If you have ever driven down the highway Oregon 18 in central coastal Oregon, you’ve probably seen the famous smiley face on the hillside.
A lumber company planted a patch of larch trees among the Douglas firs. During the spring and summer, the circular face with a wide smile is invisible.
But as the larches turn yellow in the autumn, a cheerful greeting appears. People drive from all over the state to see it.
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If you weren’t a fan of larches before, you can’t help but admire them after you see the happy, smiling yellow face.
Even when they aren’t planted in frivolous shapes, larch trees draw attention.
During the fall, people gather on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains to witness the hillsides turning vibrant gold as the larches change color.
I love a good pine tree, but they certainly don’t draw crowds from hundreds of miles away.
If you’re just looking for a cute little weeping conifer or a towering tree with colorful needles, there will be a larch to suit your needs.
Our guide to growing larch trees covers how to cultivate these stately specimens in your landscape.
In this article, we’ll talk about the different types of larch trees.
Here’s the lineup:
9 Types of Larch
There are just a few important aspects to keep in mind about Larix varieties. Most larches are intolerant of shade and unless you choose a dwarf cultivar, they grow massive.
You’ll need a big, sunny spot in your yard unless you select a cultivar that stays relatively small.
They all have needles that emerge in the spring, along with colorful cones. In the fall, the needles change color and, in most cases, drop to the ground, leaving the dark cones behind.
1. Alpine
Alpine larch (L. lyallii) isn’t afraid of cold climates and high altitudes, but it stays smaller than nearby western larch to accommodate the tougher growing conditions.
It grows wild in the northern Cascades and Rocky Mountains of western North America.
When mature, it reaches a relatively petite 80 feet tall with bundles of needles that aren’t even two inches long.
During the autumn, the pale blue-green needles turn golden yellow before dropping to the ground. The red-purple cones transform into dark brown when they mature.
This species is uncommon in the garden and there aren’t any popular cultivars right now, but I’d expect that to change as gardeners look for new and interesting trees to include in their landscapes in Zones 2 to 8.
2. Chinese
Chinese or potanin larch (L. potaninii) is rarely found in home gardens, but you see it for sale now and then, which is good because it’s a nice option for gardeners in warmer regions where other larches won’t grow.
In its native western China and Nepal, it grows further south than any other Larix species. For context, it grows as far south as the equivalent of the Gulf of Mexico.
The bright green needles are just an inch long, held in dense clusters, turning yellow in the fall. This species can grow up to 100 feet tall in Zones 5 to 8.
The long cones are particularly attractive, starting out green and then shifting to reddish-purple before becoming rusty brown.
While it tolerates more heat, it also demands more moisture than its cousins.
3. Dahurian
Eastern Siberian or dahurian larch (L. gmelinii) is indigenous to northeastern China, Korea, eastern Siberia, and northeastern Mongolia.
The tree typically grows to about 100 feet tall in its native range, though there are specimens that have grown taller. The trunks can reach up to 10 feet in diameter.
The light green needles shift to orange as the seasons change. The immature cones are green and turn grayish-brown in the fall.
As with other species, the cones stay on the tree until they are knocked loose or eaten by hungry herbivores.
This is a tree that loves the cold but can’t stand the heat. It grows in Zones 1 to 6.
It hybridizes with Russian larch, and the resulting plant is classified as L. × czekanowskii.
There are a few cultivars out there worth seeking out. ‘Romberg Park’ is a dwarf cultivar with a shrubby form and short, tufted branches.
4. European
European larch (L. decidua) can grow huge, up to 150 feet tall with a 12-foot diameter trunk, and can live for thousands of years.
The branches can be pendulous to upswept, giving the tree a beautiful shape. It has medium green needles that turn golden in the fall before dropping from the tree.
The cones add a point of interest, with young cones having a reddish-purple hue and becoming dark brown when mature. They eventually turn black and persist on the tree.
This species is native to mountainous regions of Europe where it can grow up to the tree line in areas that reach -58°F. As such, you can grow it in Zones 2 to 8.
European larch is almost impossible to tell apart from Siberian at first glance. Siberian larches have more hairs on the cones than the European species.
As with other larch, cultivated varieties tend to be smaller than the species, and there are cultivars that are much more petite.
‘Cruwys Morchard’ is a fun cultivar, with unusual, twisted branches.
‘Pendula’ only grows to about 10 feet tall with a drooping, weeping habit. Or if you leave it unstaked, this cultivar will grow as a ground cover.
‘Krejci’ has an unusual, open, shrubby form with long, twisting branches on a dwarf plant that only grows about four feet tall.
If you want a conifer that wows all growing season, the young needles on ‘Lucek’ are bright yellow, turning to golden in the late spring and then green during the summer before turning a deeper gold in the fall.
5. Japanese
At up to 90 feet tall and 40 feet wide, karamatsu or Japanese larch (L. kaempferi) makes quite the statement.
The bright green needles turn to orangey-yellow in the fall before dropping to the ground, exposing the pretty pinkish shoots and rusty brown-gray bark.
The persistent brown cones are larger than those of American larch, growing up to an inch and a half long.
In their indigenous habitat of mountainous Japan these trees can grow up to 150 feet tall, but that’s unheard of in domestic situations, especially where pollution is present, since they’re sensitive to poor air quality and chemicals.
This species does best in Zones 3 to 7, and requires moist soil, though it’s more tolerant of dry soils than tamaracks.
Some cultivars, including ‘Blue Dwarf,’ are often trained as bonsai. I can’t help but smile when I see ‘Twisted Sister,’ a dwarf cultivar with contorted, twisting branches.
6. Siberian
Siberian or Russian larch (L. sibirica) hails from western Russia where it grows in cold, moist environments, reaching up to 100 feet tall.
The pyramidal trees are typically about 50 feet tall outside of their indigenous environment and can thrive in dry soil in Zones 2 to 5.
The tightly-packed needles are light green, changing to bright yellow in the fall before dropping from the tree for the winter.
As with other species in this genus, the cones persist on the tree for years, only dropping when they are knocked loose by animals or a strong wind.
The brown cones are larger than with many other species, growing up to two inches long.
Cultivars can have different sizes and shapes. Take, for example, ‘Conica.’ It has a compact, upright shape with horizontal branches.
7. Swiss
If you’re interested in fast-growing, pretty conifer that tops out at about 100 feet, you’ve found it.
Known as Swiss or Dunkeld larch (L. x marschlinsii), this tree is a hybrid between European and Japanese larch, with blue-green needles that turn electric yellow in the autumn in Zones 3 to 8.
After they drop, pinkish-orange twigs remain. The trunk grows to about eight feet in diameter.
The young cones are green, becoming reddish-purple as they age, and then dark brown when mature.
While the original is a sight to see, there are some notable cultivars. ‘Lilian’ was discovered as a witches’-broom in the Netherlands.
It’s a dwarf plant with a dense, shrubby habit that only grows to about three feet tall and wide.
‘Lulu’ grows as a ground cover or you can train it upright. Either way, the copper colored needles in the fall are a real treat.
8. Tamarack
Also called black, red, or American larch, hackmatack, or tamarack, L. laricina is the predominant native species in eastern North America and one of the most popular options for growing in the home landscape.
This tree can be found in the wild in eastern Canada and the US, from eastern Yukon to the Atlantic and down through West Virginia to the Arctic tree line.
These trees are extremely cold tolerant and can survive down to -80°F, so they’re best grown in Zones 2 to 6.
While they can grow up to 80 feet tall and about half as wide with a pyramidal shape, they usually stay much smaller in the garden and in regions with intense cold.
They can grow in dry soils or rich, peaty, boggy locations, though a nice, moist area is best.
The deciduous blue-green needles turn golden yellow in the fall and then drop to the ground. The tiny half-inch maroon cones persist on the tree indefinitely.
If you’d like to give this classic beauty a spot in your yard, you can find plants available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Or look for cultivars like ‘Fuzzy,’ which was found as a witches’- broom on a tamarack in the upper midwest.
It has fuzzy little needles that remain on the tree throughout the winter before being replaced by fresh foliage in the spring. It’s a shrubby dwarf that only grows a few feet tall.
‘Michigan Tower’ has a narrow growth habit, reaching about eight feet tall but not quite three feet wide.
9. Western
Western larch (L. occidentalis) is a magnificent species. It grows up to 200 feet tall with a trunk that can be nearly five feet in diameter.
The light green needles are soft, growing up to two inches long in dense clusters, on branches that are upswept near the top of the tree and arching near the base.
After the needles turn yellow in the fall, they drop from the tree, leaving behind orange shoots.
The cones are green when young, becoming reddish-purple and then brown when they mature. They turn gray after they die, but they persist on the tree.
This species can only be found in the Pacific Northwest, at high elevations and in cold regions of the Cascade Range and east to western Montana and the Idaho panhandle.
It grows in similar climates but at higher elevations than Alpine larch.
This is the first indigenous North American tree that foresters have “assisted” in migrating north in anticipation of climate change. Grow it in Zones 4 to 8.
There are some interesting cultivars available. Many of them come to us from Jerry Morris, an expert at gathering witches’-brooms from conifers in the Rocky Mountain region.
For example, he found the witches’-broom that is now ‘Bollinger,’ a dwarf shrub that only grows a few feet tall with a naturally rounded habit and rust-gold fall foliage.
Enjoy the Unusual Beauty
Larches are unusual, for sure. At first glance they look a lot like pines or spruce, but they lose their leaves in the fall.
Along with that seasonal change comes some incredible color. My neighbor has a glorious western larch and you’d better believe that people are constantly commenting on it.
Which one of these larch varieties are you drawn to? Will you be planting any in your space? Or do you enjoy seeing them growing wild? Let us know in the comments section below!
And for more information about growing other types of conifers, check out these guides next:
