10 award-winning (AGM) small garden conifers
Perfect for smaller gardens and patios, conifers offer lasting colour and architectural interest that enhances any space with ease
Conifers are often overlooked in smaller gardens, yet their striking shapes and seasonal colour changes make them ideally suited to limited spaces like patios.
Valued for their architectural form and lasting appeal, these plants bring structure and charm throughout the year. Each has earned the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), reflecting their proven reliability and ease of growth in typical garden settings.
Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’ has been a classic and popular conifer for more than 100 years. The foliage is slightly coppery-gold in colour with brighter amber highlights. It lights up the winter garden as it develops richer cold weather tones, especially when seen against a dark background, such as a yew hedge. Height 2m (6½ft). Hardiness rating H7.
Taxus baccata ‘Standishii’ is appealing for its slow growth, its bold columnar habit, its dense upright shoots and closely packed foliage, its all-year golden leaves, plus its pretty red berries. It’s an ideal golden statement in a small space. ‘Standishii’ grows best in just a little summer shade to avoid scorch, and it puts on impressive, bright colour. Height 1m (3½ft). Hardiness rating H7.
Pinus mugo ‘Ophir’ is ideal as a feature in a scree or raised bed. The upright branches develop into a flat-topped, rounded conifer, which is green in summer. In winter all the needles growing in the sun turn yellow so the top of the plant is brightly coloured and the shaded parts remain darker, creating a striking contrast. Makes an excellent support for varieties of Clematis alpina. Height 45cm (17½in). Hardiness rating H7.
Picea mariana ‘Nana’ grows with restraint and happily moulds itself around rocks and steps. Making a mound of short, sharp, blue-green needles, it’s an ideal conifer for rock gardens, raised beds and scree beds. Developing into a dense specimen that is broader than high, this is a conifer that looks better against pale gravel, stone or brick rather than against dark mulch. Height 30cm (12in). Hardiness rating H7.
Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’, like many junipers that feature stiff greyish or bluish needles, makes a fine garden conifer. This one develops a low and spreading habit and eventually matures at about five times as wide as high. The short, prickly needles are greyish-green and look especially attractive against a background of gravel. Height 30cm (12in). Hardiness rating H7.
You can trust × Cuprocyparis leylandii ‘Gold Rider’ to keep in control, unlike some of the other Leyland cypresses; it’s a noticeably slow-growing form which will never cause problems. ‘Gold Rider’ features attractive bright golden foliage, a better colour than that of the widely grown × Cuprocyparis leylandii ‘Castlewellan’, and it thrives happily in full sun without the foliage burning. Height 2m (6½ft). Hardiness rating H6.
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Vilmoriniana’ is a dependable rock garden favourite. This tough and slow-growing gem features foliage crowded into a dense globe. The shoot tips turn down to give the whole plant added character and softness. While deep green in summer, the whole plant turns purplish brown in winter. Height 50cm (20in). Hardiness rating H6.
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Minima Aurea’ reaches just over 1m (3½ft) in 30 years, and is ideal as a rock garden or raised bed specimen with vertically held sprays of soft, golden foliage that add colour all year. Developing into a broadly conical shape, attractive and eye-catching when still small, this is dependable and consistently popular. Height 60cm (24in) in 10 years. Hardiness rating H6.
Calocedrus decurrens ‘Berrima Gold’ is a colourful plant with flat fans of bright yellow-green foliage in summer which, with the arrival of autumn and winter, develops an attractive rich orange colouring. Happy in full sun as, unlike some yellow-leaved plants, the yellow summer foliage never scorches. Developing a narrow, upright habit, the look is enhanced by the tree’s orange bark. Height 2m (6½ft). Hardiness rating H7.
Abies koreana ‘Silberlocke’ is a slow-growing form of an attractive and stately fir. ‘Silberlocke’ has rich, dark-green needles which curve upwards to reveal the bright, silvery-white undersides, hardly visible in most other varieties. Bold, green cones up to 7½cm (3in) tall mature to an attractive violet colour, even on young plants, before fading to russet brown. Makes a splendid specimen for any garden. Height 2m (6½ft). Hardiness rating H7.
