There is nothing that adds a thrill to the winter landscape quite like conifers. Conifers stand out by virtue of their needle-like foliage, exciting texture, as well as color and size. Discover an all-star line-up of colorful, verdant varieties in the Southern Living® Plant Collection!
Actually, the Southern Living® Plant Collection features three decidedly different arborvitaes, but interestingly, they are all the same genus known as Thuja. With a range of foliage offerings from gold to blue to orange hues, these distinct varieties offer a stellar foundation for beginning your own conifer collection.
First, go for the gold with the sunny tones of Forever Goldy® Arborvitae, a must-have plant in the landscape. This newer addition to the Southern Living® Plant Collection stands out in the garden with 24-karat gold needle-like foliage, which makes a most dramatic statement. Pair it with glossy-leaved Oakland® Holly or Robin™ Holly, or perhaps Yewtopia® Plum Yew, for a stunning statement.
The brilliant gold of Forever Goldy is also simply amazing when partnered with Pancake™ Arborvitae, a dwarf or compact blue-needled arborvitae. With its attractive naturally rounded shape, Pancake™ reaches about 18 inches tall and 3 feet wide, making this perfectly petite pick a gorgeous option for evergreen containers or neat, attractive rows along a pathway.
If your heart is burning with love for conifers, fan the flames with Fire Chief™ Arborvitae in your new cluster of conifers. As its red-hot name implies, Fire Chief offers a changing range of warm colors throughout the seasons, maturing to 2- to 4-foot tall and as wide. Pair it with the silver-blue hues of Pancake™ for a marriage made in gardening heaven.
Though we have been touting the arborvitae or Thujas, the Southern Living® Plant Collection offers other conifers that will expand and enhance your own home collection. Night Light™ Chamaecyparis has a rounded habit reaching 4- to 5-feet tall featuring brilliant gold foliage turning bronze in the winter. The dazzling Dragon Prince™ Cryptomeria adds a more traditional, albeit light green to your mix of colored conifers—but don’t miss the fascinating foliage on this one! Its terrific texture can’t be topped! Dragon Prince will reach 3-feet tall and wide.
If your soil is tight, heavy clay, and not well drained, then plan on amending it with 3- to 4-inches of organic matter and work the bed to a depth of 8- to 10-inches. The best idea might be to copy what the commercial landscapers do, planting on raised beds accomplished by bringing in a prepared soil mix.
Even though good drainage is paramount, water will be necessary to allow the conifers to maintain their health and appearance and to get roots acclimated and expanded in your bed.
Conifers bring joy to the garden and in containers on the porch, patio, and deck. The more colors, sizes, and shapes, the happier the garden – and the gardener! The Southern Living® Plant Collection has all you need to get started on the garden enjoyment of a lifetime.