Let's talk about...conifer bed design & flow

15 years ago

This morning I awoke to the first dusting of snow on the garden. The conifers and various plants are covered in a veil of white. These photos place the emphasis the on the flow of the garden design.

I am an advocator of free flowing design. Each conifer bed I design needs to flow and complement the other.

I believe the starting point is working within the confines of the site, finding strategies that suit both nature and man in the same garden. In each bed design I try to incorporate a design with rocks, accompanying deciduous plants and other natural garden art to give a pleasing effect.

I shot these photos because the snow brings out the border design. It would be nice to have a wide angle lends to have the design in one photo. These photos do not allow me to provide the full picture of the garden.

Photo one begins the sequence that will end with photo four to view the entire design (although parts of the garden are still missing). With a little imagination you can tie the entire design together.

Dave
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Additional photos... no particular order.

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Comments (11)

firefightergardener
15 years ago
Yeah, really tremendous design. Admittedly, my backyard basically boils down to a huge mass planting of conifers and other dwarf/miniature color shrubs, a water feature with a slight tropical touch(spikey plants, phormiun, etc.) a mini conifer rock garden and mass plantings of japanese maples. I certainly don't have the neat curving design landscape that you have shown here. I've done everything myself of course and there is plenty of room for improvements and change(I've been gardening for about 15 months), but I love how yours looks and am envious for your snow! :)

Will
tunilla
15 years ago
Hi Dave.It looks like we're all getting our share of 'global cooling'(or 'global dimming',as my wife likes to call it).Great pics.Now try the same at night when there's a full moon about! Should look awesome... T.
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kim_dirtdigger
15 years ago
Hi Dave. Great pictures! The snow really does give a different perspective to your garden. Maybe it's also the wider shots of your yard, but I had never noticed in your previous posts how well all the island beds relate to one another, and the remaining grass creates perfect paths between them. I love your brick borders, they are so neat and clean, and easier to maintain, but always wonder if you ever change your mind after a bed is finished, or another one goes in, and if you ever have to re-do those borders. I guess I wonder that because my bed shapes are always changing, and expanding, and combining with one another, and I'm never really satisfied with them, that I can't imagine commiting to something so seemingly permanent, or at least difficult to change.

Anyway, great pictures - and what a perfect view to look out onto on a cold, snowy day. Thanks for posting.

Kim
jaro_in_montreal
15 years ago
"It would be nice to have a wide angle lends to have the design in one photo. These photos do not allow me to provide the full picture of the garden.color>"

...or you could try piecing the photos together like a jigsaw puzzle :O)
bobfincham
15 years ago
Hi Dave,

Really nice pics showing a real nice garden design. I also enjoy some of your comments in other postings.

Bob
dansgrdn
15 years ago
Hi Dave, Your right these photos definately accentuate the wonderful flowing lines of your garden. It's always a pleasure to see pictures of your garden and I love the effect the light dusting of snow creates. Thanks for sharing. Dan
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
my cannon camera actually has a function .... that allows you to line up multiple pix while taking the pix.. and then automatically .. in the cannon software.... piece them all together ....

its actually on the knob on top of the camera... where you choose what type of pic you want to take ...

ken
barbaraincalif
15 years ago
Dave...I've been looking at your pictures every day, seeing a new inspiration each time.

I almost have a past perennial bed cleared out and ready
for conifers. To fit more in, "tall but narrow" mixed in
with smaller growers has worked well for you. Would you
mind taking the time to list recommend tall/narrow
cultivars please?

Many thanks,
Barbara
ghgwv
15 years ago
Those pictures are wonderful. I hope you might consider posting similar pictures when the garden is in its Spring time glory. I am trying to obtain a similar look but I do not believe I have the attention detail required to build such wonder beds.
dcsteg
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi Barbra,

A few of these are border line and require a little coaching to stay in their confined place. Not a big deal.

Please don't send me any photos of 25-50 year old cultivars for dispute. I live for the now...things continually change to keep this garden the way I want it. In 30 years I won't give a rats behind.

Dave

Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire'
Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone'
Taxodium distichum - *On standard
Larix decidua 'Pendula' *Staked - Some question species
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Strict Weeping'
'Green Arrow'

Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Pendulum'
Cedrus libani 'Pendula' 30" wide x 16' tall
Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula ' *Staked to 12'
Chamaecyparis lawsoniani 'Columnaris Glauca'
'Snow White'

Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific' *Staked
procombens 'Greenmound' *Staked
horizontalis Blue Chip *Staked
communis 'Compressa'

Picea glauca 'Pendula'
'Pixie'
'Rainbows End'
'J.W. Daisy White'
'Zukerhutt'
'Sander's Blue'
"Jean's Dilly'

Cedrus deodara 'Raywood's Contorted' *Staked
Cumpressus glabra 'Blue Pyramid'
'Raywood's Weeping' *Staked

Pinus mugo 'Fastigiata'
cembra 'Chalet'
srobus 'Angel Falls' *Staked to 7'
thunbergiana 'Okinakabu' *A weirdo-not sure yet

Picea abies 'Compressiania'
'Weeping Blue'

Picea omorika 'Pendula Burns'
Picea orientalis 'Pendula'
Picea pungens 'Glauca Pendula'
barbaraincalif
15 years ago
Great list Dave....thank you!

Barbara

Let's talk about...conifer bed design & flow

Comments (11)

firefightergardener

tunilla

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