Plan a rock garden to suit your site and style

Plant picks: Dwarf conifers

Dwarf balsam fir (Abies balsamea ‘Nana’)
Height x Spread (cm): 60 to 90 cm x 90 cm to 1.2 m  
Description: Compact, globe-shaped, flat-topped, mounding form; dark green foliage; Zone 3  
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade; moist, well-drained soil

Dwarf moss Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa Minima’)
Height x Spread (cm): 60 to 75 cm x 30 to 60 cm  
Description: Rounded, cushion-shaped form; short, coarse, light green, cedar-like foliage with golden tips; Zone 5  
Growing Conditions: Full sun; prune out vigorous shoots; mulch to keep roots moist but not waterlogged

‘Little Gem’ dwarf Norway spruce (Picea abies ‘Little Gem’)
Height x Spread (cm): 20 to 75 cm x 30 to 90 cm  
Description: Flat-topped dome of compact branches; soft, light green needles; Zone 3  
Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

‘Mrs. Cesarini’ dwarf blue spruce (P. pungens ‘Mrs. Cesarini’)
Height x Spread (cm): 90 cm x 1.5 m  
Description:  Dense, mounding, flat-topped form; bright green foliage; Zone 2  
Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

‘Little Christopher’ dwarf Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora ‘Little Christopher’)
Height x Spread (cm): 1 to 1.3 m x 1 to 1.3 m 
Description:  Globe-shaped; bright green foliage; Zone 5  
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade; well-drained, slightly acidic soil

‘Teddy’ white globe cedar (Thuja occidentalis ‘Teddy’)
Height x Spread (cm): 60 x 60 cm 
Description:  Globe-shaped; deep green foliage that turns bronze in winter; Zone 3  
Growing Conditions: Full sun for best form; moist, well-drained soil