Conifers

Rkw
They look nice,I think it was Fran on Goy was enquiring about a suitable one for a trough,and my comment was that I felt all the ones I know of become to large in a comparatively short time.Possibly you know some that stay small for a number of years.Any thoughts.

It was Fran

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana'- only grows 2.5cm a year or less. I have seen several 10 yr old plants less than 30cm tall.
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Saffron Spray'- grows to 2 feet tall but a little faster growing than 'Nana'.
Picea glauca 'Blue Planet'- grows less than 2.5cm a year, stays very small.
Tsuga canadensis 'Bacon cristata' and 'Greenwood Lake'
both are miniature forms.
Several other forms of Canadian Hemlock, Hinoki cypress in miniature that might be easier to find. Some Norway and White Spruce miniatures are easier to find too. There are several Abies species with miniature varieties but not sure how common they are.

Thank you Rkwright! I''ve added this to faves and I know I'll come back to it several times

And thanks to you, Bjs, for thinking of me!

hug for you both - \0/ \0/

There are a number of dwarf/miniature conifers out there, I just named a few I could think of. The hardest part is finding a nursery that carries a good selection of them!

nods! I've searched for each of the ones you list, but Shoot! and RHS plant finders have no trace of some of them - I did find a nursery that seems to have most, and a few more besides, and the prices seem reasonable, so I've saved that link - lol I even found a few on Amazon!

next step is to go though the links of every "want!" plant, work out sizes, colours etc and pick a few to start with. shee, that'll take some doing, to keep it down to a few! but you've given me a flying start, thanks

Good luck finding them! Try looking up Chamaecyparis obtusa, there are dozens of miniature varieties and it is a beautiful conifers. Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa minima' is another one to try and is a cheaper alternative to some of the Hinoki varieties. I have never tried that one but should stay small with some shearing, at least for several years anyways. Have you considered bonsai?
Here is a link to a US nursery that has names of several dwarf conifers and descriptions:
http://www.iselinursery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=53
The nursery I used to work for specialized in dwarf conifers and we used to order a lot of plants from this place.

I've saved stacks of various plants that I've found, need to go through then and refine the list. I'll check out the plants you list, thank you.

I'm in UK so I'd rather buy "locally" - easier to order in the right currency and closer to complain to if need be! There's a site for miniature gardens "Two Green Thumbs"; they mention Hinoki as a good miniature plant, but they work on complete gardens about six inches across, which is a bit outside my visual range - go there to look and admire, but not with any serious intent.

I'm not fond of the bonsai concept - I don't mind plants that are naturally small, but forcing them to be so? I'd not like to have to wear shoes three sizes too small!

I sent you the link just in case you might want to see the names of other miniature varieties because they list quite a few options.

lol I've got the site on my faves, thanks. Always good to know what's about, so I know to look for it closer to home!