Species · Conifers like juniper and pine
European larch
Larix decidua
European larch is a deciduous conifer — needles that colour gold and drop every autumn, then regrow bright green each spring — which gives it a seasonal presence no evergreen conifer has. Fast growth and reliable backbudding make it one of the quicker species to develop ramification on, and the bark furrows attractively with age.
Care at a glance
- Watering
- Keep constantly moist; larch does not forgive drying out. Roughly every 1 days in spring, 1 in summer, 2 in autumn and 5 in winter.
- Light
- Full sun, six hours or more.
- Winter
- Fully hardy; sheds its needles and rests bare through winter. Protect it when the forecast drops below -30 °C.
- Feeding
- Every 14 days, Apr to Sep.
- Repotting
- Every 2 to 3 years, just as buds break, in Mar.
- Growth
- Fast growing. Hardy in zones 2 to 6.
The work calendar
| Work | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prune | Jun | Jul | ||||||||||
| Wire | Jan | Feb | Nov | Dec | ||||||||
| Pinch | May | Jun | Jul |