Frank Bartlett Heisinger Conifer Garden

Frank Bartlett Heisinger Conifer Garden

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In 1969, work began to transform this former rock garden into a dwarf conifer garden. The original 250 plants comprising 150 species of dwarf conifers have culled themselves over the years as they have competed for resources, but the aesthetic intent is unsurpassed even with the reduced number of plants. The architect used a synoptic arrangement, grouping plants of each genus together. The other striking point to note is that dwarfs do not stay small; while they grow very slowly, some as little as an inch in a year, the garden’s plants are hardly small in stature some 50 years after they were first planted. The garden is also home to two stately umbrella pines, as well as a Cryptomeria collection. Several junipers, pines, false cypresses, cypresses, spruces, hemlocks, arborvitae, firs, and yews make the backdrop for accents like Japanese maples, mountain laurel, and oaks.