Conifers

This handsome tree with bluish green needles makes a broadly conical shape with slightly uplifted branches held in well-organised layers. It has long slender, oblong, rather smooth looking cones with rounded ends. This is a hardy variety that is more tolerant than the species and it makes a handsome specimen for a good sized garden. This will eventually reach around 20m (66ft) in height with a 12m (40ft) spread.

This pretty, rather gentle looking, conifer is silver-blue. It forms a neat informal cone shape and can be pruned regularly to ensure a formal outline. It takes around 10 years to reach a height of 1m (3ft). This is happiest in acidic soil. The lovely clear colour can change to rather dirty tints if grown on alkaline soil. It should eventually reach around 3m (10ft) height with 4m (13ft) spread.

This is a pretty sport derived from 'Ellwoodii' that makes a vertical column with tight foliage. The young growth is golden, creating a gold tipped green effect in spring and summer. The foliage matures so it loses its brightness in winter. The green-gold tints are strongly eye-catching so you should try to think how the intended planting will look throughout the year before you select this variety. Height and spread after 10 years 1.1mx0.5m Enjoys full sun and well-drained soil.

'Meroke Twin' is an upright conifer with a dense columnar habit. This compact evergreen makes a handsome specimen tree for borders, lawns and rockeries. Like all Cypress it is easy to grow and requires little maintenance.

This is a handsome, slim conifer that is deservedly popular. The foliage is grey-green and takes on distinctly stronger bluer tints in the winter months. It is often planted in small rock gardens where it will soon outgrow the scale although it is height rather than girth that will be the problem. Correctly sited it makes a useful contribution to a garden design with its tightly packed uniform foliage giving strong vertical but contained lines and it shouldn't reach more than 3m (10ft). This is an excellent choice for background planting, especially in the smaller garden where it can protect smaller shrubs from the worst of the weather.

This is an attractive tapering cone shaped tree with deep yellow green foliage, bronze tinted at the tips of the sprays. In winter and spring the colour seems to be a deep clear yellow, very attractive. The foliage is ripply in effect and some of the foliage sprays are just pendulous at their tips. Overall, despite its brightness, it has a pleasing softness of effect. Height and spread after 10 years 3.5x1.5m Enjoys full-sun and well-drained soil.

Cryptomeria Barabits gold is a medium sized, upright evergreen conifer tree. Unusual creamy, sulphur yellow foliage in summer, with bronze coloured hue in the winter to its needles. Its branches are regular, ascending on full, densely cone shape. Plant full sun/partial shade, moist, but well-drainied soil. Height and spread approx 3-4m x 1-1.5m slow growing conifer.

Cryptomeria Japonica also known as the Japanese Red Cedar. An extremely decorative variety forming a dense dome of dark green foliager, these plants are fully hardy for the whole of the uk. They make a good alternative to the more established topiary plants. Cryptomeria Japonica is a slow growing dwarf variety of conifer that requires very little maintenance apart from the usual of feeding during the growing season and ensuring it is watered, especially during the growing season. These are lovely large plants standing at approximately 160cm inclusive of pot.

This cultivar of the screening plant has gold young foliage. Otherwise it is lush and rich green. It is more slow growing than the type but makes a lovely rich thick hedge or screen. Height and spread after 10 years 8.5x1.5m Enjoys full sun and well-drained soil.

Leylandii Castlewellan Gold is the most popular Golden Leylandii. It is a fast-growing conifer that forms a dense, evergreen hedge providing a screen all year round. Castlewellan has golden-yellow foliage especially in the spring on the young new growth. Castlewellan grows slightly slower than the Green Leylandii but still forms a dense evergreen hedge quickly. Enjoys sun or partial shade in moist but well drained soil.

Fast growing screening plant. Eventual height and spread 25x6m Enjoys sun/partial shade in well-drained soil.

The ubiquitous Leyland cypress, surely one of the best known of all plants. It makes a dense vigorous column with the foliage held in flat sprays of mid-green. Curiously it looks quite soft and fluffy from a distance. It has been recorded as achieving a height of 31m (100ft) in 50 years and is much used to shade the neighbour's garden and hide his entire house. It is tolerant of bad weather, excellent for shelter belts and looks most peculiar when used to edge garden bottoms. Look out of train windows in urban areas for examples. It makes a good hedge and can be kept to a metre or so in height. Enjoys full sun, tolerates part shade in moist but well drained soil.

Stunning foliage colour and beautifully scented when you brush past. This small conifer is ideal for using as a centre piece in containers, especially during autumn and winter. Enjoys a position in full-sun/partial shade and well-drained soil. Approx 3ft height.

An elegant columnar cypress, but one which swells into a symmetrical oval shape that, at its best, is beautifully proportioned. One of the best golden conifers going and especially in winter when the colour is more burnished. It can look simply stunning when caught in the light. Of course, this majesty of form takes years to achieve.

Enjoys full-sun or light shade in well-drained soil. This specimen is currently roughly 1.2-1.5m tall inclusive of pot. Eventual height and spread 18x5m

This specimen is currently approx 1m tall inclusive of pot. This amazing evergreen tree commonly known as the Italian Cypress Totem Pole can grow up to 12m in height but has a narrow spread of only 1m. It will produce densely-packed luscious green foliage and its columnar habit makes it ideal as a focal point in any garden or patio. An exceptionally hardy conifer, it will tolerate drought and frost making it perfect for the British climate.

This amazing evergreen tree commonly known as the Italian Cypress Totem Pole can grow up to 12m in height but has a narrow spread of only 1m. It will produce densely-packed luscious green foliage and its columnar habit makes it ideal as a focal point in any garden or patio. An exceptionally hardy conifer, it will tolerate drought and frost making it perfect for the British climate. This specimen is currently approx 1.5m height inclusive of pot.

This amazing evergreen tree commonly known as the Italian Cypress Totem Pole can grow up to 12m in height but has a narrow spread of only 1m. It will produce densely-packed luscious green foliage and its columnar habit makes it ideal as a focal point in any garden or patio. An exceptionally hardy conifer, it will tolerate drought and frost making it perfect for the British climate. This specimen is currently approx 2m height inclusive of pot.