure that the visual integrity of the landscape composition is maintained both at close and at a distance.

When creating a rockery design, it is customary to plant low-growing coniferous plants near large stones: Canadian spruce, thuja Smaragd, mountain pine, Cossack juniper or berry yew. The empty space between the stones must be filled with creeping conifers (horizontal or scaly juniper, microbiota, Canadian hemlock) and decorated with flowering plant species (sedum, stonecrop, etc.).

Border made of conifers

Miniature conifer varieties allow you to create another type of landscape composition for summer cottage design – a coniferous border along the path. For its design, creeping varieties of conifers are used, complementing the composition with stones, gravel and flowering plants.

Using low-growing coniferous shrubs and trees in the design of the territory, landscapers get beautiful impenetrable fences that look like a monolithic wall.

Plants are staggered, planted in 2-3 rows. Planting a coniferous border can take a lot of time and effort, but the result is worth the resources spent.

For landscape zoning of garden areas, medium-sized (1 – 2 m in height) varieties are often used so that they do not cover the general view. In addition, a coniferous border can serve as a good background for planting bright flowering perennials: this design technique is used to design gardens in a landscape or modern style.

Plants compatible with conifers

Ephedra tend to acidify the soil, which can significantly complicate the development of horticultural crops growing in it.

Near coniferous plants, they feel best: hydrangea, calla, fern, daylily, miscanthus, lilac, forsythia, anafalis. Among large trees, oak and birch most comfortably coexist next to pine.

Heathers with erics also go well with them: both types of plants prefer soil that is the same in composition and level of acidity. Of the shrubs, gooseberries get along best with conifers. 7

Compatibility of conifers with viburnum

Designers actively use viburnum bushes in landscape compositions. The bright branched bushes of the plant perfectly complement the design of the garden area in the winter, and are also not picky about the planting site (viburnum grows well both in the light and in the shaded space). However, the proximity to some conifers is bad for the development of the plant. The viburnum feels especially uncomfortable next to the spruce: because of such a neighborhood, the bush can get sick, and soon die altogether. Of all the conifers, the western thuja is best combined with viburnum: the tree does not create obstacles for the development of the root system of the shrub.

With vertical conifers (smaragd, brabant and globular thuja), landscape designers often combine roses. It is only important not to allow the growth of the thuja in breadth, because then the conifer covers the rose bushes. Roses also pair well in design with juniper cultivars such as Blue Arrow, Moonglow and SkyRocket.

How to make compositions from conifers

Due to their unique decorative properties, conifers can perfectly complement the landscape design of both a huge garden space and a small plot.

However, in order to properly plan such a landscape composition on the territory, it is important to consider several nuances: its location in the design, appearance, shape and all the constituent elements. After that, it is necessary to select the appropriate plants, taking into account the characteristics of the selected composition.

The design of the front garden and the facade of the house always catches the eye in the first place: that is why landscape designers recommend decorating these areas somewhat solemnly and elegantly. For such cases, landscaping with elements of a regular style can be used in the design, including the symmetrical arrangement of all constituent elements or the repetition of rhythm. This type of decoration involves the use of a rich plant assortment.

The main role in such a composition is played by a pyramidal or standard coniferous tree, reaching a height of 2,5 – 3 m at a mature age. , when there is empty space, dwarf and prostrate conifer species, compact deciduous shrubs or ground cover plant varieties can be placed between them.

If an informal planting style is used to create a landscape composition in the design, experts advise placing the elements on the lawn in the form of an island flower bed. From them, you can form mixborders (complex design landscape compositions of flowers and shrubs) along the contour of the site, and by combining them with decorative leafy varieties, create a zoning of the garden space. In this case, it is best to select plants according to the “irregular scalene triangle” scheme. The rest of the site is usually filled with additional elements, as their level of significance for the appearance of the landscape composition decreases.

In the foreground, you need to plant undersized species, and closer to the center – taller and more voluminous. In order for the landscape flowerbed to look bright and saturated, it is necessary to choose plants with different colors of needles.

If the needles of the central plant are silver, a contrasting shade should be placed nearby. It is also worth remembering about backlighting and adding seasonal vegetation to the design of the flower bed: bright colors against the background of green conifers will make the appearance of the composition unforgettable.

For landscape decoration of alpine slides or flower beds with annual and ground cover representatives, it is best to use miniature types of conifers with spherical and cushion-shaped growth forms. Ground cover varieties that are lined on the ground in the form of a carpet or hang down from retaining walls can fit well into such landscape design.

To create a beautiful harmonious landscape composition with conifers, you need to remember the following important points:

1. Shape geometry. Professional landscape composition is based on the principle of color and shape contrast. By combining contrasting colors and shapes, various visual effects can be obtained that greatly enhance the look of the design. Plants in the form of a pyramid are well combined with spherical conifers, and tall species harmoniously complement the short ones; large trees will be more visible against the background of miniature elements, and the transitions between the sizes and outlines of the crown will help smooth out the lines of the exterior.
2. Principles of symmetry and asymmetry in design. Decorating space with the help of conifers involves a combination of incompatible things. To decorate the site, you can use both symmetrical compositions and completely asymmetrical elements: they will also look harmonious and add more uniqueness to the overall picture.
3. Color combinations. There are a huge number of species and varieties of conifers that differ from each other in color. However, it is worth remembering: too rich a range of colors can “break” the landscape composition. Designers recommend using no more than two shades in a group of three conifers and no more than three colors in a group of five or more plants. In significant coniferous groups (more than 30 seedlings), it is allowed to use plants with a rich color range, combining them into small subgroups: three elements of the same color.

   

4. Crown height and shape. When creating a composition, it is important to pay attention not only to the color of the seedling, but also to the size of the tree in adulthood. To understand how the finished landscape composition will look in the design, you need to familiarize yourself with all the main features of the selected conifer varieties.

You can find out more information about the features of using conifers in landscape design and composing compositions from them in the video: 

Tips for choosing conifers for site design

There are a huge number of types and varieties of conifers, some of which are best suited for use in landscaping large and small gardens.

1. Juniper. This type of conifer will be a good option for decorating a garden area with an average level of altitude. Most common in Our Country are Cossack, horizontal and ordinary juniper varieties. Juniper Cossack reaches up to 1 m in height in adulthood and grows rapidly over the entire surface. The horizontal variety has similar characteristics, the difference is elongated branches with bluish-gray needles, which become brown in winter. The common juniper is an evergreen shrub reaching up to three meters in height, which is often cultivated as a tree by gardeners.

   

2. Ale. Landscape designers use it as one of the most traditional plants for decorating the territory. Spruce has many varieties, each of which is distinguished by its own unique color: from silver mint to rich emerald green, with a purple or lilac tint. Most often, the ephedra is used for planting along the perimeter of the territory in large areas.

   

3. Thuya. Thuja is a low tree, reaching 1,5 to 2,5 m in height at maturity. This type of conifer is most often used by landscape designers to create hedges, and a little less often in landscape compositions. The decorative features of the thuja in garden design lie in its soft bright green leaves and quick adaptation to pruning and shaping. The most popular varieties are emerald Smaragd, compact light green Western Danica and light green Brabant.

   

4. Yew. This type of conifer is considered a bit finicky: the plant grows and develops best on black soil in the absence of wind. Despite this, yew has a great advantage: the shrub feels great even in shaded areas, which allows it to be grown in the northern parts of the site.

   

5. Larch. It is a pine tree that reaches more than 50 m in height in adulthood, which is why it is practically not used for planting in small areas. In the conditions of the climate, the most cultivated varieties of larch are European (a green plant with a bluish bloom on the needles) and Japanese (with a wide pyramidal crown).

   

6. Fir. One of the most original representatives of conifers. It is believed that the coniferous aroma of the tree has a beneficial effect on the respiratory and nervous systems of the body. It has a voluminous dense crown and rich green needles. For normal growth and development, fir needs space, which is why it is better to plant the plant in large areas.

   

7. dwarf conifers. These include undersized pine, spruce, fir, thuja, as well as separate subgroups of special representatives. The group of miniature conifers also includes Canadian hemlock Jeddeloch, middle juniper, eastern and Serbian spruce, mountain pine and pseudo-hemzies, Korean fir and dwarf cedar. All of these crops are actively grown in Our Country. The height of these plants, depending on the formation, does not exceed 1,5 m.

Schemes of conifers in landscape design

After choosing a landing site for conifers, it is necessary to determine the landscape composition scheme. It is recommended to apply the design scheme of the future composition on a sheet of paper, taking into account the following nuances:

1. It is necessary to take into account the size of the constituent elements: stones and plants.
2. Choosing the right color palette for stones: designers advise opting for yellow, brown and beige shades.
3. It is very important to recreate a natural imitation of the natural location of rock ledges on the soil surface. In design, conifers often also act as an accent background for a composition of other types of plants.

When designing a landscape composition, it is also important to pay attention to the distance from the place from which it is best viewed: it should be more than two heights of the entire composition.

Landscape designers consider grassy lawns and lawns to be the best background for conifers. The most optimal location for coniferous compositions is considered the eastern or western parts of the site.

Much also depends on the compatibility of the selected elements with each other. The best visual effect is given by the combination of conifers with roses. It is important to remember that conifers oxidize the soil, which can affect the development of rose bushes. Because of this, such a design of a landscape composition may require large financial costs to maintain the soil in optimal condition.

Conclusion

Every day more and more people use conifers when creating landscape design. Conifers are highly valued for their decorative qualities, lend themselves well to pruning and shaping, are famous for their pickiness to the soil, ease of care and retain their green appearance throughout the year. When creating the design of landscape compositions with the participation of conifers, it is important to remember the main design nuances: the compatibility of plants with each other, the contrast of shape and color, as well as the features of growing each of the constituent species.