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Conifers are on of the oldest groups of plants. Most conifer families appeared during the Mesozoic ere, from 230 to 68 million years ago.

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The worlds biggest and tallest trees are conifers. The tallest is a Coast Redwood with a height of 115.55 meters

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Has over 550 species of trees and shrubs. There are 7 families of conifers, with the largest being the pine family, with 232 species.

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Image courtesy of Jan LeCocq

As the name suggests, conifers are plants with seed-bearing cones. Most are evergreen trees and shrubs with needle-like or scale-like foliage. Some conifers, such as pines, have great economic value in the timber and paper industries. Firs, spruce trees, and others play a role in our holiday celebrations, when they're decorated as Christmas trees for homes and offices.

Of course, conifers are also versatile and attractive additions to the landscape. Many popular selections are cold hardy to USDA zone 4, providing color and structure long after seasonal flowers fade and deciduous plants lose their leaves. When they're blanketed by snow, these plants also lend interest and beauty to the winter garden.

Look for conifers in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some have a low, mounding growth habit, while others form pyramids, narrow columns, or globes. You'll find them in a range of colors, too, from green to olive-gray; pale yellow to gold; silvery-blue to blue-green; and many shades in between. Some conifers undergo a beautiful color change in autumn, becoming bronze, reddish, or plum-purple when the mercury dips.

Dwarf or miniature conifers are especially useful for tucking into flowerbeds and rock gardens, accenting entranceways, or planting in troughs and other containers. Most are easy to maintain because they grow very slowly.

Writer Sara Malone and photographer Jan LeCocq blog about conifers and other woody foliage plants at Form and Foliage and recommend them for low-maintenance, year-round garden interest.

Malone says, "One key aspect to using conifers in most gardens is that people choose dwarf or miniature varieties. If one plants an adorable little textured specimen, and it ends up growing 14 inches a year, you can see how it will quickly outgrow its spot and indeed get way too large for almost any suburban landscape."

Although conifers can be pruned for size, "They never stop growing," Malone adds. "The key to success (in your garden design) is knowing your materials."

The American Conifer Society classifies conifers as miniature, dwarf, intermediate, and large-growing plants. Although membership is required to access some content, the ACS also offers information to the public on using, maintaining, and designing with conifers.

For success, choose a conifer that needs the conditions you can provide in your garden spot or landscape. Pines, firs and spruce trees are some of the most commonly grown conifers, along with cedars, cypresses, hemlocks, yews and junipers.

Most need well-drained, slightly acidic soil and full sun. Gardeners in southern climates, where the summer sun is hot and intense, should give their plants some afternoon shade.

The United States National Arboretum does not recommend amending your soil when planting conifers, as this discourages their roots from growing deep and spreading out. Autumn is the best time to plant, when strong root systems have a chance to form in cool weather. Mulch well after planting, and water deeply, but not too often. It's fine for the surface soil to go partially dry between waterings, as long as deeper soil stays moist.

According to the Arboretum, junipers, pines and true cedars can tolerate dry conditions, while hemlocks, dawn redwoods, bald cypress and Atlantic white cedars prefer moister soil.

If you live in a climate where the winters are cold, the Arboretum suggests growing black spruce, balsam fir or Siberian cypress. If you're in a warm climate, try Arizona cypress, deodar cedar and Japanese cedar.

Yew - Used as hedges, ground covers, and topiaries, yews have fine needles and grow best in zones 4 to 7. Plant them in sun to partial sun or even shade; they're tough enough to tolerate dry conditions. Like cedars, they attract birds, which are drawn to the red berries produced on female varieties, but are seldom bothered by deer.

Special thanks to photographer Jan LeCocq and writer Sara Malone for their assistance with this article.

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Image courtesy of Jan LeCocq As the name suggests, conifers are plants with seed-bearing cones. Most are evergreen trees and shrubs with needle-like or scale-like foliage. Some conifers, such as pines, have great economic value in the timber and paper industries.

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conifers.org: The Gymnosperm Database: natural history, botany and taxonomic information on conifers, cycads, ginkgo and related plants.