Landscaping on a site is a complex but interesting task. During its decision, exactly the type of trees or shrubs is selected that will attract with its beauty and will not require too much time for care. If you want to enjoy the attractiveness of your garden all year round and breathe clean, healing air, it is recommended to pay attention to coniferous plants. They are perfectly adapted to the cold winters of temperate climates, and also tolerate summer heat and rainy seasons well. Such trees can be combined with deciduous trees, as well as a variety of flowers and shrubs. There are many varieties of coniferous plants, among which everyone can choose the appropriate type.
Landscape design with coniferous plants Source flo.discus-club.ru
Classification
Eurasian coniferous forests. Siberian species of pines, fir and larches predominate in the eastern regions. In the West, the composition of trees is slightly different - these are mainly ordinary pine and spruce.
North American coniferous forest. White and black spruce and balsam fir have become widespread.
Tropical and subtropical. It is distinguished by a large number of tall cypresses, cedars and powerful sequoias. A feature of light-coniferous tracts is the distribution of trees such as pine and larch. The dark coniferous forest is dominated by spruce and firs.
Where do they grow?
Map of the distribution of pine trees
Evergreen species can be found on all continents of the planet:
- from the Equator, right up to the boundaries of permafrost;
- on the Eurasian continent;
- in Central and South America;
- some species are endemic to Africa and the tropics.
Coniferous forests grow best where winters are long and the climate is cold, with average to high annual rainfall. Moist soil is necessary for their life. Some representatives are found even beyond the Arctic Circle. In warm latitudes, these trees predominate in mountainous areas where there is no intense heat.
For the most part, pinopsids grow along the Pacific Ocean. Scientists believe that after the Mesozoic era, when these plants reached their highest development, the climate in these areas changed very little.
Interesting fact : scientists consider extinct fern-like ancestors of gymnosperms, and their first representatives date back to the late Devonian period.
Yew
The leaves of this species are hard, linear or lanceolate, with narrow or wide needles. For the most part, trees remain green all year round, but there are, although very rarely, species that lose leaves in winter.
Interesting fact : yew needles are dangerous for animals, as they cause poisoning.
Yew berry
Yew berry
A very elegant evergreen plant, sometimes reaching 40 m in height, has healing properties. At the same time, it is poisonous. It grows slowly, but its life expectancy is high - several thousand years. A lush, dense bush in shape resembles a cylinder or pyramid. The bark is smooth, red-gray. Flat dark green needles 20-35 mm long are arranged in a spiral. The strong branched root allows the yew to grow in any type of soil. It reproduces by seeds, which are spread by birds eating the berries of the bush.
Torreya
Torrey
The genus of the yew family is named after the American flora researcher John Torrey. It is a small tree, usually 5-20 m in height. The spiral-shaped needles are rigid, with pointed ends. The plant can be either monoecious or dioecious. Female cones mature in a year and a half. The only large seed looks like a nut.
The needles, stems, and cones emit a very unpleasant aroma. The range of torrea is East Asia and North America.
Pine
It is no less popular than spruce, and many of these coniferous trees cannot be distinguished. In fact, it’s easy to distinguish pine: its needles are bluish-green and longer, growing in pairs or bunches. The tree grows up to 40 meters and lives for about 350 years. In good harvest years, up to 1.5 thousand cones can be counted on a pine tree.
A young pine tree has a cone-shaped crown, but over time its appearance changes - the older the pine tree, the rounder and wider its crown. But in a very old tree, the top becomes flat, like an umbrella.
Pine buds that remain unopened in the spring are widely used in medicine. They contain resin, starch and vitamins. Pine oil is an excellent anti-inflammatory and antiseptic.
Pine wood enters the construction market in the form of lumber and is then used to build houses. Like spruce, it is used for roofs and floors, doors and building siding.
In addition, it is suitable for making furniture. Children's toys are made from it, and it is a material for construction piles and pillars. Burning pine wood produces soot, which is used to make paints and inks. Pine is also used to make railroad ties and paper is also made from it.
Data. Three types of pine - Pitsunda (grows in the Caucasus), chalk (found in the Voronezh and Belgorod regions), densely flowered (lives in the Primorsky Territory) are listed in the Red Book.
Spruce
Who doesn't know the evergreen symbol of the New Year? This is probably the most popular tree, known to everyone - from young to old.
It is distributed almost throughout the entire territory of our country. Spruce grows up to 35 meters, but there are also specimens 50 meters tall. The Christmas tree lives on average about 300 years.
An infusion of spruce needles is used as an antimicrobial agent, and essential oils help cure colds and improve immunity. Healing ointments and balms are made from the green cones and buds of spruce, and those who like to steam in a bathhouse cannot live without a medicinal spruce broom.
Spruce wood serves as a material for the production of boards and plywood, which are then used to make roofs, stairs, doors, floors and ceilings in houses. The highest quality alpine spruce species are used to make the body of stringed musical instruments. They also make paper from it.
This is interesting! The common spruce called Old Tiko lives in Sweden. And she would be no different from others if she had not already turned...9550 years old!
Non-thorny larches
Larch is one of the few conifers whose needles fall off in the winter.
The leaves-needles of the tree are very soft, flattened, richly light green, and the crown is loose, openwork, cone-shaped or rounded-ovoid in shape.
Many species of larch feel good not only in the north, but also in the middle zone. In early spring, pink “spikelets” bloom on the trees - the female flowers of the plant, which turn into cones after pollination. They are so bright and beautiful that they are called “taiga roses.”
Larch is a long-living tree, cold-resistant, fast-growing, and extremely light-loving. To quickly green up your area, pay attention to representatives of European and Siberian larches and their decorative forms, which differ in the shape of the crown (drooping, pyramidal, columnar, semi-recumbent, multi-stemmed, etc.), the color of the spikelets, the shape of the scales and the size of the cones.
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Fir
This coniferous representative is a resident of the European part; it can be found in Siberia and the Caucasus. The tree is about 50 meters high, some species can live up to 700 years. Unlike other conifers, fir cones grow upward like candles.
The tree's needles are flat and soft, dark green on top and have a white stripe underneath. In appearance, fir is very similar to spruce, so these trees are often confused. From a distance it resembles a green pyramid.
The healing properties of fir buds, bark and needles are known to medicine. Fir oil is widely used in cosmetology. In Siberia, everyone is familiar with health-improving fir brooms.
Soft fir wood is used to make furniture. Sometimes in shipbuilding it is used as a material for the construction of ship masts.
This is interesting! Today there are about 50 species of fir, among which is the tallest tree in Russia - the Caucasian fir. This tree grows as tall as a 30-story building.
Characteristics and properties of coniferous species
The assessment of wood used in enterprises is regulated by the standard. Each species has its own performance characteristics, which determine the area of application of the wood.
Strength of softwood
During the growth process, tree trunks experience large dynamic and static loads:
- wind;
- rain;
- snow;
- in contact with animals.
When producing lumber, the ability of trunks to withstand loads during sawing and manufacturing of products is taken into account. Strength characteristics are assessed according to the standard.
Hardness and wear resistance
The peculiarity of the structure affects the resistance to mechanical processing, penetration of hardware, and fasteners.
Moisture content of softwood
Two-digit indicators:
- relative humidity is expressed as the ratio of moisture to undried weight;
- absolute shows the water content in the total mass of the massif.
Properties of softwood
Wood is assessed visually for its decorative properties. Wear resistance (ability to abrasion under the influence of friction) is a value determined experimentally.
Description
The vast majority of conifers are perennials and evergreens. Only a few of them shed their needles for the winter. The rest renew their needles gradually, every few years.
Features of conifers:
- leaves are modified into needles;
- wood and bark contain many resinous substances;
- in the wild they grow up to 100 m or more;
- the formation of seeds covered with scales occurs in cones;
- Most of them are long-lived.
Root
The roots of the Siberian cedar pine
Conifers have a branched root system consisting of a long primary (tap) root with shoots in different directions and multiple short, branched roots. The latter are absorbent organs. Evergreen trees develop a taproot to great depths; it lies deep in the ground, up to two meters, which allows the species to survive in conditions of prolonged drought.
Foliage
Conifer needles
Conifers have a predominant needle shape. There are breeds with wide leaves in the form of stripes or scales. Their arrangement on the branch is mostly spiral-shaped, rarely opposite. They stretch from 2 mm to 400 mm in length. Trees growing in low light have darker needles. In blue spruce they have a matte-waxy coating, which protects the tree from ultraviolet radiation. Modified leaves retain moisture well and do not allow it to evaporate during drought, allowing sunlight to penetrate and absorb heat.
Reproduction
Pine cones
Coniferous trees mainly reproduce by seeds. Their difference from angiosperms is the absence of flowers and inflorescences, pistils and stamens. In spring, two types of cones are formed on the branches of the tree: male cones are microstrobiles, female cones are megastrobiles.
The cone consists of an axis and scales attached to it. On each cell of the megastrobilus, located at the top of the branches, two ovules with eggs inside ripen. Pollen ripens in greenish-yellow microstrobili. Then, with the help of the wind, animals or birds, it is transferred to the megastrobiles. The cone is glued together with resin, and the process of seed ripening begins. Two years later she falls to the ground. The seeds scatter on the ground and begin to germinate.
