are you just designing.. or will you personally be planting???

whats your native soil .... how does it perk ... see link below for general planting directions ...

the reason i go there.. is i wonder why you need to ship in soil for berms ... i hope its not just for the plants ... those should be planted in native soil ...

are you aware of any good labeled conifer collections near you ... my best suggestion would be for you to visit a couple.. and learn .. see what grows local ... and what peaks your interest ... conifers are one of the few plants that have winter interest in the north ....

imo .. juniperus virginiana is a weed tree ... and not owrthy of your future garden ...

as trees ..... conifers never really stop growing .... read this link for an overview ANNUAL GROWTH RATES .... thats the key ... as to how much potential over the years and decades .... its not really as simple as choosing ones that claim to be dwarf ....

http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer-sizes/

how big are you thinking about ... will you mail order .... are you limiting yourself to bigbox???

so many questions .. so little time ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Ken - landscaper with excavator will do the work, we have acidic soil with local screened soil being brought in because we also have root and rock soil, but our soil drains well. It is my wish to raise the newer gardens for eye appeal on our level land and to provide a head start in height. Will get larger nursery stock, #3, #5 when I can and where applicable to the plant, not big box that I know of at the moment, no mail order, will buy from nurseries Prides Corner, Broken Arrow, et al - wherever good stock can be had locally. I'm aware of the fragility in the name 'dwarf', but at my age, anything that grows over 20' tall in the next decade or so will be the next owner's delight -- or not. I am interested in learning about the abies korean varieties and juniperus canaertti trees and others of that purported mature size that may do well in my area. And yes, I have checked various conifer sites for sizing https://forestry.usu.edu/files-ou/Horticulture_Trees_2009-01pr.pdf

Was just looking for folks who have had a good luck with their specific conifers. I just want evergreens for beauty, privacy and the birds.

Jane

Be careful mounding a berm around those existing trees. It won't do them any favors. How is the critter population such as deer and rabbits? They "shouldn't" bother Abies koreana but some nice Picea omorikas could fit your needs and rabbits seem to love them.

tj

I am fond of my Robusta Green junipers. I have three-the two that are in full sun have grown about a foot a year, the one in part shade grows at about half that rate. 'Canaerti' is a juniperus virginiana cultivar. An Outback Steakhouse near here has a few I think-they look pretty cool at maturity, almost like a Hollywood juniper if left unpruned. If I lived where you do and had a big yard, I'd go nuts with the conifers. Your conditions seem about as ideal as one can get on the east coast. I don't understand your problem with pines, though. I'd definitely be looking at some pinus parviflora cultivars, and some cedrus, and some cryptomeria, and some chamaecyparis... You should check out Broken Arrow's website if you haven't already. The possibilities are endless.

I have no idea what conifers are suitable for your climate and location but I would agree with the previous post that Pinus parviflora, Chamaecyparis and Cryptomeria offer some fabulous choices for dwarf conifers!! I grow more of these than any other genera :-)

btw, I use a lot of berms in my designs. They provide a lot of dimension in an essentially flat landscape, can provide some degree of privacy, often are able to position plants for maximum viewing and are an excellent solution for planting when existing soils or drainage impede normal establishment. Trees don't necessarily require native soil.....you just want to avoid highly amended planting holes!

Broken Arrow has a great selection. You will be fine with them. You might also join the American Conifer Society and see what private gardens you can visit nearby. And Bartlett has a nice display garden in CT, which has mature dwarf conifers so you can get an idea of what they look like once in the ground for a bit.

Join the ACS

I have mail ordered from Broken Arrow,,,nice selection

you can tell they know what their doing

ron

Gardengal I did not know you focus on Japanese conifers. Thats awesome! But yes pinus parviflora 'glauca nana' is a dwarf but grows fast enough to not become impatient. Mine in my yard grew about a foot last year. Cryptomeria japonica 'black dragon' also has a mature height of 20 feet. I'd also recommend juniperus chinensis 'kaizuka' for that space. If you love wildlife and birds then this tree will do with the loads of fruits they get.

Picea omorika 'Nana' is one of the best if that can be gotten to work there.

The index to Robert Fincham's Coenosium Publishing conifer book series lists 40 named selections of Japanese white pine. So, yes, there is some scope with that species.

Thank you all for offering suggestions - all points taken. Deer and almost every other critter frequent our yard and that won't stop, so I will deal with the most deer resistant conifer species I can and hope for the best. Richard Bitner's book 'Designing with Conifers' is helpful. For anyone who may read this post and may also be interested in some deer resistant conifers, here is an excerpt from Designing with Conifers: Some Deer Resistant Conifers by Richard Bitner

"Gardengal I did not know you focus on Japanese conifers."

I don't focus on them because they are Japanese in origin :-) I focus on them because they have an exceptional selection of great looking dwarf cultivars (my primary focus) and they do very well in my climate. Also very well suited to container culture, which is another primary requirement. I also have several dwarf spruces in my collection.

Are you interested in just green or other colors as well? I would search for semi-dwarf rather than dwarf since you are looking at staying below 20' in your time frame.

How do arborvitae look in your area with regard to deer pressure? I have two types of Thuja, 'Sunkist' and 'Techny', and both are in the right size range for you and look great, but I don't have a huge amount of deer feeding in the garden since they prefer the woods away from our buildings. They did decimate 'Rheingold', however, and it was right next to one of the 'Techny' (untouched) and also ate every reachable scrap on one of the big box types that one of my neighbors put in. Mine in 9? seasons have grown from about 3' to 10'-14' though they seem to be slowing down some now.

There are a range of Norway spruce/Picea abies cultivars that are smaller than the usual 50': http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderProfileResults.aspx?basic=picea%20abies I love the species P. abies the previous owner planted in our field.

I like GG48's suggestion of Chamaecyparis, especially to help provide a variety of shape, texture, and color. Some are fairly small, but there are others that will be larger. I also like Embo's Picea omorika suggestion. The species plants I've seen in this area have been lovely.

There is a Pinus bungeana/lacebark pine that I often pass that has been pruned to show off the peeling bark and to keep it out of the walkway, but my memories of it when it was smaller and unpruned were that the combination of bark and branches were still striking and it seems to have no issues with the wet coastal snows and wind damaging branches.

I will wander around with a camera at work to take some photos for you.

In addition to the broadleafed evergreens mentioned, consider hollies/Ilex, mountain laurel/Kalmia, Pieris, and Mahonia which now has a different genus name.

NHBabs - yes to color - lots of color is good! - but the tree height is equally important because of long shadows after noontime that would be cast onto the rest of the yard. I've watched two mature Eastern red cedars in a neighbor's yard that are about 30' tall and facing south: They cast afternoon shadows that cover half the yard.

We have two Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Crippsii' and one 'Soft Serve' that have done well and are not deer candy. Arborvitae here is a main meal for deer. The deer seldom touch any of our ilex, pieris, and fortunately, have largely left the rhododendrons alone - except for poor Nova Zembla. They dined on the 10' tall taxus that was removed in November because its roots crushed a drainpipe. All viburnam varieties, ninebark, aronia, dogwoods -- all are munchables. So I pretty much know what the deer prefer and will stay away from planting those varieties.

I am not a purist, not an expert on anything, and do not need specimen trees. I do want healthy, evergreen trees that will give me privacy and make the birds happier. Open to everything that will accomplish those desires. To my knowledge, this is my last big landscaping project, so I better get it right! :)

Thanks to all of you for responding.

Jane

I want to say thank you to those folks who shared their conifer suggestions with me and to show you the current status of this project. Below is what I bought and all were transplanted without incident: (whew!)

1. Pinus
   strobus Nana – 7x7 size: mature as is –
   street middle

2. Jap.
   Umbrella (Sciadopitys verticillata Wintergeen) – to 20’ tall x 15’ wide-street fence gate S.border

3. Jap.
   Umbrella (Sciadopitys verticillata Wintergeen) – to 20’ tall x 15’ wide-street
   gate - S.border

4. Pinus strobus
   Sea Urchin - Spirit Garden

5. Pinus
   sylvestris “Moseri” – mature at 5’- Gold -street-S.border

6. Pinus
   sylvestris “Aurea” - mature at 7x3’ Gold – Spirit Garden – in line with Jap
   maple­

7. Hinoki
   false Cypress “Crippsii’ - mature at
   8x3’ part sun – Spirit back aside of hemlock

8. Hinoki
   false Cypress “Crippsii’ - mature at
   8x3’ part sun – Spirit back aside of hemlock

9. Hemlock
   – Tsuga ‘Gentsche White'-white tip – mature at 8’ x 4 – Spirit Garden center back

10.Mugo
pine – in bucket – near Jap maple in Spirit Garden

11.Chionanthus
virginicus (Fringe tree) – 20’tall x 20’ wide canopy –left corner of Spirit

12. BIG
Hemlock – (tsuga heterophylla) 14' tall presently – center of N.border garden

13.Hamamelis
“Arnold Promise’ – aside the hemlock, off center – N.border garden

14.Hamamelis
“Arnold Promise’ – aside the hemlock, off center – N.border garden

15.Rhododendron
‘Hoopla’ - 5’ x 7’ (UCONN raise the roof
TBD) – N.border garden

16.Rhododendron
‘Ken Janeyck’ – 4 x 4 – front yard – aside step

17.Rhododendron
‘Ken Janeyck’ – 4 x 4 – front yard – aside step

18.Rhododendron "Cunningham's White' - N. border

A placement directory was made for the landscaper - which really helped.

And as of yesterday, this is the result - and I am VERY pleased.

North border

South border

Spirit Garden

Jane

I love it! Great job!

Gorgeous. Well done.

yes ! very nice for a beginning

ron

Ron says beginning because now that you’ve started adding conifers and see the variety and possibilities then you will start adding more, making new beds, and have less grass to mow. Dont forget about hostas. =)

deer adore hosta

EXACTLY ! ... G

ron

If you want evergreen under 4 feet in Connecticut I'd think of adding in some holly and Mountain Laurel.