by Laurie Keit

December 2010 — The holiday season is the most popular time of year for outdoor home décor. While the popularity of animated and inflatable décor has grown, let’s take a moment to focus on dwarf conifers for a more natural holiday landscape.

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Dwarf conifers come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Year-round good looks and easy maintenance make them a valuable addition to the home landscape. The plants mentioned in this article are salt tolerant and do best in full sun.

The dwarf Alberta spruce, Picea glauca, is a miniature cone-shaped tree. It grows very slowly and seldom needs pruning. It is salt tolerant, deer resistant and suitable for use as a windbreak. A single specimen makes a stunning focal point, or it can be massed into a natural hedge. It can also be used to break up and soften the appearance of large formal hedges. As a specimen plant it can be grown in the ground or in containers.

Picea glauca “Conica” is a green cultivar that is shaped like a Christmas tree. It will also grow in containers and can be shaped into a spiral or round ball topiary, which can then be decorated to reflect your personal holiday style.

Picea pungens var. glauca, the Colorado blue spruce, is slower growing than P. glauca “Conica.” It is best used as a specimen tree due to its strong blue color.

Dwarf pines can also be used as single specimens, or for screens, windbreaks and mass plantings.

The dwarf Japanese black pine, Pinus thunbergii “Thunderhead,” is easily recognizable by its distinctive white candles. Try it on a berm, surrounded by perennial plants; tuck in a boulder and finish it off with low-voltage landscape lighting for a stunning composition. This plant will grow to 6 feet high by 5 feet wide in 10 years. This pine is a great subject for bonsai; creating bonsai will introduce you to root pruning, pinching and candling.

The dwarf Mugo pine, Pinus mugo pumilio, is a slow-growing plant will eventually reach 3-5 feet tall and 6-10 feet wide. It is easy to grow and may require some clipping.

The Japanese white pine, Pinus parviflora, is another low-maintenance plant that can be used in mass as a windbreak or as a single specimen. The cultivar Pinus parviflora “Glauca Nana” is slow-growing to 6-10 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide in a 10-year period.

Try massing plants along walkways, planting a single specimen in the ground, or planting in containers to flank your entryway. These conifers are easily transformed into sparkling focal points by holiday lighting and decorations.

There are multiple cultivars of each species available commerically, so check the characteristics of each before making your selection.

Happy Holidays!

Laurie Keit has been designing residential gardens since 2001. Her company — Seasonal Celebrations: Garden, Flower and Event Design — has a studio and warehouse located in Belmont. Visit www.seasonalcelebrations.com for more information.