Conifer Triumvirate [the rock band]

WIW 5 / Feb 23

Photograph: Richard Bloom

Where It Works The Winter Garden at Bressingham Gardens, Norfolk, designed by Adrian Bloom: www.thebressinghamgardens.com

Why It Works OK, so I want to be clear from the off. This is not a conifer hater’s corner. (If you don’t like conifers, then best not to read on….oh wait…..in fact please DO read on as I hope I may change your mind…)

The fact is that conifers are much maligned, much ignored and sadly so. Yes, we can all remember the 1970s and island beds; and I remember well our neighbours (when I was growing up) planting their ‘miniature’ conifers one weekend to then find 20 years later they had to cut them down as they had grown so huge. (The conifers, not the neighbours.)

But conifers do something that most other plant groups don’t. They add permanence. Solidity. Structure. Contrast. Texture. Colour. Seasonality.

Admittedly, they can be very hard to mix with other planting. Yet planstman Adrian Bloom teaches us everything we need to know.

Here are three conifers doing their thing; three working together as a rock group who’ve been comfortably touring the globe with eachother for years. At the centre of the photo is Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica ‘Compacta’ – stout, showy, dominant….a lead singer. Behind it, playing the dutiful drums and a supporting role is golden Abies nordmanniana 'Golden Spreader'. And to the right, the thin keyboard player, Picea pungens ‘Edith'; willowy, asymmetrical but giving us height and interest.

Yes their combination works nicely and yes, the Abies and Picea have enough distinction to not merge into one silver blob. But maybe it’s the fans below, in the mosh pit, that really set these three off. The huge wave of red/yellow/green-leaved Nandina domestica ‘Firepower' in the foreground; shell-pink heather Erica carnea ‘Foxhollow' that blooms with confidence during winter; and matts of blue/grey/brown grass Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'.

So the combination is fulsome. It’s not just a shot in winter, though this winter view shows how much colour can be generated in the bleak months. The combination also changes with the seasons, with the heathers changing leaf colour in the coldest month; the conifers too, often wearing a different hue in winter than in summer.

I love looking at Adrian’s work and that of conifer combinations. There’s an art form here that many won’t want to entertain – or have the confidence to do – but that’s fine. With people like Adrian, he’s making us listen to that rock band that we would otherwise discount. And for some of us, it turns out we rather like them.

Chris Young

What do you think? Love or loathe conifers? Is the combination in this photo something you can appreciate but would never want in your garden? What success have you had with conifers? Let me know!