Fir trees are trees that tend to grow a lot, both in width and especially in height. But, Did you know that there are smaller varieties that can be planted in small to medium gardens? These are the ones I will show you next.
And it is that if you like conifers, and if you also live in a place where it usually snows in winter, I am pretty sure that you will like the different types of fir trees for gardens that you are going to see here.
Abies balsamea ‘Nana’
Image – Wikimedia/Andrzej Opejda
He Abies balsamea ‘Nana’ is a type of fir that does not grow as a tree, but rather as a ground cover shrub. It reaches a height of about 40 or 50 centimeters, and a width of more or less a meter. For this reason, it is a very interesting cultivar to plant, for example, on sloping ground. Its foliage is green and it is able to withstand temperatures down to -22°C without difficulty.
Abies concolor ‘Nain d’Archer’
This type of garden tree is the perfect option when said garden is very small. It has a pyramidal habit, with a height of 1.5 meters, and the leaves are blue-glaucous.. Of course, its growth rate is slow, in fact, in the best case scenario, you will only see it growing at a rate of 10 centimeters per year. Even so, it has such high ornamental value that I highly recommend planting it in the ground and beautifying the area that way. It is able to withstand severe frosts, down to -20ºC.
Abies concolor ‘Hosta La Vista’
Image – Flickr/FD Richards
When you search for pictures of fir trees on the internet, it’s normal for the browser to show you very tall trees, but the cultivar I’m going to talk about now is dwarf compared to those specimens that inhabit forests. Actually, it is difficult for him to exceed 50-60 centimeters in height (the vast majority of trees exceed 10, 20 meters). the leaves are blue-green in color, and if there’s anything “less than good” you need to know is that it only grows about 3-5 centimeters per year. However, it easily withstands frosts down to -23ºC.
Abies concolor ‘Tubby’
Image – Flickr/FD Richards
This is a dwarf fir cultivar that could well be mistaken for a young pine. It has a somewhat pyramidal shape and reaches an approximate height of about 70 centimeters.. The leaves are bluish green in color and, like those of the rest of the fir trees, they remain on the plant for months until they are renewed. Slow growing, it grows at a rate of about 5 to 8 centimeters per year, depending on climatic conditions. In this sense, it is interesting to know that it can withstand frosts down to -23ºC.
Abies koreana ‘Aurea’
Image – Flickr/FD Richards
He korean abies ‘Aurea’ is a type of tree for the garden with a pyramid-like appearance that you can use as a Christmas tree -provided you keep it outdoors all year round, as it cannot live indoors- . Reaches a height of about 2 meters, and as its name suggests, it has green leaves with yellow highlights. When in the best conditions, it can grow at a rate of 15 centimeters per year, and also withstands frosts down to -23°C.
Abies lasiocarpa ‘Arizonica Compacta’
Image – Flickr/FD Richards
It is a fairly small conifer, since it grows only up to one and a half meters in height.. Although like other fir trees, this one takes time to mature, if it feels really comfortable in the place it can grow about 15 centimeters per year. As you can see in the image, its leaves are bluish in color and its almost pyramidal appearance is undoubtedly very interesting if you want to add color and elegance to your garden. In addition, it tolerates frost quite well (down to -20ºC).
Abies nordmanniana subsp. nordmanniana ‘Golden Spreader’
Image – Flickr/Leonora (Ellie) Enking
Would you like to have a yellow (and healthy) tree? I therefore recommend this cultivar Abies nordmanniana. Slow growing, it reaches about 2 meters in height. (although it is normal for it to remain a little below). The leaves are yellowish with green tints. It is a type of small conifer that you can have in your garden if the climate is temperate or in the mountains, since it resists frost down to -22ºC.
Abies veitchii ‘Heddergott’
It is a variety Abies veitchii which I personally like. Unfortunately, the photo above does not do it justice. But it is a beautiful plant, with a more or less rounded habit, with green leaves on the upper side and whitish on the lower side. It reaches a height of 1 meter or 1.5 meters and reaches more or less the same width.. It can be very interesting to use as an informal hedge, for example, although it also looks great in rock gardens with dwarf and/or medium conifers. It resists frosts down to -20ºC.
Did you know these types of trees for a small/medium garden? Which did you like the most?