Last Needle Hanging

Seen above in better days….

The conifer is failing

…but sadly a key plant in this scene has now become an embarrassing eyesore.  Time to take action!

Out with the Old

My Feelin' Blue deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara 'Feelin' Blue), carefully placed to the left of the cabin, started to feel a bit "off" last year – and turned a dull olive green. This year she is decidedly brown. I could wait  until the last needle drops or just face the inevitable and dig her out. This is a prime location, visible from the home, the patio and even when driving onto the property so it's not place for a Charlie Brown. I also painted the door of the cabin to match the conifer….. Geez, did she not understand that before she started with her chameleon attitude?

Not the look I was going for!

But what to replace her with? I like the idea of a conifer still, it needs to be low and spreading (so the cabin and orange container behind it are not obscured, it needs to be deer resistant, tolerate full sun, be drought tolerant once established – and be BLUE. The soil isn't great in that spot. The native soil is clay and while it has been amended I suspect the water table is quite high which may mean soggy winter soil and be the reason for the demise of the deodar cedar whose sensitivities were upset by the short-term foot bath.

In with the New

Love the visible white stomata on the needles of the Spreading Star Pacific fir

I've chosen a selection of a native fir – the Spreading Star Pacific fir (Abies amabilis 'Spreading Star'). I love the deep blue-green needles that radiate around the stems and the distinctive silver-white undersides which add a shimmer effect. It will grow to 6' wide x 3' tall; about the same size as the failed cedar that is being removed.

Regarding deer resistance, I've been fortunate with deer and fir interactions so far, the only casualty being rutting against a Korean fir, so I'm fairly optimistic on that front but may spray the first couple of winters to give it a chance to get established.

I'm not sure how it will fare in my soil, except that I have two other fir in the same border that are doing well so again am cautiously optimistic.

Temporary Design Assistance!

Silver Falls dichondra is often used as a trailing silver-leaved annual

The only problem is that while it will eventually grow to fill the space, right now it's tiny! It would be easy to fill up the space with a wild assortment of bits and bobs but I want this to be a distinct focal point to anchor this bed and not get lost in a cacophony of botanical treasures. I'm therefore going to surround it with a temporary silver carpet of Silver Falls dichondra.

I like the silver color echo between the fir and the groundcover, and also the difference in leaf shape and texture

The small, metallic silver leaves will accentuate the color of the conifer and act like a series of floodlights lighting up the star. I know this is only an annual for me, but it's a fairly cheap, short-term solution that won't spoil my overall design.

Early results

The new look – day 1

Yes it IS small, especially when I'm used to seeing the larger conifer, but I like the direction this is going in now. Framing the fir with the silver groundcover really sets it off as I'd hoped. And I love it with the door!

Resources

If you love conifers, you might like this book. My copy is VERY well thumbed!

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