Larches look for the entire world like evergreen trees. Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Larch is also called Larix, is a long waving twigs that have tufts of small needles; they even have cones. But come fall those needles turn yellow and fall off just like the leaves of any deciduous tree.
And the wood is more like that of deciduous hardwood trees than the softer wooded evergreens. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada. Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn.
Larches are beautiful in the wild. It stands of them will turn a hillside a bright pale green in early spring when the needles start to grow, and bright yellow in fall. But have also lived with larch on the lawn, as a specimen tree, and found it a handsome unusual accent.
Larch Tree Cones
The Native American larch “Larix laricina” also called “eastern larch” and “tamarack” grows as tall as 90 feet in an open pyramid. Larches are among the few deciduous conifers, which are mostly evergreen. Other deciduous conifers include the golden larch Pseudolarix amabilis, the dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the Chinese swamp cypress Glyptostrobus pensilis, and the bald cypresses in the genus Taxodium.
It is fast-growing and one of the hardiest trees known. It will even live in Zone 1, regions of which are simply referred to as” the tamarack” because that’s about all threats that grow there. European larch “L. deciduas” hardy to Zone 2, is taller, and is perhaps best known for the variety L. d. “Pendula” whose climbs have gracefully drooping side branches. Moreover, Japanese Larch “L. leptolepsis or L. kaempferi” hardy to zone 4, is also pendulous, with peeling bark. It grows very fast and is more resistant to canker than other larches.
Well, to grow Larch, you need a cool climate. They prefer a sunny location and deep fertile, rather acid soil that is moist but well-drained. They are easy to transplant but are best planted balled and bur-lapped in fall or early spring. Larches rarely require pruning. Lower branches can be removed from the headroom if they are a week and straggly. The trees should have a central leader.
If that is damaged replace it with another branch as described in the listing for fir. Larch trees are not too demanding in terms of soil, they adjust themselves and have the ability to live a long life. The larch tree wood is bicolor, with beautiful salmon pink heartwood and yellowish-white sapwood.
Larch Tree in Wild Nature. Photo Credit – Wikipedia
