SMALL CONIFERS

FOR

SMALL GARDENS

by

Robert L. Fincham

I have been asked many different times about writing a conifer book. I have attempted to work with a publisher on two different projects, but for various reasons, they were never completed. One of the projects that I have worked on at various times was a rewrite of the Krussmann Manual of Cultivated Conifers. I gathered a wealth of data on the new conifers, much with the help of my European friends. However, since so many newly named cultivars are literally pouring out of a number of places, redoing Krussmann at this time would be an exercise in futility. I plan to allow the marketplace to sort things out over the next few years before I resume that project.

Meanwhile, there is a definite need for a good conifer cultivar book. I decided to write such a book, focusing on the conifers that are best suited for smaller gardens. I did not select the cultivars based upon my existing slide collection but upon other criteria.

    First: I selected cultivars that I believe are among the best performing selections.

    Second: I selected cultivars that will give the best appearance in the garden.

    Third: I selected cultivars that are available from various retail sources. Many of these will be difficult to locate, but they are out there somewhere.

I decided to follow the very successful format used by the Dutch Conifer Society of using large pictures and devoting a full page to each cultivar, with some modifications. There are 256 color pictures and 292 pages in the book describing 180 different cultivars.

The book is 6" x 9", a size that allows the book to be carried into the garden or into a plant nursery. It is also a size that allows for nicely sized pictures.

Each plant picture has text on the facing page that serves four basic purposes:
                    A. To describe the shape and growth rate of the plant
                    B. To describe ways to use the plant in a landscape
                    C. To describe how I first came across the plant and/or how it
                         originated in a way that will interest the reader
                    D. To relate some history about the conifer collectors of the
                         1960's into the present time

Below is a sample from the book.

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