What colourful plants can I grow in the same pot as a dwarf conifer and green ivy to make it look bright and beautiful all year round? Thanks
You can add some colorful perennials and also add a couple annuals during the summer if there is room.
For evergreen perennials, check out the colorful foliage of coral bells (Heuchera). Another perennial evergreen, Hellebore, flowers in late winter, early spring. Vinca minor is a perennial vine with blue flowers. Candytuft is a long-blooming white flowered perennial that begins blooming in early spring.
Annuals that you can tuck in for color all summer include petunias, million bells, begonias, sunpatiens, coleus and sweet potato vine.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-7/zone-7-annual-flowers.htm
There aren't many things that will grow with either of those, unfortunately. What will grow with a conifer depends on the type that it is. Most conifers will make the soil too acidic for other plants to survive.
These articles will help with the limited range of suggestions for this:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/lily-of-the-valley/growing-lily-of-the-valley.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/hosta/growing-hosta-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/jacobs-ladder/growing-jacobs-ladder-plant.htm
As for what will grow with Ivy... Ivy has a tendency to crowd out and kill off anything that it grows with. You may not find anything that pairs well with this plant.
2 Wilma Verve goldcrest conifers. Max 90cm wide and 300cm height when fully grown says on label.
They do grow bushy and fairly quickly. If you need to transplant them, early fall would be a good time to do it. It's hard to tell from your photo, but I don't think they're too close together, but maybe a little close to your fence.
Here's an article for you: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/cypress/lemon-cypress-care.htm
I leave on the North Wales coast.
Recovery will depend on the exact conifer in question, and browning of conifers can have many causes.
Usually, overwatering will be the most common issue. This will require a fungicide to kill off the resulting infection.
Here is an article that will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/using-fungicides-in-garden.htm
Some conifers will regrow lost patches, and some will not. Recovery will depend on the exact plant in question. Either way, you will need to cut out the brown patches at the base of the branch.
I would like to cut my conifers crossways to bring the height down; they are 7ft tall and very thick. If I cut them crossways will it kill them?
The answer is yes, it could kill the tree. The thicker the trunk, the larger the open wound will be, which can allow diseases to infiltrate the tree. Here's an article that suggests some alternatives to this practice:
https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2073/2014/03/092507.pdf
You may also want to consult a certified arborist for advice on how to resolve your issues with this tree.
Hello I want to know if my trees can be saved, i moved house in september last year and pulled my conifer trees up and replanted them but they seem to have gone really brown on the outside they are still greenish on the inside, some of it was dark brown at the bottom and I have cut all this off any advice on this please.
Generally once a conifer goes brown, there's no going back, but it depends on what is killing it. I suspect the transfer did them in. Were the roots kept moist in the transfer? Here is more:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/transplanting-trees.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/pine/pine-tree-drying-bottom.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/pine/pine-tree-pruning.htm
We live approximately 500 metres from the Blackpool coast line and have conifers that protect the front of our house and used to provide great privacy for us. They have become an eyesore and gaps have appeared throughout. We have seen Viburnum tinus; Prunus laurocerasus Can you recommend any? we would like them to grow approx 8 foot high and span approx 4m. https://www.google.com/maps/place/489+Devonshire+Rd,+Blackpool+FY2+0JR/@53.8460906,-3.0415428,3a,15y,47.82h,89.36t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2XbdPpXO0xed748JfS058Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x487b436141b499cd:0xf586d16ad2d3c5a4!8m2!3d53.8462124!4d-3.0411737 Thanks in advance Regards Michael Watkinson
Be sure to add some compost to the soil before you add new plants.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/noise-reduction-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/cherry-laurel/growing-cherry-laurels.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/shgen/care-of-landscape-hedges.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/viburnum/common-viburnum-varieties.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-6/evergreen-trees-for-zone-6.htm
The HOA has regularly maintained the outside and top of my hedge but unfortunately I have not maintained the inside. I finally purchased a hedge trimmer but I don't know where to start. There is a section that has died because we planted a burning bush next to the hedge that grew large and has prevented the hedge from staying healthy in that section. The rest is healthy as it were but it has not been trimmed for years and I am afraid to trim too closely without killing it. Any suggestions?
for now, I would only trim edges, or leave it alone. It needs time to get some of that light and recover a bit before being shaped up.