Conifer comeback - good evergreens for the small garden?

 

Picea glauca JW Daisy's White, a conifer recommended by Derek Spicer

Something that may have escaped your attention is that this is National Conifer Week - yup, till 7th October. It's been going for seven years and its aim, according to an article in Hort Week last year, is:

 

to showcase the modern-day conifer, highlighting the structures, styles and colours available and the suitability for conifers in all types of garden.

"It's time to challenge the view that conifers are old-fashioned," say the organisers.

For those of us who remember 1970s gardens, this is the horticultural equivalent of the return of flares. You saw them everywhere, and were glad when they'd gone. As I recall, they were particularly present in the gardens of boxy new-builds with no chimneys (hmm, a physical expression of a subconscious loss?).   

Still, I suspect, however groan-worthy some of us find them, we do recognise their usefulness in creating structure in a winter garden, and punctuation in a summer bed. Go and get one and you'll be bang on trend. Conifers are making a comeback.