After our unusually long, and beautifully warm and dry summer, the autumn season has turned on as if someone flipped a switch. Temperatures have dropped twenty five degrees and the rains have begun. This past weekend saw record-breaking rain accumulation throughout the Pacific Northwest combined with strong wind. Something about this sudden change of weather has had an impact on my plant focus.
Throughout the past several months I have had many opportunities to work in my garden. Working outdoors, breathing in the fresh, summer air, listening to all of the local critters flutter and scurry about while under the protective shade of the large trees that surround my property influenced some of my gardening and new plant choices. Having the opportunity to spend so much time in the wide open space seemed to have widened my interest in adding a few larger, faster growing conifers to my garden (not that I have space for any more large trees). I also expanded upon my use of larger annual flowers and vegetables which I interspersed among the conifers and other ornamental plants.
I planted a small forest of Sunflowers to provide shade for a few of my more light sensitive conifers, and that strategy worked very well at protecting them from the intense summer sun. We even enjoyed harvesting Nerf football-sized melons from long vines that covered the ground, filling in spaces between conifers. But, as the seasons have changed, and I have retreated back indoors with a more limited view of my garden, so too has my plant focus changed from larger plants to delightful, miniature conifers.
The primary view of my garden through the cooler, wetter, winter months, feature many of the containers on my patio. Dwarf and miniature conifers are perfect for containers gardens since they take many years to outgrow their space. One container in my garden comes to mind, that I originally planted six years ago, and in that time only one conifer in that grouping has been removed and transplanted into the garden. The three minis that remain continue to enjoy their prominent place on my patio.
As I was recently sitting in my favorite chair near the wood stove, gazing out into the rainy garden, my eyes naturally focused on my containers and I was instantly taken in by the tiny conifers that I have collected over the years. As I was sitting there, it struck me that many of the containers consisted of “conifer couples” — pairs of tiny conifers that shared a theme of one kind or another. For example, ‘Jana’ and ‘Jessy’ shared a container while, ‘Thumbelina’ and ‘Elf’ happily reside in another. This has inspired me to post a series featuring some of my favorite tiny conifer couples.
Stay tuned, next time I’ll introduce you to two cute little conifers, that if you’re like me, you will find them irresistible and not be satisfied until you find them both for a special place in your own garden.
Ed-
Conifer Lover
The Amazing World of Conifers 
Please identify the rest of the miniatures.
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Hi Seth, let’s see if I can help you out here… In the top photo, we’ll start with the bright yellow Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Butter Ball’, then to its right, is a Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Blue Moon’. In the back is a dwarf holly, Ilex crenata ‘Jersey Jewel’ and finally on the left side is Podocarpus x ‘Red Tip’.
In the bottom photo, we’ll begin with the rich green Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Jane’s Jewel’ in the back and moving counter-clockwise we have another dwarf holly, Ilex x ‘Rock Garden’, then Cedrus deodara ‘Prostrate Beauty, and finally the little gold spot is Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana Aurescens’
Technically these plants may not fit the “Miniature” designation as defined by the American Conifer Society, but these are all very slow growing conifers that may be enjoyed in containers for many years and are readily available in cute little pots, hence my terminology, “mini”.
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