This is a beautiful time of year when so many of the trees are changing colours.

 

There are many trees that turn yellow but there is one tree in particular that stands out from the rest and that is the Larch.

 

Larch is one of the only conifers that sheds its foliage annually and in the fall before the foliage falls off the needles turn a brilliant yellow. Throughout the winter the tree is barren of all foliage, and in the spring, new green foliage appears.

 

The needles appear in two different ways on the tree. Toward the outside tips of the tree the needles are grown singularly on the young twigs and as you follow the branch inward towards the trunk the needles crowd in and produce tufts of needles on short shoots. The needles themselves are slender, soft to the touch, and flexible.

 

The tree produces cones that are found on very tiny erect twigs which are pink when young and later, mature to brown and then opens up to release winged seeds. The cones will remain on the tree throughout the winter and are very visible when the branches are bare of foliage.

 

Larch trees are hardy and grow well in our area. They can be used as a feature tree, be planted in a group, as a hedge, or used as a windbreak. They need to be planted in full sun, in a moist, well-drained acidic soil for best results. It will adapt to wet, low lying areas but too much shade, or heavy, dry soil will produce a sparse looking tree. Larch trees are low maintenance requiring very little to no pruning.

 

The ‘Siberian Larch’ is a native to Siberia and can grow anywhere from 50-75 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It has a long lifespan of 100 years, so when you plant it make sure that you are choosing the right site keeping in mind how large it will grow.

 

A very graceful looking larch is the ‘Weeping Larch’ ( in photo at left) . The branches and foliage hang down making it a beautiful tree for a rock garden or a feature tree in any landscape. Its height depends on how it is grown and whether it is staked and how it is staked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A larch that is differently shaped and small is the “Deborah Waxman’, ( in photo at right)

 

as it grows 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide making it an upright dwarf. It has a blue/green needle that in the fall becomes yellow before falling off and it produces rose coloured cones.

 

Whichever type you choose, larch trees are an interesting and elegant looking tree for the landscape.