In the past three year I have purchased three conifers. There are always garden trends as is obvious from this thread and I think conifers will make a big come back.Thuja Whipcord is a favourite.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I specifically recall several plants from my childhood garden, unimaginatively placed on the corners of a rectangular lawn. Orange Montbretia, pink Spiraea, & yellow Potentilla. I still love the latter but hats off to the plant breeders who have created the wealth of affordable choice we have nowadays.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
When you listen to garden broadcasts, especially from shows, they continually use the word "fashion". Plants' popularity might change with new species introductions and improved forms. But plants are NOT fashion accessories.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
The great guru himself, C. Lloyd had several dwarf Pinus' around G. Dixter, which is where I first discovered them.
They are one of my favourite conifers too. As you say @Fairygirl, it's the ones that were planted with no consideration of future height and spread that are problematic. I hate to see them butchered, like this one in a neighbouring garden, now a sorry sight:
We're getting some good discussion going now. We're the 70s the decade gardening forgot then? I'm not a fan of pampas grass either but African marigolds are a must have.
That's fairly hellish @Plantminded. It's a common problem though. I have a pine at the far end of the garden [already here] which I remember being put in as I used to go past it every day when I lived round the corner. It's right next to a conifer. I presume whoever planted it thought it wouldn't get much bigger.... I'm in the process of cutting the bigger branches off the pine, as it's growing through the conifer and doing neither of them any favours. The bits I've already done are coming away again, and I should [fingers crossed] be able to keep it at a reasonable size once I've done that. The conifer itself isn't a problem - I removed the lower branches, and it allows light in now. Different people like different plants, and it surely doesn't matter if they're 'fashionable' or not. What matters is that they're right for the site, and you like them
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I'm not a fan of pampas grass either but African marigolds are a must have.
It's a common problem though.
I have a pine at the far end of the garden [already here] which I remember being put in as I used to go past it every day when I lived round the corner. It's right next to a conifer. I presume whoever planted it thought it wouldn't get much bigger....
I'm in the process of cutting the bigger branches off the pine, as it's growing through the conifer and doing neither of them any favours. The bits I've already done are coming away again, and I should [fingers crossed] be able to keep it at a reasonable size once I've done that. The conifer itself isn't a problem - I removed the lower branches, and it allows light in now.
Different people like different plants, and it surely doesn't matter if they're 'fashionable' or not. What matters is that they're right for the site, and you like them
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...