Conifers include a wide variety of plant materials that are often referred to as “the bones” of a landscape. This category of plants is often referred to as “evergreen” or more broadly “pine trees” though there are dozens of varieties available beyond Pines themselves.
In general, most Conifers are “evergreen” trees meaning they do not lose their needles over the winter season. Pines, Spruces, Firs, Arborvitae, Junipers, Cypress, and many more would fit into this category.
There are some conifers that are ‘deciduous’ meaning they do drop needles in the late fall / early winter when the plant goes into dormancy. Though they are still considered to be conifers, they are not ‘evergreen’.
Not only do Conifers offer a rather fantastic variety of colors and textures throughout the entire year, but they also provide wildlife habitats all year long.
Unique specimen pieces can be used as accents in a smaller garden, with their relatively slow growth rates, they can be relied upon not to spread too far outside their planned area.
Some of the larger varieties can even be planted en masse to provide a natural privacy screen from neighbors.