Larix decidua Horstmann's Recurved

Larix decidua Horstmann's Recurved is a compact German variety of European larch. This deciduous conifer has an extremely twisted and architectural habit, with stems branching off in all directions. In spring, they are covered with clusters of short, tender green needles, which darken as the season progresses. When autumn arrives, the foliage takes on a beautiful yellow hue before falling to the ground. This very hardy mountain variety prefers light and slightly moist soil, without too much limestone, even poor, as well as a sunny exposure.

The European larch, Larix decidua, is a tall tree that can reach a height of 30 m, belonging to the Pinaceae family, like Firs, Spruces, Cedars, and Pines. It is one of the few conifers, along with the Bald Cypress (Taxodium) and the Metasequoia, whose deciduous foliage falls in autumn. It is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, where it is found at an altitude between 1400 and 2400 m. It is a pioneer species capable of improving poor or degraded soils, with great hardiness (down to -40 °C). Highly valued for its wood, it adapts very well to cultivation in lowland areas.
Larix decidua Horstmann's Recurved is quite different from the original botanical species. This cultivar was selected in 2003 from a seedling in Germany, at the Uwe Horstmann Nursery (Lower Saxony, north of Hanover). It is a compact variety with slow growth, 15 to 25 cm per year, which in about ten years will form a plant 1.5 m to 2.5 m tall and 1 m to 1.30 m wide. With a somewhat gangly appearance, it has a more or less conical habit, although often irregular. Its very twisted branches constantly fork, resembling snakes in motion, giving it a highly ornamental aspect in winter when the wood is bare. In spring, the branches are adorned with bright green tender needle-like foliage, inserted in small tufts irregularly spaced along the branches. The foliage darkens slightly throughout the growing season and finally takes on beautiful yellow colours in autumn.
This extremely cold-resistant, miniature conifer is sensitive to drought. Perfectly adapted to mountainous regions, it is not suitable for much drier southern areas. It should therefore be planted in moist, well-drained soil, exposed to the sun or possibly in light shade. Once these basic needs are met, it proves to be rather easy to cultivate, requiring almost no maintenance, except for some light pruning to shape its habit.

This Larix will interest collectors and enthusiasts of plant rarities. Its original twisted habit is very interesting and will allow it to find a place in a rockery, provided the soil is not dry, or in a contemporary garden. Its architectural silhouette, especially in winter, will inevitably attract attention. It can be the starting point for a small collection of bizarre plants, such as Cryptomeria japonica 'Globosa Nana', a dwarf Japanese Cedar that forms a one-metre-wide ball with a shaggy appearance. Corylus avellana Scooter is a dwarf twisted Hazelnut that does not exceed 1 m in height, with an appearance as ghostly as the Larch, but with round leaves that clearly distinguish it from its needles. And to stick with intricate shapes, while enjoying beautiful colours, Prunus incisa Kojo no mai is a dwarf Japanese flowering Cherry that combines a beautiful pale pink spring bloom with a festival of red colours in autumn when the foliage blazes before falling.