As part of our ‘Autumn is for Planting’ campaign, this week we’re focusing on how planting conifers now can bring lasting structure and interest to your garden, ready to be enjoyed for years to come.
Conifers are known as a garden staple, with varieties available in all shapes and sizes. They offer a range of benefits to your garden, from useful ground cover to striking focal points and additional privacy, due to their dense foliage.
Why Should You Grow Conifers?
Many conifers are evergreen, retaining their leaves all year round. This means that they can add year-round structure and interest, while many other plants die back during the colder months. Junipers and ornamental pines are particularly useful in a dry garden due to their tolerance of dry conditions once established.
Conifers are available in a wide range of foliage colours, from deep greens and blues to those that turn gold and red throughout the winter months, so there is a conifer to suit every garden planting scheme.
Their distinctive foliage can either be scale-like or needle-like.
Choosing the Right Variety for You
When choosing a conifer, one of the most important things to consider is its eventual height and spread. Conifers can live for many years and while some remain small, others can eventually grow into very large trees.
For smaller gardens and containers, look for dwarf or slow-growing varieties that will remain relatively compact. Low-growing and spreading conifers can be used as ground cover, while upright varieties are ideal for adding height and definition to borders.
Larger conifers are useful for creating hedges to add privacy in your garden. However, always check the expected mature size before planting your conifer, to make sure there will be enough space for it to fully grow.
To find out more about the different types of conifers, read our plant guide:
Why Plant Conifers in Autumn?
The best time to plant conifers in the ground is during autumn, while your soil isn’t waterlogged or frozen. With the soil retaining warmth from summer and cooler conditions above ground, planting now can give your conifer a head start in developing strong roots before the main growing season begins next spring.
Before planting, water your conifer thoroughly and dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball, but no deeper. Gently loosen any tightly packed roots before placing the conifer in the hole, making sure the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil.
Backfill with the excavated soil, gently firming it around the roots. Water thoroughly after planting and continue to water regularly while your conifer becomes established. Add mulch around the base of newly planted conifers to retain moisture and suppress weeds in the soil.
To plant a conifer in a container, choose a pot with good drainage that has enough room for the roots to grow. Use a peat-free, compost and position the conifer at the same depth it was growing in its original pot. Fill around the root ball with compost, gently firm it down and water thoroughly after planting.
Helping New Conifers Establish
For the first two years after planting, your conifer will need regular watering to keep the surrounding soil moist, especially during hot and dry spells. Once established, most conifers can cope with minimal watering, apart from during prolonged heatwaves and droughts.
If you are growing your conifers in containers, they will need a little more care. Container-grown conifers require regular watering and may also need occasional feeding. This is because their roots have limited access to moisture and nutrients compared with conifers planted in the ground, so they rely on regular care to keep them healthy.
Complementary Plants
Conifers work very well with many other garden plants, from trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses and bulbs. To complement conifers, choose companion plants that contrast their texture and distinctive foliage.
Ornamental grasses, such as panicum and miscanthus, provide softer movement with their arching, feathery leaves against conifers’ dense foliage.
Autumn and winter-flowering plants, such as heathers, hellebores and hardy cyclamen, can add a burst of bright colour alongside conifers, helping to create eye-catching seasonal displays.
Adding Conifers to your Garden this National Conifer Week
Autumn is a great opportunity to introduce a new conifer to your garden. Planting now gives your conifer more time to establish before spring, so it is ready to add structure, colour and texture to your garden.
Visit your local Tates of Sussex Garden Centre this National Conifer Week, from 19th to 27th September, to explore our range of conifers and find the right variety ready to plant in your garden.
This September, Tates Rewards members can also save 20% on conifers!
Not a Tates Rewards member yet? Sign up today to access exclusive offers and rewards throughout the year.
Remember to check out our newest Plant of the Week, on Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ conifer, available to watch on our YouTube channel.
Tips, Information & Advice
