Conifers
Abies pinsapo (PLUG grown)
Spanish fir Ht 20-25m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Tolerates exposed sites / Tolerates dry sites / Tolerates shade / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Timber / Shelter / Container Grown / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
Broadly conical, evergreen. Short densely arranged blunt grey-green to grey-blue needles. 15cm upright cylindrical cones. Slow growing but tolerates very dry and exposed conditions.
Chamaecyparis obtusa (PLUG grown)
Hinoki cypress Ht 15-30m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Timber / Tolerates limestone soils / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
Central Japan. Conical evergreen, highly valued in Japan for building temples, shrines, baths and table tennis blades. Wood is lemon scented, straight grained and very durable. Needs a well drained soil. Rare in NZ.
Cunninghamia lanceolata (OG grown)
Chinese fir Ht 20-30m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Timber / Container Grown / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
Broadly conical, evergreen. Sharp tipped strap-shaped leaves, green in summer, bronze in cold climates in winter. Does best in fertile soils. Good stand of timber on waterworks land near New Plymouth.
Cunninghamia lanceolata (PLUG grown)
Chinese fir Ht 20-30m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Timber / Container Grown / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
Broadly conical, evergreen. Sharp tipped strap-shaped leaves, green in summer, bronze in cold climates in winter. Does best in fertile soils. Good stand of timber on waterworks land near New Plymouth.
Cupressus arizonica (PLUG grown)
Arizona cypress Ht 25-30m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Tolerates exposed sites / Tolerates dry sites / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Timber / Shelter / Container Grown / Tolerates pumice soils / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
Broadly conical, silvery-grey evergreen. Drought tolerant, resistant to cypress canker, good for dryland shelterbelts. Bark is fibrous like C. macrocarpa.
Cupressus cashmeriana (PLUG grown)
Kashmir weeping cypress Ht 15-30m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Container Grown / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
India, Arunachal Pradesh. Conical evergreen, straight trunk, Ascending branches with long pendulous branchlets of blue-green flattened foliage. Spectacular reflected in water. Tolerates long dry periods on NW facing slope. Grown from our own seed.
Cupressus gigantea (POT grown)
Tsang-po cypress Ht 30-35m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Container Grown / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
S.E. Tibet. Narrowly columnar, evergreen, attractive blue-grey foliage, promising quick growth from cuttings. Hardy in NZ. Old growth trees to 2500-year-old, 45m tall, 6 m dbh. at 3000-3400m in Tsangpo River Valley.
Cupressus sempervirens stricta (POT grown)
Upright cypress Ht 6 -10m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Tolerates exposed sites / Tolerates dry sites / Intolerant to clay soils / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Shelter / Container Grown / Hedging / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
Mediterranean area. Evergreen narrow columnar form famous in Italian landscapes. Needs free draining soil, tolerates very dry conditions. Aromatic timber.
Picea pungens glauca (OG grown)
Colorado blue spruce Ht 5-20m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Tolerates exposed sites / Tolerates dry sites / Attractive flowers or catkins / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Christmas Trees / Shelter / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
W. USA. Narrowly conical, evergreen. Blue-grey foliage attractive on young trees. In mild districts needle retention declines, best in cold districts. Popular Christmas tree in USA.
Picea pungens glauca (PLUG grown)
Colorado blue spruce Ht 5-20m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Tolerates exposed sites / Tolerates dry sites / Attractive flowers or catkins / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Christmas Trees / Container Grown / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
W. USA. Narrowly conical, evergreen. Blue-grey foliage attractive on young trees. In mild districts needle retention declines, best in cold districts. Popular Christmas tree in USA.
Pinus coulteri (PLUG grown)
Big cone pine Ht 25-30m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Tolerates exposed sites / Tolerates dry sites / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Edible fruits and seeds / Timber / Shelter / Container Grown / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
S California & N Mexico. Broadly conical, evergreen. Stout shoots, needles in 3's 15-30cm long, stiff and curved, pale blueish-grey-green. Cones very large 25-35cm long. Tolerates dry sites.
Pinus pinea (PLUG grown)
Mediterranean stone pine Ht 15-25m
Medium tree / Evergreen / Resistant to salt spray / Tolerates exposed sites / Tolerates dry sites / Attractive berries fruits or cone / Edible fruits and seeds / Container Grown / Tolerates pumice soils / Cold hardy (H4) (-10 to -5C)
Broadly conical when young, develops a broadly arched umbrella shaped evergreen crown. Cones globose, ripen in 3rd year. Large seeds edible. Suited to dry and coastal conditions. Tolerates heat & cold.