A couple from a recent garden bed I am working on. Mostly conifers, maples, perennials and heather.

-Will

A friend picked this bouquet in my garden for the dining room table. She said it's a bit garish, but I like it. Cool colors on the bottom and hot on the top.
Mike
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Firefighter, your beds look very neat and interesting. And weed free, congrats! Botann, I like garish. And, flower colours never clash. I hope more people post pics of their 2010 projects.

firefighter,
your beds look like in some garden show. Great job!

Could you tell me the name of a tree in the center of first photo? I am looking for a tree for my rock garden.

Dotty, I like that cypress-type plant off to the right. I have a Lemon Cypress (just like that in firefighter's 2nd picture, bottom-center) that I think would look good with a cypress like yours. What type is yours?

Firefighter, I'm very impressed. I've always wanted a conifer garden, but don't have any clue as to how to do it. I started one on the corner of my property (I live on a corner lot and put conifers at the corner), but the dogs in the neighborhood saw it as the local loo and killed my Cryptomeria and almost killed a Colorado Blue Spruce. I moved both to the backyard and saved the spruce, but lost the Cryptomeria. Now the corner is empty again. Is that a Weeping Colorado Blue Spruce you have? I love that. I'm trying to get some more blue in my back yard.

Botann, I agree with Dotty...flower colors don't clash. Arrangements should represent those flowers you love, despite the color differences. Nice arrangement!

These were taken in mid-July of some expanded beds and a rock path we created over some dry wells to control excess water. Grass wasn't growing well due to shade, clay, and wetness anyway, so we replaced it. The fruit trees, salal, daisy, and some other groundcovers were existing plants. Many of the plants were free from Green Elephant plant swaps.
{{gwi:682011}}From 2010 flower garden
{{gwi:682013}}From 2010 flower garden
{{gwi:682014}}From 2010 flower garden

{{gwi:682015}}From 2010 flower garden

Great job Corrine1! The rock path makes the garden inviting. The pot adds a little jewel tone too -- I'm using more pots in my beds to introduce height and interest.
Tophers, I have no idea of the variety of cypress. It's just pretty.

To answer a couple questions, the pine in the first photo is

Pinus strobus 'Chillier'. An Eastern white pine, it's about 12 years old in this photo.

Tophers, yes, the plant in the final picture on the right is Picea pungens(Colorado Spruce), named 'The Blues'.

I'm sure if you head on over to the conifer forum there are many members who would be glad to offer tips on starting and taking care of a conifer garden.

My gardens are very young(I've been gardening for about two and a half years), but most of the plants in my gardens are dwarves or miniatures, capable of staying in their current spot for 10+ years.

Conifer gardens don't appeal to everyone - there's a real lack of 'flowers' usually but they offer many advantages over a perennial or mixed garden.

First most conifers are very tough, bug-resistant, weather-hardy plants. Often they are drought tolerant as well and can go weeks without water once established.

Another desirable trait is that they don't need much clean-up - they usually keep to a nice shape without pruning and they self-mulch(no leaves to rake - at least with smaller ones).

Finally, to me, the most important trait is that they provide year-round color and interest. When everything else is sleeping, conifers keep on chugging and provide excellent shape, color, structure and life to the landscape.

A few more pictures to illustrate what can be done with conifers in a small amount of time.

-Will

Here is a link that might be useful: For more conifer photos and info(Gardenweb Conifer Forum)

Will,

That is truly amazing. I'm very impressed.

I agree about the lack of flowers, but my wife doesn't want flowers because they attract bees. She will only stay outside until a bee happens to buzz by and then she's back in the house for at least the rest of the day. Both my sons have been stung by wasps or yellowjackets... and our backyard is very much used by them, so I prefer to keep the flowers to a minimum. That leaves the color in the gardens being provided in the form of foliage. Plus, in the gray days of winter (which I love), I still like to have color, so the conifers fit the bill.

Thanks for the info.

Will, your conifer garden is amazing.

Corrine, love that rock path.

Tophers, how do you feel about ornamental grasses? No bees and can be colorful. I've got some extras......

Like a flower show garden that conifer display is not going to be good for very long. You must be planning to dig a bunch of it up and re-space in a few years. The Nandina in the one shot is already overlapping the fastigiate golden yew.

Otherwise you will have to start root-pruning or shearing tops to control size. Even something that makes shoots only 1" long will be 6" bigger (in one direction) after six flushes.

Speaking of Nandina, it and numerous other broad-leaved evergreens provide year-round structure.

And it flowers.

As do various evergreen herbaceous perennials.

Heaths and heathers are traditional with conifers in suitable climates (such as ours) because these provide attributes the conifers lack, yet look naturalistic with them. In addition to these in the nearby mountain parklands here we also see dwarf spireas, huckleberries and rhododendrons.

A landscape industry friend liked to combine mountain hemlocks with 'Ramapo' rhododendrons, suggesting what might be seen in high Asian mountains.

That's a good combination bboy. I've acquired a few Mountain Hemlocks over the years, but have yet to place them in a place where I'm satisfied. I should have grouped them into a composition with low growing evergreens to get the sub-alpine effect you mentioned. Too late now. If I had received them all at once I might have been able to do it.

This is one of my better views of the garden. I took the picture standing in front of my bedroom window.
Mike
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888, I have a few ornamental grasses and am considering a few more, but I haven't figured out exactly where yet. I have:

Japanese Leather Sedge (get lots of babies, but they're easy to deal with)

Japanese Bloodgrass (it now stays in a container, as it took 4 years to eradicate all it's runners from one garden)

Purple Fountain Grass (in a "Fall" container planting on the porch...I've killed one or two in past years, so I don't have much luck with them)

Bunny Tails (actually pretty happy on the North side of my house)

There's a couple of green ornamental grasses that I have, but I can't remember off-hand what they are.

I may take you up on your offer, though...

I've kept a bunch of photos, a crude blog if you will, at the link below. It was meant for some family members, so some things may not make complete sense. Basically, I'm documenting in pictures selected portions of, and activities in, my garden and orchard. Take a look if you want.

My Garden

just came back from a trip to the high sierras. very garden friendly looking landscapes up there. Quercus vacciniifolia was everywhere, and looked great with all the conifers and rocks. evergreen, slow spreading controlled mat of oak leaves. very cute little acorns. i wonder why its not used more in a garden context?

throw some manzanitas in there for a mid sized shrub, and some smaller conifers. and you have a low to no irrigation garden that is very neat and needs little pruning.

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the

Bottonn, i have enjoyed your view. Great job!
My garden is not so great but it has it's soil

Topher, There are other ways to get winter color besides conifers. My favorite way is bark in plum, red, orange, yellow, and green. There are also Calluna heathers that turn colors in the winter. Then, there are winter flowers and berries, too. I must have winter color, but my husband is not into conifers, especially dwarfs.