Last time I promised a list of what I consider to be “Super Dwarfs” (dwarf and miniature conifers with premium characteristics of habit, rate of growth and color) that both the novice and experienced conifer gardener will enjoy. In the mean-time, my wife and I had a wonderfully relaxing vacation camping with a large group of friends. I was able to spend time at our picnic table, with tablet and catalogs in hand, creating the promised list. Friends would drop by to visit so I had plenty of opportunities to promote my favorite conifers while camping.
Super minature conifers in the rock garden
The list I’ve created include fairly common dwarf and miniature conifers that should be relatively easy to find at your local independent garden centers. These winners have proven themselves in the garden for their reliability and ease of growth. Some other conifers can be finicky about the soil condition or other regional climatic influence, but these Super Dwarfs will be great for the beginning gardener or long-time enthusiast. I’ve included the USDA Zone rating to help you make choices appropriate for your local area.
Here is my list of twenty conifer Super Dwarfs – believe me it was no easy task keeping my list to just twenty! Some of these are still rare in the trade, but will be worth the hunt if you find them.
| Growth rate | Plant name | USDA hardiness Zone |
| Dwarf | Abies koreana ‘Cis’ | 4 |
| Miniature | Abies koreana ‘Silberperle’ | 4 |
| Dwarf | Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Mariesii’ | 5 |
| Dwarf | Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis | 5 |
| Dwarf | Cryptomeria japonica ‘Tansu’ | 6 |
| Dwarf | Juniperus horizontalis ‘Limeglow’ | 3 |
| Dwarf | Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ | 4 |
| Dwarf | Picea abies ‘Fat Cat’ | 3 |
| Dwarf | Picea abies ‘Pumila’ | 3 |
| Dwarf | Picea glauca ‘Jean’s Dilly’ | 4 |
| Miniature | Picea glauca ‘Pixie Dust’ | 4 |
| Dwarf | Picea glauca ‘Rainbow’s End’ | 4 |
| Miniature | Picea orientalis ‘Tom Thumb’ | 4 |
| Dwarf | Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ | 2 |
| Miniature | Pinus mugo ‘Donna’s Mini’ | 2 |
| Dwarf | Pinus mugo ‘Slowmound’ | 2 |
| Dwarf | Pinus mugo ‘Teeny’ | 2 |
| Dwarf | Thuja plicata ‘Whipcord’ | 5 |
| Dwarf | Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate’ | 4 |
| Dwarf | Tsuga canadensis ‘Moon Frost’ | 4 |
Happy hunting!
Ed-
Conifer Lover
If your readers are looking for a good interactive reference map for USDA plant hardiness zones, there is a google maps based tool at…. (See link under Horticulture Links on right).
Pete – thanks for the great link! This is the best zone map I’ve seen. I almost missed your post, it was grabbed by the automatic spam detector.
Thanks again!
Hi Ed,
In your Super Dwarfs Part 2 update, I’m wondering if there was a small naming mistake: should “Thuja occidentalis ‘Whipcord’” be “Thuja plicata ‘Whipcord’”? I had an opportunity to pick one up at this amazing locally nursery, but passed it up for another selection (kicking myself now).
I love your blog and all of the upbeat updates. Thanks for continuing to share your knowledge and passion.
Cheers,
Michael
Vancouver, BC
Absolutely, YES! Thanks for pointing that out – fixing now. Glad you enjoy the blog.
Наполнение сайта хорошо продуманное, много важного для себя прочитал.
(translation from Rustran.com)
“Filling of a site well thought over, a lot of important for itself has read through.”
Thank you for reading and making a comment.
Спасибо за то, что читать и делать комментарий.