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Smallish well-behaved conifer

B3B3 Posts: 27,505
in Plants
I have a variety of plants in my garden - but no conifer.
I fancy growing a well-behaved specimen in my clay garden.
I have more space on the sunny side, but there's also room in the dappled shady bit. Can anyone recommend something?
Ps I love the smell of pine trees so that would be a bonus.
In London. Keen but lazy.

Posts

  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Pinus strobus 'Greg' is a beautiful slow-growing mound forming species ;
       "    cembra 'Blue Mound ' is excellent ;
       "    thunbergiana 'Kotobuki' is stunning and slow growing .

    There are many other small Pines available , usually from specialist growers , sometimes from garden centres .
    Pinus mugo is good for a larger rockery or border , but can get quite unwieldy over time .
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Thanks Paul, I'll check them out
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    They look the business P. I hadn't thought of a mound. 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    The small junipers like blue star and blue carpet are nice as part of a group or for (very effective) ground cover. It's not a pine scent but it is very distinctive - I like it. Whipcord hebes are nice too, if you want to go really small - not conifers obv but they look like them.

    I've always fancied one of those pines that you see in Japanese garden schemes. Haven't got as far as sussing exactly which species yet and if they only look that good when super pruned.

    OH likes conifers so we have quite a few (including some monsters down the end of the garden) despite them being so unfashionable. We've had a few holidays walking in forests across Europe and the US and there is nothing quite as evocative of those than the scent of sunshine on pine trees.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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