Fir is a coniferous or deciduous tree. Which conifers to choose

In the article we talked about the structure and properties of wood and its areas of application. This publication describes in detail the wood of coniferous species, from larch to yew.

Softwood

In construction, coniferous wood is most often used because of its greater strength, biostability and lower production cost compared to hardwood.

In addition, coniferous trunks have more correct form with fewer defects. The most popular among conifers in construction pine, spruce, larch, fir and cedar.

Juniper and yew are not used for the manufacture of building elements. These breeds are valued as good finishing material and are used mainly for the production of joinery and furniture.

• Larch

Larch (Larix) - coniferous tree genus Larix of the pine family (Pinaceae). Differs in durability, lives up to 900 years or more and reaches a height of 45 m with a trunk diameter of 80–180 cm. It occurs naturally in the east and northeast of the European part of Russia, in the Urals, in Western and Eastern Siberia, in Altai and in the Sayans.

This is the most common breed in Russia. It is 2/5 of the forested area. The breed is sound with resin passages. Has a beautiful texture. Annual layers are well distinguished in all sections. The sapwood is narrow, white with a slight brownish tint. The heartwood is reddish-brown, sharply different from the sapwood. The core rays are not visible, the resin passages are small, not numerous.

wood contains essential oils(pinene), has a rather strong pleasant smell and includes bioflavonoids and phytoncides - microscopic volatile substances that evaporate during the entire period of operation and have a positive effect on health, preventing colds and viral diseases.

- an excellent building material, since it has a high density and strength, there are few knots in it, it belongs to the group of biostable (does not rot and is not affected by fungi). Larch is strong, resilient, hard, durable, resists rot and insects well. Prolonged exposure to water leads to an increase in the hardness of larch, which is why it was used for the construction of bridges and moorings. All Venetian buildings stand on larch piles.

Larch wood easily cracks during the drying process, splits. It is more difficult to process other breeds on the machine (due to the high density and resinous content). Resins make planing, polishing and varnishing somewhat difficult, but in general the wood is successfully stained and polished after appropriate filling.

The best wooden buildings are built from this type of wood. It is used for the manufacture of joinery, window frames and for flooring.

Bulk weight at standard humidity (12%) is 650–800 kg/m3.

• Pine

Pine (pinus) . Eurasian tree coniferous species, grows in the territory from Scotland to Eastern Siberia. It occupies about 1/6 of the area of ​​all forests in Russia. Lives 400–600 years and reaches a height of about 30 m in adulthood (120–150 years). The most common Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris).

The breed is the most popular building material, because it has the most straight, even trunk. Pine is well impregnated with antiseptics.

The rock is sound, with resin passages, soft, moderately light, mechanically strong, non-plastic. It is well processed and finished.

It has a slightly pinkish heartwood, which becomes brownish-red over time, a wide sapwood from yellowish to pink, clearly visible annual layers with a clear boundary between early and late wood, rather large and numerous resin ducts.

Wood of medium density, medium hardness, sufficiently high strength and resistance to decay, well processed, relatively well glued. It is widely used in construction, mechanical engineering, furniture and container production, in railway transport, for fixing mine workings, etc.

It is used as a raw material for chemical processing in order to obtain cellulose, fodder yeast; Pine timber products are exported in large quantities.

Volumetric weight at standard humidity (12%) - from 460 to 620 kg/m3.

• Norway spruce

Norway spruce (Picea abies) - evergreen coniferous tree pine family (Pinaceae), 20–50 m high, with a cone-shaped crown and flaky brownish-gray bark. Lives up to 300 years. The trunk is round, straight.

Grows in damp places, on rich loamy soils, rising to the mountains to a height of up to 1800 m above sea level (forms pure spruce forests). Widely distributed in Central, Northern and North-Eastern Europe above 69 ° north latitude, north of the Pyrenees to Russia and Scandinavia.

Other types: Ayan spruce (Picea ajanensis), Korean spruce (Picea koraiensis), Siberian spruce (Picea obovata).

Spruce is a non-core ripe wood species. The wood is white with a yellowish tint, low resinous. Resistant to cracking. The annual layers are clearly visible. In terms of strength, density and resistance to decay, spruce is in no way inferior to pine. However, it is more difficult to process it, compared to pine, due to the large number of knots in it and their increased hardness.

Spruce is very susceptible to insect attack.

Spruce wood characterized by the largest value of the acoustic constant, which characterizes the emission of sound. Tannins are obtained from the bark of spruce. The wood is soft, easy to process, polish, and also varnished. It is used in the same areas as pine, but especially in the pulp and paper industry and in the manufacture of musical instruments.

• Cedar

Cedar (Cedrus) - a genus of coniferous evergreen trees of the pine family. It reaches a height of 36 m or more and a diameter of 1.5 m. It grows in the mountains at an altitude of 1300–3600 m, forming cedar forests. Distributed in the Atlas Mountains, in northwestern Africa (Atlas cedar), in Lebanon, Syria and the Cilician Taurus in Asia Minor (Lebanese cedar), on the island of Cyprus (short coniferous cedar) and in the western Himalayas (Himalayan cedar).In Europe, cedar is often grown in gardens and parks.

All types of cedar wood is similar in color. The light brown or yellow-brown heartwood, which becomes a uniform brown color when exposed to the weather, differs from the narrow whitish sapwood.

Resinous (oily), with a sharp cedar smell. The annual rings are clearly distinguished by the contrast between the zones of early and late wood. Medium texture. The fibers are usually straight, although straightness is more common in himalayan cedar. Longitudinal sections of this cedar show uneven brown lines formed by frequent tangential rows of traumatic resin ducts. Resistant to damage by fungi and insects.

Cedar wood is soft and easy to work in all directions. Cedar dries quickly and without major problems. Resin must be removed before finishing work.

On the territory of the Urals and Siberia, cedar was used as a finishing material for dwellings. In Tobolsk, Tyumen and Turinsk, buildings decorated with carved architraves from its wood have been preserved. Cedar was also used for the manufacture of joinery.

Today it is used only for exclusive internal works, in the finishing of yachts and interior decoration and for the manufacture wooden houses from a log (most often hand-cut).

Bulk weight at standard humidity (12%) is about 580 kg/m3.

• White fir and Caucasian fir

white fir (Abies alba) . A coniferous evergreen plant of the pine family, 30–50 m high, with a narrow pyramidal crown. Trunk up to 150 cm in diameter, with white-gray smooth bark. Places of growth - the mountains of southern, middle and western Europe, prefers very fertile soils.

Fir is very similar to spruce, but unlike fir, fir does not have resin accumulations. The color of the wood varies from yellowish white to reddish white with a gray tint. Fir trunks often suffer from atmospheric pollution, insects, animals that eat young shoots.

Easily processed, well covered with most varnishes and paints. The wood is soft, moderately weather resistant and resistant to fungi and pests.

The volumetric weight in the air-dry state is about 450 kg/m3.

Caucasian fir (Abies nordmanniana) in terms of its physical and mechanical properties, it is in no way inferior to spruce, unlike Siberian fir, which has a lower density and strength. It is used for the manufacture of wood structures, musical instruments, and is often used together with spruce in the manufacture of furniture.

It is very common in housing construction (especially Caucasian fir). Previously, shingles were made from fir (along with spruce), which covered the roof. Now it is mainly door and window blocks, floors, plinths, friezes and many other products.

Bulk weight at standard humidity (12%) is about 450 kg/m3.

• Juniper

Juniper (Juniperus) . Most junipers are shrubs, but in southern Karelia there are also tree forms up to 12 m high and 16 cm in diameter. The only representative cypress family (Cupressaceae) in the northern forests. It occurs both in dry pine forests on sandy soil, and in spruce forests, excessively moist and even swampy.

It grows slowly, frost-resistant, photophilous. Poorly tolerates smoke and soot. Distributed in the northern and middle parts of the European territory of Russia, in Western Siberia, it enters Eastern Siberia.

Juniper is a sound breed. Near the bark is a narrow light yellow stripe of sapwood, forming a wavy ring. irregular shape. Inside the ring is red-brown wood of the core. Over time, the sapwood becomes dark yellow with a greenish tint, and the heartwood acquires beautiful olive-blue hues. On the end section of the juniper, the annual layers are clearly distinguished. The texture is beautiful, with a reddish tinge, sometimes striped or wavy. Especially effective in cross section.

Juniper, unlike other conifers, does not have resin passages, so it easily accepts various dyes and is easily polished. Strong, heavy and dense juniper wood well handled by various cutting tools. The cuts are clean and glossy.

Juniper wood has a slight shrinkage; when wet, it practically does not swell. It can be successfully used for very thin flat-relief and three-dimensional carvings; small decorative items, canes, sculptures, small crafts and toys are made from it. End cuts are used in inlay.

Volumetric weight at standard humidity (12%) is about 920 kg/m3.

• Tiss

Tiss (taxus) is a very ancient breed. An evergreen coniferous tree from the yew family (Taxaceae), about 20 m high (the highest known height is 27 m), trunk thickness is 1 m. The crown is wide spreading, very dense. The needles are soft, flat, dark green, located on the branches in two rows.

Yew berry and yew spiky

Yew berry (Taxus baccata) grows in the mountains of the Caucasus and Crimea. It is often called European because it is found in almost all Western Europe. The area of ​​the yew berry covers, in addition, the regions of Western Belarus ( Belovezhskaya Pushcha), Western Ukraine (Bukovina), Southern Crimea, the Caucasus, as well as the Azores, the mountains of Algeria, Asia Minor and Syria.

The second kind is yew pointed, or Far Eastern (Taxus cuspidata) , distributed in Primorsky Krai and Sakhalin. The wood is hard and heavy, almost does not rot. Sometimes there are nodules on the yew, densely covered with very short shoots with pale needles.

The life expectancy of the yew berry is up to 1500 years, and sometimes up to 3-4 thousand years. Sapwood and heartwood yew wood are very different from each other. The color of the core is from red-brown to orange-brown.

A characteristic sign of yew wood is tiny black dots, ideally grouped on the surface. The annual layers are sinuous and look like wide, dark rings.

Yew is easy to dry and process. Its wood is toxic and must therefore be handled with extreme care. It has a beautiful texture and is used for making furniture and as a finishing material, it is very durable and goes to various carpentry crafts.

Volumetric weight at standard humidity (12%) is about 620 kg/m3.

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Sometimes, looking at evergreen coniferous trees, people think: why does a person have such a short age on earth? Intelligent creatures that can think, feel and create live on average 70-80 years, and ordinary trees - more than a thousand. Perhaps someday the dream of eternal life will come true, and then people will be able to enjoy the environment to the fullest. Until this time has come, it is worth getting to know different types of coniferous trees better in order to decorate your summer cottage with them.

It is these evergreens that harmoniously fit into any landscape design. Their strict and refined forms stand out clearly on the green lawn in summer. And in cold weather, refresh Vacation home rich greenery and pleasant resinous aroma. Many gardeners grow evergreen beauties on their plots, because their diversity is truly impressive. They are tall and dwarf. Found in the form of a pyramid or cone. Therefore, the unforgettable landscape of coniferous trees remains in the hearts of grateful people forever. Let's take a closer look at the most popular types.

Among the huge number of coniferous centenarians, unique specimens are especially impressive: the Old Tikko spruce in Sweden (more than 9 thousand years), the Methuselah pine in the USA (about 5 thousand). In general, there are up to 20 such trees on the planet.

National favorite - spruce

Probably, there is no person on earth who has not heard about this tree. Many poems and songs have been written about him, pictures and fairy tales have been written. The plant is associated with various holidays, customs, and sometimes with bad omens. Because of this, the plant suffers from excessive felling, which brings a lot of grief to nature lovers.

Spruce is an evergreen coniferous tree that belongs to the Pine family and can grow to a height of 35 meters. It has a pyramidal or triangular crown shape, ending with a sharp top. The branches are located along the entire trunk, so it is almost invisible from the side. They grow needles of a dark green color with a glossy shiny coating, which are much shorter than those of pine.

The tree is found almost everywhere in the vastness of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the main component of the Russian taiga, where it grows next to oak, pine, and hazel. In nature, there are about 50 species of spruce. Some of them successfully take root on the lawns of country houses. The following types are especially widely used.

Spruce roots are close to the soil surface, so a strong hurricane wind can knock it down. Therefore, the tree should not be planted near residential premises.

Acrocon

Spruce of this type is characterized by a wide conical crown with hanging branches. Considered slow growing. For 30 years it grows to a height of up to 4 meters. Plant diameter is about 3 m. Prefers shady places. Spruce tolerates cold temperatures very well. In the summer heat, it needs watering.

inverse

The tree has a columnar crown and falling weeping branches that, like a train, touch the ground. It grows up to a maximum of 8 meters. The diameter of an adult plant is about 2.5 m.

European Maxwelly

Dwarf shrub in the form of a wide cone. It tolerates winter frosts and shady places without problems. Grows up to a meter high. The diameter of an adult shrub is 2 m.

Glauca Globoza

The famous spruce stands out with blue needles. Grows in height up to 2 meters. It is used in many countries to decorate urban and suburban landscapes. Due to the fact that the tree lends itself to shearing, original blue balls are made from it, which delight their fans all year round.

Fir - a tree with purple cones

An evergreen representative of the genus Pine. It differs from its close relatives in the features of needles:

• softness;
• shine;
• flat shape.

White stripes are visible on the underside of each needle, which gives the plant a festive look. The fir tree is decorated with purple cones, which is its main highlight. It grows slowly over 10 years, after which growth accelerates. Lives for about 400 years. Breeders have bred decorative varieties that are used to decorate urban and suburban areas.

Since the needles of the tree have healing properties, grow fir on suburban area – great idea. She helps fight colds, sciatica and wound healing.

Columnaris

The tree has a straight trunk and a narrow crown resembling a column. Grows up to 10 meters. The dense branches are directed upwards, which gives the tree a majestic character.

prostrata

Such a fir is famous for its long branches stretched above the ground, which can reach 2.5 meters in length.

Argenta

The variety is characterized by original silvery needles, the tips of which are painted whitish. Every spring, luminescent yellow shoots come out of her buds. This unusual combination creates a stunning view on the site of a country house. And it lasts almost a whole month.

Nana

A dwarf tree that grows only up to 50 cm. The diameter of an adult plant is 1 m. The crown is rounded, slightly flattened. Works great in small areas.

majestic cedar

Since time immemorial, these trees have been considered a symbol of greatness. AT natural environment they grow at an altitude of 3 km above sea level and resemble real giants. Grow up to 50 meters. They live for more than two centuries.

Despite its greatness, it unique tree, because it can decorate any garden landscape. If you plant it at the main entrance, an atmosphere of some kind of celebration is created. On spacious lawns - home comfort.

Some dwarf varieties are used to grow bonsai plants. To create original landscapes, species that differ are widely used:

• needle color;
• needle length;
• tree sizes.

When choosing a suitable species, it is advisable to first get acquainted with the plant. For home growing the following varieties are used:

Mysterious larch

Many people think that if a tree is called a larch, then it does not belong to coniferous species. Actually it is not. The plant is a representative of the Pine family, but unlike its relatives, it loses its needles in autumn.

Larch grows up to 50 m in height. In this case, the trunk reaches 1 m in diameter. The branches grow in a chaotic manner, with a barely noticeable slope. As a result, a crown is formed in the form of a cone. The needles are noticeably flattened, soft to the touch, bright green in color. In the natural environment, there are 14 different varieties. For garden design the following types are used:

This diversity allows you to create magnificent landscapes on the territory of suburban areas.

majestic pine

Biologists have more than a hundred different varieties of such an evergreen plant. Moreover, the distinguishing feature is the number of needles on one beam. A pine tree often grows up to a height of 50 meters. The straight trunk is covered with reddish-brown cracking bark. Long needles are located on the spreading branches of the tree and are distinguished by a rich aroma. Pine lives for about 600 years and perfectly tolerates cold and summer heat.

Pine planting should be done quickly, as its roots can dry out in a quarter of an hour. Such a plant does not take root in the new territory.

For garden decoration, breeders created original miniature views:

Without a doubt, such evergreen living decorations are suitable for creating landscape rock gardens or mixborders. In any case, pine can become the hallmark of a summer cottage.

Her Majesty - thuja

An evergreen tree of this kind is almost always used to decorate city parks and green areas. Recently, this plant has been widely used to decorate home gardens. It is valued by gardeners for its ability to endure severe winter frosts, drought and high humidity.

The thuja tree is distinguished by lush branches on which scaly dark green leaves are located. Every year, the plant is covered with miniature cones that resemble scattered beads on green fabric. In addition to traditional forms, thujas are:

• dwarf;
• weeping;
• creeping.

Most often, seedlings called "Occidentalis" are used for the design of a personal plot. The tree can grow up to 7 m in height, and create a crown of about 2 m. Another species - "Cloth of Gold" - has a golden hue of needles. It grows well in shady areas of the garden.

Medium-sized variety - "Columna" impresses with its needles of dark green coloring with a glossy sheen. It does not disappear even in winter, for which it is very much appreciated by lovers of green spaces. "Columna"

A compact type of thuja tree - "Holmstrup" has a conical shape, despite its height - 3 m. It wonderfully tolerates cold winters, lends itself to pruning and is used as hedge. Another giant - "Smaragd" - grows up to approximately 4 m. The diameter of an adult tree is up to 1.5 m. The needles are juicy, dark green in color with a brilliant sheen. Such a beauty will surely decorate the country landscape of connoisseurs of greenery.

Having become better acquainted with the majestic coniferous trees, it is easy to choose the right option. Let it go suburban area will turn into a green oasis of joy, where resistant coniferous trees grow.

Conifers in landscape design - video

Coniferous species - various types of trees and shrub forms that differ in needle-shaped foliage. Most of them are woody and are evergreen. There are about four hundred species in the world, which are mostly concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere. Most of them are used as a building material, the basis for the furniture industry, as well as in medicine, and even in cooking - cedar nuts are incredibly tasty and healthy.

The easiest way to get a beautiful front lawn

Of course, you have seen the perfect lawn in the movies, on the alley, and perhaps on the neighbor's lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area in their area will no doubt say that this is a huge job. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think so, professionals have long known about the innovative tool - liquid turf AquaGrazz.

Characteristics of conifers

Multiple characteristics of the most common coniferous crops:

• Spruce is the most common type of coniferous trees. In addition to ordinary spruce, the most valued are blue, prickly, Canadian. The culture is unpretentious in care, perfectly withstands frosts, and is able to survive in conditions of urban gas pollution. Prefers full sun but can grow in shady areas. Due to their ability to shear, they are very much appreciated in landscape design, used as hedges and solitary plants.
• Cedar - large view coniferous trees, which, due to its high decorative properties, is widely used in landscape design in alley plantings and group plantings. The most popular are Himalayan, Atlas and Lebanese varieties. The culture is famous for its delicious, healthy and nutritious nuts.
• Cypress is an evergreen, exclusively decorative type of coniferous crops. Due to its unusual pyramidal shape, the tree looks very impressive and is widely used in park plantings, both for creating alleys, and in single and group plantings.

• Larch - refers to deciduous coniferous crops, in our climate only this coniferous tree sheds needles for the winter. Because of this feature, larch is used differently in landscape design, often planted in alleys and mixed compositions. The strength and durability of these trees is also known. These conifers have long been used not only for construction, but also for the manufacture of ships. Due to the strength and high resin content, larch products are able to retain their original properties for centuries even under the influence of moisture. So, St. Petersburg still stands on piles of larch, driven into the river bed under Peter the Great, and the use of this wood in the construction of Venice, where the material also showed its best side, has been proven. And in Moscow, a durable and high-quality coating of the cycle track is made from this breed.
• Microbiota - there is only one species in this genus that grows naturally on Far East Russia, but due to its beauty it is widely used in landscaping throughout middle lane. The undersized shrub has soft drooping shoots and looks similar to juniper. Due to its shape, it is used as a groundcover and looks very impressive in rock gardens, fences, along lawns and on steep slopes. The winter culture is stable, unpretentious in care and is not of interest to pests.

• Juniper is a very popular coniferous shrub, which is not only perfect for creating picturesque groups and border plantings, but also has high pharmacological properties. The resins and volatile substances secreted by the culture perfectly purify the surrounding air from pathogenic bacteria and kill the entire infection. Juniper groves have long been used to treat pulmonary patients. To do this, people with bronchitis, pneumonia and even tuberculosis were evicted to the landing area and regularly brought food to them, not allowing them to leave until they were fully recovered. Surprisingly, only the juniper-scented air healed even the most hopeless patients, without the use of antibiotics and other drugs. Therefore, planting juniper on your site, you can not only decorate green spaces with an unusual ground cover bush, but also improve your health. The shrub, depending on the variety, can have different shapes from a gentle mound to a candle-shaped bush. unpretentious in care, resistant to external influences and decorative. Often used as a single planting and mixed groups.
• Fir is a beautiful and majestic tree that requires special care and suitable conditions. Due to their large size, species varieties are grown only in parks and gardens of large areas, but now it is possible to use small varieties of cultivars, ideal for group plantings. The most decorative varieties are blue and undersized firs, which are distinguished by large and abundant cones.
• Pine is a coniferous tree species familiar to everyone, ubiquitous in our latitudes. The most common is the Scotch pine, which covers the mountains and endless forests. Often it is also used to create garden plantings, but more often they choose more compact and decorative varieties - mountain, Crimean, cedar, weymouth.
• Yew - this genus includes many evergreen shrubs and trees. Most often, yew berry is used in landscaping, which is distinguished by a dense fluffy crown. Species varieties have the appearance of a sprawling shrub, and bred ones can be in the form of a candle, sphere, cone or ground cover bush. The culture tolerates a haircut well, therefore it is used as a hedge and creating green compositions. But we must remember that most varieties of yew are very poisonous, especially berry, its bright red fruits look attractive and can cause poisoning for children and animals.

• Hemlock is an evergreen species common in North America and the Asian part of the continent. Especially appreciated in landscaping for weeping flexible branches that form a dense canopy. Due to its slow growth, hemlock is suitable for small gardens, and its unpretentiousness and resistance to frost, shade and disease also pleases.
• Pseudotsuga is a species of evergreen tree brought from the north of the American continent. A plant similar from a distance is similar to a blue spruce, but on closer examination it stands out with unusual cones. There are varieties with flexible weeping branches and miniature types of pseudosugi, which are widely used to decorate rock gardens and single landings.
• Thuja - has a strong aroma and a characteristic shape of needles. Of all the varieties, only the western thuja is suitable for our climate, characterized by high frost resistance and unpretentiousness. Breeders have bred many decorative species that differ in the shape of the tree, height and even the color of the foliage - the most common are thuja with juicy green needles, but there are also varieties with bright sunny needles.

Coniferous wood

These cultures have long been used not only for landscaping gardens, courtyards and park areas, but also for building houses, ships, making furniture and other household items. After all, the forests in our latitudes are huge and there has never been a shortage of material. Strong hardwoods were often used, but conifers were also held in high esteem, for example, pine and larch were used as piles and ship equipment.

The popularity of coniferous wood still exists, and there are many explanations for this:

• Spruce and pine have a high resin content, which protects the wood from the harmful effects of moisture, fungi and insects that cause irreparable damage to the more delicate hardwood boards.
• they are excellent for grinding, which makes it easier to work with them and speeds up the sawing process.
• Due to the pliability of wood, such species are easy to process, which is why pine and spruce wood is often chosen for creating small and complex structures, for example, railings, stairs, balconies.

• Low density allows boards and bars to be well impregnated with protective substances, which increases the durability, strength and beauty of wood.
• Even sawdust of coniferous trees is beneficial, for example, they are used to make technical hydrolytic alcohol, and in a compressed form they are used to make cheap furniture, and they are often used for heating.
• A house built of pine and spruce is guaranteed to last up to 50 years, but more noble types of wood, for example, cedar, will last for centuries. In addition, not only Construction Materials but also musical instruments.
• Wood is also valued for its low thermal conductivity, because wooden wall 10 centimeters thick retains heat in the same way as brickwork half a metre.

As in every production, there are certain standards for wood harvesting and woodworking enterprises so that the resulting boards and beams meet state and international requirements. For this, special GOSTs have been developed that consider various characteristics wood .

For coniferous trees, GOST 8486-86 and GOST 24454-80 are used, according to which all sawn wood is divided according to compliance with the technical requirements for grades - 5 for boards and timber (selected, 1, 2, 3 and 4 grades) and 4 for beams (1 ,2,3,4 grades).

Note that GOST 8486-86 is used to evaluate wood, which is further intended for use in our country and for export sales, but for aviation wooden building materials, more stringent GOSTs are used.

All lumber can be divided into bars, bars, edged and not edged boards, these definitions and features of types are regulated in accordance with GOST 18288.

According to GOST 8486-86, indicators are clearly prescribed:

• - types of wood (according to GOST, pine, spruce, fir, larch and cedar are used for the manufacture of lumber)
• - lengths and permissible deviations from them, depending on the further destination (for containers, bars, domestic market, export);
• - humidity - depending on the requirements of the customer, they produce dry (humidity up to 20%), raw (22% and above) and impregnated with antiseptics (antiseptics are carried out according to GOST 10950);
• - width and tolerances;
• - quantity and type of knots;
• — presence and type of cracks;
• — the presence and size of the core;
• - the presence and size of fungal infections, mold, rot, wormholes, etc.

Thus, GOST ensures that sawn timber complies with all well-thought-out norms and requirements, which ensures a long service life of products made from coniferous trees. In addition, checking the compliance of products with prescribed standards saves the buyer from purchasing low-quality wood at inflated prices.

For a long time, domestic owners of personal and garden plots have been very fond of due to their unpretentiousness and the ability to design a summer house in almost any style. IN last years are increasingly being used in landscaping parks or landscape decor rare varieties of conifers and unusual species that don't require a lot of attention.

Coniferous plants for the garden in landscape design

To pick up for the garden or household territory the best option for green design, it is necessary to decide what goals are expected to be met when growing, and also take into account botanical features culture. Large conifers and shrubs can be used:

• when creating mixborders;
• in the design of rock gardens and rockeries;
• in solitary and group plantings;
• as an original hedge.

It should be remembered that coniferous plants cannot grow and develop well if a deciduous tree such as bird cherry or birch is planted nearby. In small areas, low-growing crops should be preferred. Pine and cedar should not be planted next to spruce and fir, and larches should be planted separately on the territory.

Conifers in the garden: name and characteristics

Experienced landscape designers are very familiar with the peculiarities of the use of coniferous crops when creating decorative compositions. The main condition for the use of such plants is compatibility and proper distribution over the territory.

tall plants

• Prickly spruce "Hupsy" with dense needles that have an attractive silver-blue color. A feature is the ability to easily endure adverse external conditions;
• Three meters » , which has a classic conical crown shape and needles with a blue tint;

• Quite shade-loving western thuja great for decorating a hedge and easily transferring a shaping haircut;
• unpretentious Pine "Pincus Silvestris" with a columnar structure very characteristic of the species and a straight-growing stem part;
• Not too tall and light-loving common plant Pine "Waterery" has an attractive spherical twisted shape and is perfectly adapted to the southern climate.

Tall conifers can be used as a background for other ornamental crops or, if necessary, create shading for a specific area. Such specimens are very often used in the design of hedges.

Photo gallery

Coniferous plants on the site (video)

Medium-sized varieties of conifers

The names of the most unpretentious medium-sized conifers are well known to most owners of suburban real estate:

• mountain pine varieties "Pinus mugo" forms a two-meter spreading bush with dark green needles and has an average annual growth of 20-40 cm. An excellent option for planting on well-lit edges and creating a background composition;
• classical thuja varieties "Rheingold" with a wide openwork cone and yellowish-reddish-green needles;

• relatively new thuja variety «Zmatlik» with a narrow dark green cone and a rather slow growth rate;
• sprawling pine varieties Fukai, which has greenish-blue needles with separate bunches of yellowish needles;
• popular for its size and fluffiness pine varieties "Waterery" has a broad and attractive crown, but may have problems with winter scorching and fungal infections;
• yew "Wintergold" is a spreading tree with yellowish-green needles and is perfect for decorating edges.

No less popular in landscape design are the Konika spruce, the golden yew and the globular thuja Globosa. Such ornamental plants very successfully complemented, and it is precisely such compositions that look great at almost any end of the backyard.

Low-growing, weeping and creeping species of conifers

In the design of a backyard landscape, plants with a weeping crown have recently been increasingly used, which look perfect in solitary plantings or used as a frame for tall varieties:

• any variety with green and relatively dense needles, requiring corrective pruning, which will prevent the branches from rotting on the ground;
• one of the best semi-weeping larch varieties "Pit Van Geet" with bluish-green needles and a wide crown that needs regular and correct pruning forming type;
• Pine "Pendula" with a strongly weeping crown that requires careful pruning, and very decorative needles;

• weeping form of European spruce "Inversa" belongs to the category of popular structural classic varieties that do not require significant care;
• dwarf Canadian spruce "Laurin" with a narrow-conical shape of the crown, not more than 40 cm high with an annual growth of 1.5-2.0 cm;
• spherical Canadian spruce"Echiniformis", reaching in adulthood a height of not more than 30 cm;
• dwarf nest form spiny spruce varieties "Nidiformis" has a flattened, depressed top, the growth of which is much lower than the growth of lateral shoots.

What coniferous plants are better to plant in the country (video)

Among dwarf firs, Korean fir is especially popular. Tundra and balsamic Nana. The forms of mountain pine are no less in demand. "Gnom", "Mops" and "Ophir". Majority dwarf conifers differ in light-loving and need a sufficient sunny location, since in shading the lower branches are exposed. However, in too open areas, such crops often suffer from a lack of moisture and sunburn, so it is recommended to pay attention to regular irrigation and spring shading.

Popular shade-tolerant conifers

Unpretentious shade-tolerant conifers hibernate without shelter and do not freeze at all under the influence of severe frosts, do not burn on spring sun, easily tolerate dry periods, and also grow and develop well on any soil, except for heavily waterlogged soils. The most popular shade-tolerant and unpretentious conifers include:

• very resistant to negative external influences golden Juniper "Old Gold", up to two meters high, with a yellowish-bronze coloration of needles, which persists throughout the winter period;
• unpretentious horizontal juniper variety "Andorra Compact" with a cushion-shaped crown, the height of which does not exceed 30-40 cm with a diameter of up to a meter. The plant has small, scaly, bluish-gray-green needles, which in winter acquire a little purple hue;

• horizontal is one of the ground cover shrubs widely used in the design of small rocky gardens. It has a height of the aerial part of 20-30 cm with a diameter of one and a half meters. Differs in silver-blue needles;
• groundcover creeping juniper 'Wilton' in height reaches 15 cm with a width of a couple of meters or more. The needles have a silver-blue color. The variety is grown in a container culture, and also harmoniously looks in rocky gardens;
• dense undersized juniper "Prince of Wales" 20 cm high and a couple of meters wide, they have scaly, dense, bluish-green needles, grows well in sunny areas and in shading;
• mountain pine "Ophir" has a surprisingly regular and rounded, sometimes slightly spreading crown with a diameter of up to a meter;
• ordinary spruce "Barryi" is a robust and slow growing semi-dwarf form with a round crown, glossy dark green needles and orange-brown young shoots.

Shade-tolerant conifers are especially relevant when grown along fences and buildings on a personal plot.

Unusual ornamental coniferous plants

To create a unique and stylish decor backyard or garden area, you can use unusual varieties of conifers:

• very slow growing semi-dwarf Spruce "Glauca Globosa" in adulthood, it grows up to three meters and has a rounded and dense above-ground part with silver-blue, dense, prickly needles and short shoots that are resistant even to city smoke and car soot;
• in rockeries and small group compositions, a unique nest-like dwarf form can be planted Norway spruce "Nidiformisc", which has a dense cushion-shaped crown, represented by shoots that "fan" away from the center;
• inverted weeping form ate "Inversion" has a very narrow and uneven crown of almost vertically falling shoots, as a result of which the lower branches are beautifully located on the surface of the earth, decorating it with thick, dark green and shiny needles.

When creating landscape design, coniferous plants are actively used. evergreen shrubs, trees look attractive at any time of the year. They are unpretentious, you do not have to spend a lot of time and effort on caring for them. With the help of coniferous crops, you can decorate any site by creating a unique design.

Coniferous plants for a garden and a summer residence

Evergreen shrubs and trees are considered unpretentious, but each of the species needs to create the most suitable conditions for growth and development. When choosing, you need to pay attention to the size of the plants and the rules for placement on the plot.

Tall

In large gardens, parks or adjoining plots tall coniferous plants look spectacular. If there is little space, then the tree can become the center of the composition. Other plants are placed around it so that a harmonious ensemble is created.

When planting tall species, it must be borne in mind that plants will eventually take large area. Their root system grows well. There will be shade from tall trees, so shade-loving crops are planted next to them.

Ate Hoopsii (Hoopsii)

Popular types of tall conifers include blue spruce. The Hupsi variety is valued for its attractive appearance and predictable growth. When planting, you can immediately guess what size the spruce will be in a few years. Upon reaching the age of 30, the height of the spruce will be 10 m, and the crown will grow to 4 m in diameter. Spruce grows up to 15 m in height and 5 in diameter.

When planting, preference should be given to sunny areas. The needles of the Hupsi spruce are prickly and thick, and the shoots are strong and flexible. The needles grow up to 3 cm long. The branches are covered with a dense layer of silver-blue needles. Many note the special attraction of this tree in late spring and early summer, when young light blue twigs appear.

Spruce varieties Hupsi differ:

• love for sunny areas;
• frost resistance;
• good adaptive abilities;
• unpretentiousness to soil mixtures.

The soil in which spruces grow should be periodically fertilized. When forming landscape design, experts recommend shading Hupsi with an emerald-colored lawn. Such spruces are well combined with weeping species of deciduous trees and shrubs.

Spruce Hupsi tolerates haircuts well

A slow growing conifer that many people like is the Korean fir. IN natural conditions mature trees grow up to 12 m high. Distinctive characteristics:

• the presence of soft dense needles, the edges of which are rounded;
• the length of the needles reaches 2 cm;
• on top the needles are glossy, bright green, 2 silvery longitudinal stripes are visible below;
• cones are arranged vertically, they begin to grow on young trees, whose height is 1–1.2 m;
• young cones have a violet-purple color, with time their color changes to dark brown.

The tree is demanding on the level of moisture and soil fertility. In the first years of life, it is recommended to create partial shade for him; at a more mature age, it can also grow in open areas.

Korean fir belongs to shade-tolerant plants

The columnar Serbian spruce can grow up to 45 m in height. Upon reaching the age of 10, a coniferous tree grows up to 10 m, the diameter during this period is 2 m. Its branches are short, the lower ones are inclined to the ground.

The branches are covered with flattened dark green needles. On the underside, 2 stripes of a bluish-white hue are visible on them. Cones are blue-black, in maturity their color changes to brown.

Serbian spruce is unpretentious in terms of growing conditions, it is distinguished by good frost resistance and relative smoke and gas resistance. For normal growth and development, the plant needs regular watering, but it tolerates dry periods better than ordinary spruces.

This coniferous tree is classified as shade-tolerant. It is used in group and single landings.

Serbian spruce is best planted on loamy soils.

Tuya Smaragd (Smaragd)

Popular with landscape designers is the thuja variety Smaragd. Its height reaches 5 m, while the diameter does not exceed 1–1.5 m. Smaragd is a coniferous tree with a regular cone-shaped crown, and the branches grow vertically.

Thuja is a slow growing tree. In a year, she adds no more than 20 cm in height and 5 cm in width.

It is not difficult to care for Smaragd thujas, but they require constant watering, it is undesirable to allow the soil to dry out. If the plant is in sunny areas, then the crown will be dense, and the needles will be bright. In shaded areas, it can grow, but the crown will become more rare.

The needles of thuja Smaragd are shiny, bright green

Juniper Skyrocket

The skyrocket is known as the pencil tree. The plant reaches a height of 6–8 m, and does not exceed 1 m in width. Its shape is columnar, narrow. The branches of this type of juniper grow vertically. The needles of the plant are gray-blue in color, it can be needle-shaped or scaly.

Skyrocket is planted in small household plots. When choosing a place for growing, it is better to give preference to open areas that are well lit by the sun.

You can also grow juniper in nutrient-deficient areas.

Dwarf

With the help of small plants, you can make a unique landscape design even in a small area. Traditionally, they are placed along the paths, in the corners of home gardens with a lawn, or used as an element of complex compositions.

Compacta Glauca Pine (Compacta Glauca)

dwarf cedar pine great for landscape design. The main characteristics include the following:

• when grown in the middle lane, the height does not exceed 3 cm, the width is 1.5 m;
• the needles are bluish-green in color, the needles are 8–9 cm long;
• branches grow densely, they are directed upwards.

When creating heather, stone gardens, the Compact Glauka dwarf pine is used. Plants look good Alpine rollercoaster and in lawn plantings. The specified type of pine is best grown on moderately acidic and moderately moist soils.

When planting pine trees, preference should be given to well-lit, sunny areas.

mountain pine

Two types of pines are popular with homeowners.

Winter Gold is a hemispherical pine. Her crown is squat, on the sides it is unevenly developed. In summer, the needles of mountain pine are light green, and in winter they acquire a yellow-golden color. At the age of 10, the height of the plant is 0.5 m, and the diameter of the crown is 1 m.

The Ophir variety has a regular rounded shape. But after a few years of growth, the pine can become a little lopsided and more spreading. Adult 10-year-old plants are usually no more than 0.5 m in height, and they can be about 1 m in diameter.

No less popular is the variety of mountain pine Mini Mops. It is used for decorating areas. The pine tree grows very slowly, the annual growth is 2 cm. When it reaches the age of 10, the height of the conifer does not exceed 40 cm. The Mini Pug needles are dark green in color, young shoots are light green in color. From the branches a flattened - spherical crown is formed.

The Mini Pug plant is light-loving, it can tolerate a little shading, but with a constant deficit sunlight its growth deteriorates, the tree may dry out. Pine is undemanding to soils, it grows even on soils with a lack of nutrients. It tolerates frost and wind well.

Gardeners, if desired, can form a crown of a mountain pine, the plant tolerates haircuts well

El Barry (Barryi)

Popular slow-growing species include the common Barry spruce. In young undersized plants, the crown has a rounded shape. Over time, the branches grow to the sides. By the age of 30, the spruce becomes about 2 m in height.

The needles of the Barry variety are dark green, brown-orange young shoots appear in spring. Spruce is shade-tolerant, it can be safely planted in shaded areas. Coniferous tree takes root better and grows on loamy and sandy loamy well-drained soils.

Excessive waterlogging of the soil is harmful to Barry spruce

Tuya Danica (Danica)

In dachas and plots near private houses, many plant evergreen thuja. Variety Danica is one of the most common. The plant is spherical in shape. At the age of 10 years, its diameter is 0.4 m. Maximum size adult shrubs - 0.8 m in height and 1 m in diameter.

TO distinctive features Tui Danica include:

• the needles are shiny, bright, dark green;
• cones are rounded, brown, 8–12 mm in size;
• the needles have a flat scaly shape, it is located vertically;
• the root system is superficial, there are several deep roots.

Tui can grow without problems in partial shade and in the sun.

In brightly lit areas, thuja will be brighter and denser

Spruce Conica (Conica)

Thanks to its attractive appearance, many people plant Konik spruce in their dachas and gardens. The variety is distinguished by a fluffy, dense crown, an ideal conical shape, which is obtained naturally without haircuts.

View features:

• under natural conditions, Konika grows up to 3-4 m, when planted in parks, gardens, in summer cottages - up to 2 m;
• light green soft spruce needles, needles no more than 1 cm long;
• annual growth about 6–10 cm high, 3–5 cm wide;
• spruce should be planted sunny places, in the first years after planting, it is recommended to shade plants with south side white spunbond;
• grows well on neutral and slightly acidic soils with plenty of moisture, but reacts badly to waterlogging.

Konika spruce landscapers are often planted in the foreground, they look good when placed alone and in groups.

Spruce has a small growth due to strong branching and a small distance from one internode to another.

Creeping

As decorative element creepers are often used in rocky gardens. With their help, you can add volume to landscape flower beds.

Juniper Wilton (Wilton)

In flower arrangements at summer cottages, garden plots many add horizontal junipers. Variety Wilton spreads with a low cover on the ground. At the age of 10 years, it rises above the ground by no more than 15 cm. In breadth, it can grow by 2–3 m. The needles of the Wilton juniper are silver-blue.

Wilton is one of the varieties that can be safely grown in an urban environment. It is undemanding to the composition of the soil, frost-resistant and tolerates temporary droughts.

It can be planted as a single plant or in group plantings. Wilton looks good in rockeries, rock gardens. This species looks spectacular if its branches hang from retaining walls.

Juniper Plumosa (Plumosa)

The Chinese variety of juniper Plumosa is creeping. But it reaches a height of 30–50 cm. The plant spreads 2–2.5 m along the surface. Old branches lie on the ground, and young shoots rise from them at an angle of 45 °.

The branches of the juniper Plumosa are feather-like. The needles in summer and autumn are gray-green in color, in winter the needles acquire a purple hue. The variety belongs to the photophilous, but it grows well in shaded areas. In the shade, the color becomes light green. Juniper is undemanding to soils.

Junipers are suitable for acidic and alkaline soils.

Canadian hemlock

Hemlock is a conifer belonging to the pine family. Landscape designers like to use weeping hemlock species for individual or group plantings, which are located on rocky areas, near water bodies, in open areas.

Popular is the slow-growing hemlock variety Prostrate. It belongs to creeping cushion plants.

Variety characteristics:

• the needles are tender, small, green;
• annual growth up to 6 cm;
• at the age of 10 years, Canadian hemlock grows up to 50 cm in height, it spreads 1 m on the ground.

It is better to plant hemlock Prostrait in partial shade. She needs cool and high humidity. Heat, drought, the plant does not tolerate well. Moist soils, which are slightly acidic, are ideal for planting, it is important that they contain a large amount of nutrients.

El Loreley (Loreley)

Variety Lorelei refers to weeping species of ordinary spruce. Its trunk is arched, the lower branches spread along the ground. Creeping spruce becomes after grafting into the root collar. In height, the branches rise no more than 0.6 m, then the shoots descend and spread over the surface of the earth.

For planting, it is better to give preference to sunny areas, although spruce grows in partial shade. Soils should be drained, slightly moist, sandy and loamy soils are suitable.

When forming landscape design, it should be taken into account that the Lorelei spruce looks good in areas with varying heights.

Stagnation of moisture is harmful to spruce

Microbiota cross-pair (Decussate)

The cross-paired microbiota belongs to the cypress family. It can be grown in difficult climatic conditions, it is not afraid of strong winds, rocky soils and shade. Branches in natural conditions can rise to a height of up to 1 m, but when grown in gardens, in summer cottages, its height usually does not exceed 60 cm.

On young shoots of the microbiota, the needles are needle-shaped, with time it becomes scaly. In summer, the needles are dark green, and in winter, the color changes to copper-brown. When planting a cross-pair microbiota, preference should be given to shady areas. The plant looks good in single plantings in the center of the lawn, in mixed compositions when planting along lawns, flower beds, slopes, coastal areas.

Microbiota shoots form a flattened shape with distinct tiers

Photo gallery: conifers in landscape design - site design ideas

Coniferous crops are actively used to create individual landscape design on sites. When planting, it is necessary to take into account which soils the plants prefer, how they relate to sunny and shaded areas. Only plants with the same care can be planted nearby. Coniferous compositions, with a properly formed design, will delight owners for many years.