When the garden slows down in autumn and winter and flowers are scarce is the time that shrubs which keep their shape and colour year round are specially appreciated. In the case of Chamaecyparis ‘Blue Mountain’, a slow growing, pyramid shaped conifer, winter is the time of year when the steel grey foliage takes on its best colours. Mind you, the colour is impressive at other times of the year too.

This is one of those shrubs which can be used as an accent among plants of lower, rounder and less disciplined form. It can be the contrast among low growing foliage plants, including succulents - those with blue or blue green foliage such as some of the echeverias or sempervivums would be great. Or you could use it as a stand out contrast among ground covering Sedum ‘Aculpulco Gold’.

Perennials with blue or violet flowers are also intriguing to combine with a pyramid shaped conifer such as Chamaecyparis ‘Blue Mountain’. Low growing, very free flowering kinds such as Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ are ideal, as are ground covering Bacopa varieties ‘Blue Showers’, ‘Lady Caroline’ or ‘Blizzard’.

Parahebe ‘Snowflake’, a diminutive native shrub with charming little white flowers sprinkled like snow over the small, narrow, deep green foliage for month after month in spring and summer, is another plant with which to enhance Chamaecyparis ‘Blue Mountain’. Or for a dazzling contrast of foliage colours, where winters are mild, surround it with the low growing ground cover shrub Coleonema ‘Sunset Gold’, or where frosts are heavy with a low growing golden foliage conifer, hardy Erica or Calluna.