THE SOFT SIDE OF CONIFERS

SCALE-LEAVED TYPES CONTRIBUTE A GENTLY SCULPTURAL PRESENCE TO THE GARDEN

- MEGHAN SHINN

Evergreen conifers have always been a staple for yearround interest and structure in the landscape. Undemanding, reliable and ever-present, these shrubs and trees are nonetheless special. The group's smorgasbord of colors, textures, sizes and shapes leave us spoiled for choice when it comes time to add conifers to the garden. How can one narrow the options?

Lately I've been thinking about conifers in terms of their foliage type. At first, this may seem too broad of a feature. Foliage: there's evergreen, applying to the vast majority of conifers; and there's deciduous, which can be found on a handful of coniferous trees, including larch (Larix) and dawn redwood (Metasequoia). Conifers do not offer the wide assortment of leaf shape that deciduous shrubs and trees do, so can we really use this detail to help sort our choices? Yes, if we take a closer look and distinguish between conifers' two leaf types: needles-such that you find on pines, firs and spruces-and scale-like foliage. In this article I'll highlight the beauty of the latter and offer some excellent garden candidates with this unique type of leaf.

GENERAL CARE

Conifers with scaly foliage are mostly found in the Cupressaceae, or cypress family. Genera include juniper (Juniperus), false cypress (Chamaecyparis), arborvitae and false cedar (Thuja), cypress (Cupressus) and more. While the leaves can be needle-like on young plants, and certain varieties retain that characteristic throughout their lifespan, with maturity most develop flat foliage with a surface reminiscent of the scales of a fish.