Dwarf balsam fir
Abies balsamea 'Nana' · Pinaceae
A dense, slow-growing cushion of short, dark green, fragrant needles. A true dwarf conifer that takes ten years to reach knee height.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 6
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around dwarf balsam fir
The planner designed this bed around dwarf balsam fir when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf balsam fir stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf balsam fir × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 13, yellow
- 3 Striped bloody cranesbill × 8, pink
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 6 Camassia × 4, blue
- 7 Red spider lily × 3, red
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does northern sea oats.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between striped bloody cranesbill (6 in) in front and Tatarian aster 'Jindai' (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
- Fine leaf against bold. Tatarian aster 'Jindai' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The front edge is finished with striped bloody cranesbill and mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'. The scheme leans cool (pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow and red for warmth, with tan to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Northern sea oats spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf balsam fir goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
A neat, dark dome that gives a small bed its winter shape. It needs cool, moist, acid soil and suffers in hot, humid summers.
- Evergreen structure for cold gardens
- Rock gardens
- With heaths, heathers and blueberries
What to plant with dwarf balsam fir
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lowbush blueberry: adds the flowers, early May to late May.
- Lady's mantle: adds the flowers, late May to early July; happy in the same moist soil.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': adds the flowers, early June to early October.
Questions about dwarf balsam fir
Does dwarf balsam fir need sun or shade?
Dwarf balsam fir grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf balsam fir grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 6. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 6 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should dwarf balsam fir be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf balsam fir plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf balsam fir poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat dwarf balsam fir?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does dwarf balsam fir look like in winter?
Dwarf balsam fir keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 6
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern North America
- Stands up to
- Deer
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.