Most prairie readers are familiar with pine and spruce, which are readily found in our urban and rural backyards. Larch and fir are less common and sometimes less readily available, but make wonderful additions to our landscapes. Try them. You will not be disappointed.
Larch (Larix) is a deciduous conifer native to boreal and alpine regions. Its seeds are formed into cones, making it a conifer. But it’s not “evergreen”. The needles, formed singly in the first year’s shoots and in clusters on short spurs in subsequent years, turn a lovely golden yellow in fall and then drop off. Larix is the classic name of this genus from which the larch is probably derived. The term was first used in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and referred to a bowman or archer – who presumably used wood in their bow and arrows.
Larch grows well in full sun and is best planted in early spring before its needles have developed. Three species of larch grow well on the Canadian prairies.
The American larch or tamarack (Larix laricin), native to boreal forest swamps in North America, does best with even moisture, but adapts well to normal garden conditions. About 15 m high and 6 m wide (50 ft x 20 ft), it has a narrow pyramidal shape with upturned branches. The bark is smooth and gray when young, developing reddish-brown scaly patches with age. The needles are a shiny bluish green and the pretty little cones look like tiny wooden rosettes. Tamarack comes from an Algonquin word, akemantak, meaning “wood used for rackets”. Cut into thin strips, it was used by the Algonquians to make snowshoes. Native Americans also used tamarack rootlets to stitch birch bark when making canoes. And the poles were among the first “corduroy roads” (a type of wooden track for crossing low or swampy areas) because of their resistance to rot.
The European larch (deciduous larix) is native to the mountains of central and northern Europe.
The name of the species, lapsed, indicates that it is deciduous and will lose its needles each fall. It’s a
large pyramidal tree, 20 mx 8 m (65 ft x 26 ft), with upturned branches that become horizontal with age. The needles are a soft medium green, turning a beautiful golden yellow in the fall. It grows well in full sun on well-drained soil.
deciduous larix ‘Pendula’ is a smaller weeping variety with an attractive but somewhat irregular shape about 3-4 m (10-13 ft) tall at maturity. It is best used as an accent in the garden.
The Siberian larch (Sibiric Larix) is native to northeastern Russia to western Siberia and, like most Siberian plants, is well adapted to grasslands. In Russia, its resin has long been used as chewing gum. It is a large pyramidal tree 20 m x 15 m (65 ft x 50 m) tall and wide, fast growing and drought tolerant once established. The bark is yellowish on young twigs, aging first to reddish brown and then to dark grayish brown with deep furrows. The wood is hard and rot-resistant and has long been valued as fence posts, posts, railway sleepers and props for mines. ‘Oasis’ is a denser, rounder recent form introduced by Rick Durand.
Sara Williams has authored and co-authored numerous books, including Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner and, with Bob Bors, the recent Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She continues to give workshops on a wide range of prairie gardening topics.
This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; [email protected]). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.
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