Dr. Clark West always has loved plants. He went through what he calls a “rose phase” before moving on to annuals and then dahlias. In 1974 his wife brought home a few conifers, changing the West family landscape.

        “We had a pretty big lot and I got tired of planting flowers and having to deadhead them,” says Dr. West, a kidney specialist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. “I thought maybe it would be nice to have conifers.”

        He joined the American Conifer Society, learned more about conifers and began sharing seeds and plants with other evergreen aficionados. For years he served as vice president of the organization.

        Dr. West grows most of his plants from seed. Conifers are planted throughout his 1 1/4-acre lot in Crosby Township, outside Harrison.

        “My neighbor came over the other day and said, "My God, you must have 800 plants!' I said, "You're wrong, it's closer to 1,000,”' Dr. West says, chuckling.

        In the fall Dr. West collects seeds. Friends also send him seeds - a friend in Colorado finds them while hiking in the mountains.

        Dr. West plants the seeds and encourages them to grow under lights in his basement. In the spring, he brings the tiny conifers (still in their pots) outdoors. By the second spring, he transplants them into the garden.

        It requires patience. Dr. West won't know whether he is interested in keeping the plant for about five years.

        “They're slow growing and you have to wait and see what's going to develop,” he says.

        He's had plenty of keepers, including a low-growing yellow arborvitae that he named “gold drop.” A friend in the nursery business has expressed an interest in distributing the plant, which developed in 1988 from the seed of a green arborvitae.

        If the plants don't develop the traits Dr. West is seeking, he gives them away.

        “It seems members of the family are always building new houses and they want something to landscape with, he says.

Conifers advice

        Join the American Conifer Society (www.conifersociety.org) to learn more about the plants.

        Dr. Clark West recommends the following places for seeing conifer collections: Rowe Arboretum, 4600 Muchmore Road, Indian Hill; Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Winton Place; Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Clermont, Ky., and Hidden Lake Gardens near Tecumseh, Mich.

        Fall is a great time to plant conifers. It is also fine to plant in the spring before new growth appears. Water well for the first two years.

        When planting, keep in mind the plant's size at maturity. Do not plant them too close together.

        Dr. West removes dead wood from his conifers, but he doesn't prune. He appreciates the natural shape.

        Two under appreciated and unique plants, Dr. West says, are the graceful and slow-growing Alaskan cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) and columnar English yew.

        Good hedge plants are arborvitae for full sun and hemlocks for shade.

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