Japanese larch

Japanese larch: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 25–35 m with a broad, conical crown about 8 m wide and fairly horizontal branches.

Needles

2–4 cm, slightly bluer green than in European larch, in tufts; they fall in autumn.

Twigs

Red-brown and often with a bluish bloom.

Bark

Red-brown to grey, in narrow flakes.

Cones

Almost round, 2–3 cm; the scale edges are turned outwards (rosette shape).

Difference from European larch

European larch has yellowish twigs and cone scales without turned-back edges. Hybrid larch (Larix × marschlinsii), a cross between the two, shows intermediate forms.

Pruning: July–August and November–February

Identify by feature: Needles that fall · Needles in bundles

Looks like it, but isn’t

• European larch Larix decidua: yellowish twigs and cone scales without turned-back edges. Difference from European larch
• Hybrid larch (Larix × marschlinsii): a cross between the two, widely planted, with intermediate forms.

Why grow it?

• Fast growth and an open, light crown that allows plenty of undergrowth.
• Fresh blue-green in spring, golden yellow in autumn.
• Red-brown twigs that add colour in winter.
• Dwarf and weeping forms suit small gardens too.

Japanese larch: where does it grow best?

• Full sun; like other larches it can’t tolerate shade.
• Almost any free-draining soil, preferably fairly moist: it likes a damp, maritime climate and struggles in prolonged drought.
• Less susceptible to larch canker than European larch.
• Allow for 25–35 m in height and a crown of about 8 m; in a small garden choose a dwarf or weeping form.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

30 m tall, 8 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Japanese maple: A small tree with red autumn colour, next to a dwarf or weeping form of Japanese larch.
• Rhododendron: Evergreen and flowering in May: green when the larch is bare.
• Winter heath: Flowers pink or white in winter, at the foot of a bare dwarf form.
• Silver birch: White trunks and yellow autumn leaves next to a large larch.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Japanese larch: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant while it is leafless, from November to February.
2. A pot-grown dwarf or weeping form can also be planted in spring, but not in frost or drought.
3. Weeping forms are grafted onto a stem: use a sturdy stake and tie the trunk loosely.
4. Protect young trees from deer and rabbits.
5. Water after planting and in dry summers.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first few years, and later too in hot, dry summers.

Feeding

Not needed for a tree; a dwarf form in a pot gets a little compost in spring.

Dwarf forms

In a pot or rock garden the soil dries out quickly: water regularly in summer.

Bare in winter

In November all the needles fall: that is normal.

Tip: Want a larch in a small garden? Choose a weeping form such as ‘Stiff Weeping’ or a dwarf form such as ‘Blue Dwarf’: they stay small and colour just as beautifully in autumn.

Japanese larch: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August and November–February.

When: Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. If pruning is needed, do it in winter (November–February) or in summer (July–August).

How:

• Prune as for European larch: lightly, leaving the leader intact.
• On a weeping form, cut out shoots that grow upright or trail along the ground.
• Remove wild shoots from below the graft union of a grafted form straight away.

Caution: Don’t prune in spring while the needles are emerging.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

In winter, let ripe cones open somewhere warm and sow the seeds in March–April in a tray.

Grafting

Dwarf and weeping forms are grafted; that is a job for the nursery.

Japanese larch: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• In winter it is bare; the red-brown twigs then add colour.

Diseases and pests

• Drought: Brown needles and early needle drop in long, dry summers. Water young trees and mulch the soil.
• Larch case-bearer: Whitened, withered needle tips in spring. A healthy tree recovers on its own.
• Woolly aphid: White, woolly tufts on the needles; usually harmless.
• Phytophthora ramorum: Dying shoots, blackened needles and resin bleeding on the trunk. In Britain this disease has affected many larch woods. If you suspect it, get an expert to take a look.

Through the year

• January: Formative pruning during dormancy; plant in mild weather.
• February: Last month for winter pruning and planting.
• March: New needles emerge: don’t prune.
• June: Water in dry spells.
• July: Summer pruning; trim weeping forms.
• August: Summer pruning still possible; water in dry summers.
• October: Golden yellow autumn colour.
• November: Needles fall; planting season and winter pruning.
• December: Winter pruning possible; protect young trees from browsing.

What can you use it for?

Wood

Fast-growing forestry timber for cladding, posts and beams.

Garden and landscape

Also available in dwarf forms for small gardens.

Good for wildlife

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• Grows faster than European larch and is therefore widely used in forestry.
• With their outward-curling scales, the little cones look like tiny wooden roses.
• Hybrid larch arose around 1900 in Scotland, at Dunkeld, where European and Japanese larches grew side by side.
• The name kaempferi honours Engelbert Kaempfer, a German physician who worked for the Dutch East India Company on Dejima in Japan in the late 17th century and described its plants.
• In the wild it grows only in the mountains of central Honshu, Japan’s largest island.