Low Maintenance Architectural Conifers

Slow-growing conifers need little attention after their first year, as long as they are given a good start with careful site preparation and planting.
Dwarf and slow-growing conifers can be columnar, rounded, oval or prostrate in outline, and to look effective they are best grown as a group with contrasting shapes, sizes and colours. They are ideal for small beds or borders where they will soon provide year round interest.

Planting Conifers
If you find it difficult to plan beds and borders on paper, stand the pots where you think the plants will look good and be prepared to shuffle them around until they look right. Bear in mind the eventual height and spread.
Dig a hole larger and deeper than the rootball, and fork in rotted manure, garden compost or planting mixture, especially on dry soils, and then work in a controlled or slow-release fertilizer. Finally, mulch with a decorative material at least 5cm (2 inches) thick.

Heather And Conifer Beds
Dwarf conifers combine especially well with heathers, their foliage provide fascinating contrasts of texture and colour. There are hundreds of suitable heathers and conifers so you can design exactly what you want.
Remember to choose varieties that are suitable for your soil type. The initial outlay may seem expensive, but the bed should last for a long time without the need for replanting and will require minimal maintenance.

Planting A Mixed Bed
Arrange and plant all the conifers first, making sure they look pleasing from all angles. Space the heathers around the conifers, and then plant them in groups or drifts of one variety at a time. Avoid planting the heathers too close to the conifers as all the plants will spread and merge into each other within a year or two. Meanwhile cover the bare soil with chipped bark or gravel.