Spring has finally arrived in our upstate New York garden, and with it came an exciting delivery: our Iseli plant order! We've been eagerly anticipating these specialty evergreens and Japanese maples to enhance our landscape design, particularly around our new pondless waterfall feature.

In this post, we'll walk you through our plant selections, share why we chose each specimen, and reveal our initial placement ideas. If you're looking to add year-round structure and unique textures to your garden, you'll find plenty of inspiration below!

Our Evergreen Selection: Bringing Year-Round Structure and Texture

Specimen Evergreens

Deroiter Spruce - This Serbian spruce (Picea omorika 'Deroiter') has been on our wishlist for years. With its striking icy-blue needles and gorgeous cones, it brings a captivating architectural element to the garden. Growing at a moderate rate of 6-8 inches per year, it will eventually reach approximately 10 feet high by 8 feet wide - perfect for a medium to small garden space. Hardy to Zone 4 (−30°F), it's well-suited for our Zone 6a climate.

Firefly Oriental Spruce - This captivating evergreen (Picea orientalis 'Firefly') features vibrant new growth and is what sparked our passion for incorporating more specimen evergreens into our landscape. Growing 3-6 inches annually and reaching 6 feet high by 4 feet wide, this pyramidal shrub brings a unique color contrast to the garden. In our region, we were advised to plant it in a protected location to prevent wind burn - fortunately, our new garden space is sheltered from the strong west winds.

Arnes Dwarf Nordman Fir - For a stunning vertical accent, we selected this narrow, upright evergreen that grows about 6 inches per year. At maturity, it will reach approximately 10 feet high while staying a compact 2 feet wide. With its beautiful tiered effect and organized growth habit, it creates a striking architectural element in the garden. Hardy to Zone 5, it prefers full sun exposure.

Dinger Japanese Cedar - We couldn't resist this unique specimen purely for its unusual, whimsical texture. Growing 3-5 inches annually and reaching 4 feet high by 3 feet wide, it's marginally hardy in our Zone 6a garden (to −10°F), so we'll be giving it extra protection by tucking it near the fence where there are some protective rocks.

Piccolo Balsam Fir - This slow-growing evergreen (1-3 inches per year) features a lovely bluish-green color and an incredible tactile texture that feels almost like rubber. At maturity, it will remain a compact 2 feet high by 2 feet wide, making it perfect for small spaces. Hardy to Zone 3 (−40°F), it can thrive in both full sun and partial shade.

True Dwarf Pines

Slow Mound Mugo Pine (trio) - These true dwarf pines maintain a compact, globe shape without the aggressive growth of standard Mugo pines. Growing 3-6 inches annually and reaching approximately 4 feet high by 6 feet wide, they're incredibly hardy (to Zone 2, −50°F) and perfect for full sun locations. We purchased three to potentially create a repeating element throughout the garden.

Sherwood Compact Mugo Pine - Slightly smaller than our Slow Mound variety, this true dwarf pine grows 3-5 inches per year and will mature at about 3 feet high by 4 feet wide. Its unique "candles" (new growth) give it a distinctive texture that adds interest to the garden. Also hardy to Zone 2 (−50°F), it thrives in full sun.

Unique Textures

Blue Moon Sawara Cypress (trio) - We love the texture of cypress and were drawn to these specimens for their icy blue coloration. Growing at a moderate rate of 3-5 inches per year and eventually reaching 4 feet in both height and width, these globe-shaped evergreens provide beautiful contrast in the garden.

Gemstone Hinoki Cypress - This Iseli introduction caught our eye with its unique, almost quirky appearance - reminiscent of a character from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or perhaps the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter. Growing very slowly at 1-3 inches per year and reaching just 2 feet high by 1.5 feet wide, it's a delightful conversation piece that brings whimsy to the garden.

Dwarf Pagoda Japanese Holly - With its distinctive stacked growth habit, this holly looks more like a boxwood-holly hybrid than traditional Christmas holly. Growing 2-4 inches annually and reaching 3 feet high by 2 feet wide, it's a slow-growing, "tuckable" textural element that thrives in sun to part shade.

Ripple Brook Norway Spruce - Selected specifically for our pondless waterfall area, this trailing spruce creates a beautiful rippling effect with branches that curl up and down. Growing 3-5 inches per year and reaching 2 feet high by 4 feet wide, it's the perfect companion to cascade over the rocks that conceal the waterfall mechanics. Hardy to Zone 3 (−40°F), it will create a natural transition between the hardscape and plantings.

Green Screen Arborvitae - For creating privacy and vertical structure, we're giving these columnar evergreens another try in our garden. Growing to 10 feet high while staying a narrow 3 feet wide, they have a looser, more cypress-like texture than the common Emerald Green varieties. Hardy to Zone 5 (−20°F), they'll need careful establishment this year after our previous ones struggled with winter wind.

Statement Japanese Maples

To complement our evergreen collection, we added two spectacular Japanese maples that will serve as focal points in the garden:

Arctic Jade Maple - This impressive specimen arrived in a 20-gallon box and was Christopher's top pick. Growing 12-15 inches per year and eventually reaching 20 feet high by 15 feet wide, it features a stunning jade-green color and beautiful pink samaras (seed structures) after flowering. Hardy to Zone 4, it thrives in sun to partial shade positions.

Ice Dragon Japanese Maple - With its dramatic weeping habit and finely divided leaves, this maple makes a spectacular statement. Growing 6-12 inches annually and reaching 10 feet high by 15 feet wide (if left unpruned), it offers multi-season interest: spring foliage unfurls with orange-red blush before maturing to green, and fall brings a kaleidoscope of yellow, orange, and red colors. Its sinuous branch structure provides winter interest, and it's hardy to Zone 4 (−30°F).

Placing Our Plants: Creating a Design Vision

After unloading our treasures, we spent the evening playing with potential placements - particularly around our new pondless waterfall feature. Some decisions were immediate:

• The Ripple Brook Norway Spruce was destined for a position next to the waterfall where it could cascade over the rocks that conceal the pump mechanics.
• The Ice Dragon Japanese Maple found its home between two rocks where its weeping branches could extend over the water, creating beautiful reflections and shadows.
• The Arctic Jade Maple became a focal point, positioned with enough space to allow for planting in front of it - perhaps with blue hydrangeas to create a stunning color contrast.
• The Firefly Oriental Spruce was placed to create a transition zone between garden areas.

Our design concept involves creating a harmonious flow through different garden zones:

1. A contemporary cottage garden area with traditional elements like boxwoods, hydrangeas, and English roses
2. A transition zone marked by the Firefly Oriental Spruce
3. An "Adirondack extreme" area around the pond featuring our specimen evergreens and Japanese maples
4. A return to contemporary cottage style beyond the maple

After arranging everything, we decided to sleep on it, look at our design with fresh eyes in the morning, and then begin the planting process.

Looking Ahead

We're excited to see how these plantings transform our garden over the coming years. These slow-growing specimens will add permanent structure, unique textures, and year-round interest to our landscape.

Stay tuned for our next post, where we'll show you the final planting positions and share our tips for successfully establishing these special plants in your own garden!

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Thanks for growing with us!