Larix laricina Arethusa Bog - Larch

Rare in cultivation, the Larix laricina 'Arethusa Bog, also known as the American larch, is a deciduous conifer of moderate size, with surprising architecture that evokes a 'witch's broom'. Its horizontal branches are adorned with trailing shoots, forming a dense crown that seems battered by the wind, attached to the earth via a slender trunk. Its small bluish-green needles turn to a brilliant yellow in autumn. With fairly rapid growth, it will be perfect in a small garden, at the back of a border, or as a standalone in a romantic garden. Very hardy, it requires light, acidic, fresh to moist soil, and a sunny exposure.

The American larch, also known as the Laricina larch, is a medium-sized conifer with a shaggy pyramidal habit that can reach 10 to 20 m (32 ft 10 in to 65 ft 7 in) in height, with deciduous foliage. It is native to the cold, marshy, and peaty regions of North America, up to Alaska. It belongs to the pine family, such as pines, firs, and spruces. It is a species of cold climate and peat bogs, often poorly drained.

The 'Arethusa Bog' variety is a semi-dwarf form discovered in the 1970s. After 10 years, it forms a bush with a somewhat disheveled look, with an irregular pyramidal and open habit, reaching 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) in height and 60 cm (23.6 in) in width. Its growth is quite fast for a larch. Anchored on horizontal branches, its long shoots trail gracefully. The foliage, deciduous, consists of needles measuring 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in), spiralled on the shoots. From spring to summer, the foliage is generally bluish-green. The bright red cones are scaly, rose-shaped, tiny, not exceeding 1 to 2.3 cm (0.4 to 0.9 in) in length. They turn brown at ripeness. This larch, like all others, takes on a magnificent hue in autumn, here golden yellow. Covering its young stems, its beautiful old rose to pale brown bark makes an additional asset in winter.

The American larch 'Arethusa Bog' is a very original conifer, suited to acidic and fresh soils. It will work wonders in a small garden, in a Japanese or exotic border, provided it is placed in a very sunny exposure. In a romantic garden, it can be associated with heathland plants such as camellias and rhododendrons. It will pair well with bushy or spreading conifers. The real graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes and textures to the waltz of flowerings. These plants structurally enhance a border, mark walkways, border the terrace, easily substituting the strong presence of pruned boxwood. They associate with shaggy grasses and heathers whose temperament is very complementary. The key is to play with volumes and colours.

The name of this bush means 'Arethusa's Bog'. In Greek mythology, Arethusa (which translates to fountain) is a nymph, a daughter of Nereus, who fled from her home in Arcadia to reappear as a spring on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse. 

Advice: Water regularly during the first two years, and in case of prolonged drought.