Please report any site problems here webmaster

I am sure you will all know how to care for your new plants, but to jog your memories here we go.

Make sure your selected plant will suit your planned location.
As with all plants a well prepared hole and surrounding area is required.
Don’t let them dry out, so when watering don’t surface water, let it soak down to the root ball.
The taller varieties will need help in keeping their heads up. A suitable tie about 1/3 of the way up the stem will do this. The top 2/3 moving in the breeze will stimulate the roots to grab a good hold. Take care the tie does not abrade the stem, and next year adjust the tie or remove if you are sure the roots can manage by themselves.
Most conifers will be fine in most soils. Some hate chalk some acid, the catalogue will give an indication where necessary.
The growth rate will vary depending on your soil and aspect. I have known slow growers having to be pruned after 2 years because the conditions have been so good for them. Conversely I have known fast growers acting like dwarfs
 

COLOUR
Conifers come in a wonderful spectrum of colours and many
change colour during the year. Careful choice can give you a
great splash of colour in Autumn and Winter when many other
plants are dormant.

SIZE
Size is determined by variety and not by size at planting. Most plant labels carry a 10 year height as part of the description. Generally, Dwarf is under 40 cms in 10 years; Slow is under 1 metre in 10 years; Medium is up to 2 metres in 10 years and anything else should be regarded as Fast. Growth rates vary with variety, some will grow quickly and then slow up and others will be very slow for a while and then grow rapidly e.g. the Monkey Puzzle, whilst others barely grow more than about 2 cm per year. Your local Garden Centre or retail nursery will help you to choose the correct conifer for your situation. Local climate e.g. rainfall can influence height and spread.
SOIL
Conifers are tolerant of most soils, but planting in areas which waterlog regularly should be avoided, except for Taxodium distichum (Swamp Cypress) and Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood). Taxus (Yew) will grow happily in a very chalky soil as will some Junipers and Pines.

PLANTING and AFTERCARE
Before planting and after removing the pot, thoroughly soak the root ball in a bucket of water for about ten minutes. Clear the area of weeds and plant in a hole which is about twice the size necessary, so that the top of the root ball is no more than 1 inch below ground level. Refill the planting hole with the soil that came out mixed with a soil conditioner such as peat or coir. Nitrogenous composts such as poultry or horse manure should not be used. Well rotted compost is ideal, providing it has had at least a year to break down. Do not use bedding plant compost as this usually contains fast release fertilizer which can damage conifer roots. Conifers require very little in the way of fertiliser and one or two feeds with a slow release fertiliser will be quite enough to maintain growth. Much more important is to give adequate water to the plant especially in the first year or two after planting, enough to keep the root ball moist but not waterlogged.