TO LEARN MORE gardening with dwarf conifers Bitner, Richard L., Conifers for Gardens: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2007. Dwarf conifers are ideal plants for Chicagoland’s smaller yards Cutler, Sandra McLean, Dwarf & and gardens. Th ey’re low- Unusual Conifers Coming of Age. maintenance and resistant to Washington, D.C.: United States most insects and diseases; many National Arboretum, 1997. have year-round color; and Krüssmann, Gert, Manual of there is an extraordinary range of sizes and shapes available. Cultivated Conifers. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1986. One of the best of its kind in the country, the Dwarf Van Gelderen, D.M. and Van Hoey Smith, J.R.P., Conifers: Th e Conifer Garden showcases more than 150 diff erent kinds Illustrated Encyclopedia. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1996. of the smaller members of the conifer family. Renovated in Growth rates dwarf conifer 2008 (it was fi rst dedicated in 1988), the garden includes Dwarf conifers grow slowly. Th e American Conifer Th e American Conifer Society website off ers in-depth informa- a new staircase entrance, views to the Japanese Garden and Society off ers these size guidelines for all conifers: selections tion about conifers at www.conifersociety.org. Great Basin, and a widened, accessible-to-all path. Dwarf conifers for blue color Lenhardt Library Category Approximate Approximate Conifers are plants that bear cones. Mostly native to the What humans see as blue color is actually a protective, For these and other titles, visit the Lenhardt Library of the growth per year size at 10 years earth’s northern hemisphere, conifers have skinny needle- waxy outer coating on new-growth needles. It wears off Chicago Botanic Garden, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday Miniature Less than 1 inch Less than 1 foot like or scale-like leaves that help reduce moisture loss and over time. through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Extended hours Dwarf 1 to 6 inches 1 to 6 feet dwarf conifer allow snow to be shed easily. Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ – Colorado Spruce. A are Tuesdays until 7 p.m. Online information is at Intermediate 6 to 12 inches 6 to 15 feet Th e conifer family includes both the oldest living thing compact clone that’s one of the best of the blues. www.chicagobotanic.org/library. Large More than 12 More than 15 feet on earth (Pinus aristata, or Bristlecone Pine, known to Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Carpet’ – Singleseed Juniper. garden inches Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the reach 4,000+ years old) and the largest (Sequoia sempervi- Th is juniper with silver-blue foliage makes a good Chicago Botanic Garden rens, or Coast Redwood, nearly 400 feet tall). ground cover. Th e Regenstein School off ers a wide range of classes in gardening, Site and soil landscape design, botanical arts, and more. For a course catalog, Dwarf conifers are trees that do not reach the normal Overall, dwarf conifers thrive in sunny locations with Dwarf conifers please call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school. size of what is typical for their species. Dwarfi sm occurs well-drained, slightly acidic, sandy soil (though most for gold color naturally in several ways: perform well in Chicago’s less-than-perfect clay soils). Picea pungens ‘Spring Ghost’ Science at the Garden Yews, spruces, and hemlocks can take partially shady – Colorado Spruce. Spring • Witches’ brooms. Tangled, dense, snarled clumps of Th e Chicago Botanic Garden is home to one of the nation’s conditions, but conifers don’t grow well in heavy shade. growth is whitish-yellow. branchlets sometimes grow on full-sized trees. Called premier plant conservation programs, through which scientists Conifers benefi t from periodic fertilizer applications. Juniperus horizontalis witches’ brooms, these can be caused by disease or ge- tackle the most pressing issues in the plant conservation fi eld. To ‘Mother Lode’ – Creeping netic mutation. Rooted cuttings from a witches’ broom Pruning learn more about the Garden’s many conservation and scientifi c Juniper. Th is prostrate form maintain a dwarf habit. Because most dwarf conifers grow so slowly, pruning eff orts, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/research. is bright yellow in summer. is rarely required. Conifers shed previous years’ needles • Seed mutation. Some seeds produce much smaller Th e renovation of the Dwarf Conifer Garden has been made regularly in the spring—that’s why the interior of an trees than normal, including many of the weeping and possible by a generous gift from Georgiana Taylor, with support evergreen is bare. Dead needles can be left as natural Dwarf conifers for contorted varieties. from the Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society. mulch for the plant. partial shade • Conditions in nature. Some conifers grow in habitats Taxus × media ‘Everlow’ – with harsh conditions, such as windy, rocky outcrops Yew. A low grower that can and alpine zones. Over thousands of years they have handle both partial shade adapted to these environments by becoming more pros- and wind. trate in habit. A common landscape plant, Juniperus Tsuga canadensis ‘Stewart’s horizontalis, is an example of this. Gem’ – Canadian Hemlock. Tolerates light shade. One of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County ED 80209 Cover photo: top © Arthur Lazar ED 80209 Cover EED80209_Dwarf_Conifer_Guide8.inddD80209_Dwarf_Conifer_Guide8.indd 1 66/2/08/2/08 22:54:19:54:19 PPMM 4 English Walled Garden Waterfall Garden Unusual shapes, unexpected colors, and 150 dwarf varieties inoneuniquegarden. varieties and150dwarf colors, unexpected Unusual shapes, 5 dwarf conifer Pendulous Weeping, drooping branches make the rare or unusual pendulous forms ideal focal points in beds or borders. forms Tsuga canadensis ‘Pendula’ – Canadian Hemlock, 5 feet dwarf conifers tall by 7 feet wide. Juniperus rigida ‘Pendula’ – Weeping Use the map to locate them. All hardy in Midwest gardens, these dwarf Juniper, 4-5 feet tall by 2-3 feet wide. varieties delight the eye with interesting 1. Th ujopsis dolabrata ‘Nana’ – Hiba or False Arborvitae. shapes, textures, and colors. Sizes listed are Flattened Globose or Nest An unusual shape, often A connoisseur’s plant with bright green foliage in sum- approximate at 10 years old. with a bowl-shaped center. Picea abies ‘Repens Gold’ – mer. It can grow well in partial shade, but is marginally 6 Golden Bird’s Nest Norway Spruce, 3 feet tall by 4 feet hardy in this area. Globose Naturally round forms add formality to wide. walkways, beds, and edgings. 2. Picea pungens ‘Pendula’ – Colorado Spruce. Th is 3 Th uja occidentalis ‘Little Gem’ – Eastern Arborvitae, popular form, with branches that cascade downward, Prostrate Prostrate forms grow fl at, and when planted 1-3 feet tall by 4½ -6 feet wide. Chamaecyparis thyoides performs well. on an incline they appear to fl ow downhill. Pinus ‘Heatherbun’ – Heatherbun Falsecypress, 3 feet tall by sylvestris ‘Hillside Creeper’ – Scots Pine, 2 feet tall by 3. Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Green Arrow’ – Nootka 4-5 feet wide. 6-8 feet wide. Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’ – False Cypress. A very narrow tree with pendulous branches Creeping Juniper, less than 1 foot tall by 2-3 feet wide. planted here in a group of three. ‘Green Arrow’ keeps its 2 Mound Low and rounded, mounded forms can hide green color year-round. the stems and foliage of plants behind them, and create Upright Pyramid When punctuation is called for, use interesting, organic bumps and hills in too-fl at beds 4. Picea abies ‘Virgata’ – Snake Branch Spruce. Rather 7 a cone-shaped form. Excellent as anchor when partnered 1 and lawns. Pinus mugo ‘Sherwood Compact’ – Mugo like a giant stick fi gure, this Norway spruce has long, with other dwarf conifers. Abies concolor ‘Select’ – White Pine, 2-3 feet tall by 2-3 feet wide. dark green needles. Fir, 5 feet tall by 3 feet wide. Picea abies ‘Cupressina’ – Regenstein Center 5. Picea abies ‘Acrocona’ – Norway Spruce. Showy purple- Norway Spruce, 6-8 feet tall by 3 feet wide. Visitor Center Columnar Narrow or close-to-the-street yards benefi t red cones in spring distinguish this slow-growing dwarf from the screening qualities of taller-than-broad Irregular Free-fl owing, irregular shapes add softness to conifer. uprights. Also good as hedges and windbreaks. Pinus informal or cottage-style gardens. Larix decidua ‘Varied nigra ‘Arnold Sentinel’ – Austrian Pine, 10-12 feet tall 6. Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Miss Grace’ – Dawn Directions’ – European Larch, 8-10 feet tall by 10-12 by 2-3 feet wide. Picea pungens ‘Fastigiata’ – Columnar Redwood. A rare, weeping dwarf form of dawn redwood, feet wide. Colorado Spruce, 25 feet tall by 5 feet wide. this is one of the few deciduous conifers. 7. Pinus contorta ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ – Th is unusual pine has bright golden yellow new growth that persists Japanese Garden through summer. Waterfall Garden EED80209_Dwarf_Conifer_Guide8.inddD80209_Dwarf_Conifer_Guide8.indd 2 66/2/08/2/08 22:54:24:54:24 PPMM.