Birthday
HydrangeasConifers keep their colour all year, give a garden its structure and look striking against snow. But not every spruce or thuja suits a small plot. Here is which conifers grow well in Ukraine, how to match them to the size of your garden, how to plant them and how to protect them from the early spring sun.
Ornamental plants are in our potted plants section.
Which conifers to choose
- Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) — the most popular hedging choice: cultivars ‘Smaragd’ and ‘Brabant’ tolerate clipping well.
- Colorado blue spruce — spectacular but large; for small gardens choose dwarf cultivars.
- Mountain pine — compact and undemanding, good for rock gardens and roofs.
- Junipers — from creeping ground covers to narrow columns; savin juniper is poisonous.
- English yew — tolerates shade and clipping, but every part except the berry flesh is poisonous. Wild yew populations are protected in Ukraine’s Red Data Book.
- Larch — a conifer that sheds its needles for winter.
Matching conifers to your plot
The classic mistake is planting a nursery “Christmas tree” by the house without checking its mature size. Blue spruce or Scots pine reach 15–25 m in 20–30 years, shading the garden and interfering with utilities. Before buying, check the label for height and spread after 10 years.
- Small garden or front yard: dwarf spruces, mountain pine, globe and columnar thujas, creeping junipers.
- Hedge: thuja ‘Smaragd’ or ‘Brabant’, yew (in shade).
- Large plot: larch, pine or spruce as specimen trees, at least 5–8 m from the house.
- Rock garden: mountain pine, creeping and flaky junipers.
How to plant conifers
Container-grown plants can go in from spring to autumn; the best times are early spring or late August to mid-October, when it is not hot. Bare-root conifers establish poorly, so avoid them.
- Dig a hole 1.5–2 times wider than the root ball.
- Do not bury the root collar: keep it level with the soil surface.
- Water thoroughly and mulch the root zone with 5–7 cm of bark or wood chips.
- Water weekly for the first month, more often in hot weather; misting young plants in the evening helps.
Care through the year
- Watering. Young plants need regular watering for the first 2–3 years. Before the frosts, give a deep autumn soaking — the main protection against winter drying.
- Feeding. In spring, use a fertiliser for conifers. Stop nitrogen from midsummer so new shoots can ripen.
- Sun protection. In late winter and early spring, bright sun on frozen soil scorches the needles of young thujas, spruces and junipers. Shade them with light-coloured fleece or netting, not plastic film.
- Snow. Tie columnar thujas and junipers with twine for winter so snow does not split them.
- Pruning. Remove damaged growth in spring; clip hedges in early summer.
More on seasonal jobs in Autumn garden care, and on plants for harsh winters in Frost-hardy plants.
Planting ideas
- Contrast of shapes: columnar thuja + globe pine + creeping juniper.
- Contrast of colour: blue spruce, golden thuja and green yew.
- Conifers at the back, perennials and grasses in front — the garden looks alive in summer and winter.
- Soil under conifers is acidic: heather, heath and rhododendrons do well there.
FAQ
Why is my thuja turning yellow?
Most often it is spring scorch, dry roots, dog urine or the natural autumn shedding of old needles inside the crown. If the tips of young shoots yellow, check watering and shade the plant in spring.
Can I transplant a mature spruce from the forest?
Forest trees with large root systems transplant poorly, and digging them up without permission is prohibited. A container plant from a nursery is a safer choice.
Which conifers grow in shade?
Yew and thuja tolerate shade best; spruce copes with partial shade. Pines, junipers and larch need sun.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
