The quest for something new and exciting is never ending. Perhaps it is no more evident than at the remarkable Far West Show in Portland, Ore.
That's where the nursery industry goes to see what is growing. With dozens of other professionals from Utah, I spent time looking for new and exciting plants, tools, books, seeds, equipment and other such items.Conifers are among the plants offering fascinating possibilities for local gardeners. I'll divide conifers into two groups for the purposes of discussion. Dwarf conifers are the subject of this week's column. Next will be unusual conifers.
A conifer is a plant that bears its seeds in cones -- including pines, spruces and firs. Most conifers have needles that last for more than one year and are called evergreen, but a few are deciduous such as larch and metasequoia. Gingkos have modified needles in the shape of leaves.
They are also referred to as trees with needles, but some have scales or even broad leaves, so that is not always accurate.
Even more confusing than defining what is a conifer is defining what is a dwarf. Dwarf does not refer to a specific size, but all dwarf plants are smaller than normal. At maturity they are half to 1/20th the size of the normal species form, and their growth rate is usually extremely slow.
Conifers can be grouped into three different sizes. Pygmy forms are only 1/20th the size of normal plants at maturity, dwarf forms are 1/20th to one-quarter the size of normal plants, and compact forms are one-third to one-half the size of normal species. Smaller conifers are becoming more popular as people spend more time in the garden and seek unusual plants.
Do not confuse dwarf conifers with younger, smaller plants of genetically larger plants. These will grow much faster and ultimately get much larger.
Many of these miniature trees are not recent discoveries but have been cultivated for centuries.
In many cases, the early collectors were noblemen and traders who had time and money to devote to gathering unusual commodities -- including plants.
Dwarf conifers range from ground covers to columnar plants as well as weeping and contorted plants. They come in many different colors, including shades of green, blue, white, yellow and silver. True miniature conifers differ from bonsai trees. Bonsai trees are normal plants that are artificially dwarfed by severe pruning and root restrictions. Dwarf conifers never grow larger than their genetic capabilities.
Dwarf conifers have become popular in both Europe and the Far East because of limited land space and their wonderful appeal as designer plants. The trend for using dwarf and slow-growing plants is increasing here because newer homes are on smaller lots.
Houses are also designed differently than they were 50 years ago. For example, the bottoms of the windows are lower in new homes. With better insulating glass, many homes use sliding glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows to provide more light and create better views to the outside living areas. This has reduced the need for giant tams, pfitzers, mughos and other foundation plantings. Dwarf conifers are very low maintenance. They need minimal pruning and never have to be separated or divided.
Local gardeners have already adopted many dwarf conifers. The most common is the dwarf Alberta spruce. Thousands of these are planted each year throughout our area and, used appropriately, are a choice addition to the landscape.
Dwarf conifers can be selected from many other groups of plants. In our area, firs, junipers, spruces, pines, yews, arborvitaes and Douglas firs can withstand the winter. Many other conifers are not hardy here and would have to be moved indoors. Others such as the Cryptomeria and the chamaecyparis are cold hardy but prefer an acidic soil and will burn in our intense sunlight.
Now is a good time to contact your local nursery as they are busy lining up stock for shipment next spring. Let them know what you are looking for, and they can help you find it. You will enjoy these plants in the garden for years. Dwarf conifers are typically more expensive than standard-size plants because they grow slowly.
They are often a better choice for smaller yards and landscapes because they do not outgrow the areas allocated for them.
Larry Sagers is regional horticulturist, Utah State University Extension Service