Conifers to love

Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Hello all,

As my screen name indicates, I'm a big fan of conifers in the garden. Here are a few pictures that I took last week. I hope others will add to this thread as well so we can all learn a little more about conifers to love!

Here is Pinus heldreichii 'Smidtii' which was an American Conifer Society 2009 purchase. Adorable little bun with sharp stiff needles. It seems to be a magnet for small errant leaves.

Elizabeth

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Picea abies 'Tompa'. This fabulous slow growing Picea remains a deep dark green all year. It is in morning sun and afternoon shade. It was an impulse "end of the season clearance" purchase and fits perfectly in a spot that was previously bare.

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst' getting ready to put forth vibrant new candles in a few weeks. This tree has a very special place in my heart. In May 2009 my husband drove me to the airport and I remember seeing this beauty in full color outside of a garden center near our house. A few weeks before I had stopped by and admired the tree, its price tag was was way over my budget. After I returned in mid June from the business trip, the tree was no longer in front of the garden center and I assumed someone very, very lucky had purchased it.

In fall I returned to the garden center when they began their annual 30% off clearance sale. I wasn't paying attention and pretty much ran smack into this 'Taylor's Sunburst'! I purchased it and the store employee dropped it when he was trying to load it into my truck. Amazingly, there was not a branch bent, just a few needles lost. I got it home, ripped the ragged out of control Harry Lauder Walking Stick Tree out, planted 'Taylor's Sunburst' and began waiting for spring!

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Close-up of the top of Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst.'

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Lower left is Pinus parviflora 'Ara kawa' and upper right center is Picea abies 'Witches Brood'. Both of these are well behaved and have a lot of character. 'Ara kawa' dealt remarkably well with the heavy snowfall the past three winters without complaints! Upper right behind 'Ara kawa' is Pinus parviflora 'Hagarumo' which may be my favorite conifer in the garden. It has a look of mischief and wisdom that reminds me of my female corgi Penny. As you might have guessed from the sculptures, I have two corgis and a collie.

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Here is my small pond (270 gallons) we installed in fall 2009. I found the granite millstone a few weeks ago and it seemed like a perfect fit. Conifers from left clockwise are Picea glauca 'Blue Wonder' (not sure if this will be permanent, it did get winter burned quite a bit this year and the backside was stepped on during the pond installation), Picea abies 'Formanek' (one of my top five favorites conifers in my garden, though it struggled the first year and lost a lot of needles) and Pinus sylvestris 'Pixie' (lovely little guy).

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Pinus parvilora 'Hagarumo' - the same conifer as in the earlier picture with the metal dog sculptures. Color is hard to describe, a perky blue-gray.

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Pinus strobus 'Blue Shag,' another conifer with a fun story behind it. Hubby Andy and I were on our way to a holiday potluck hosted by a fellow gardener from our regular group. We stopped at an Earl May to buy ornaments for the ornament exchange. Outside looking sad under a pile of snow was this 'Blue Shag'. I asked an employee inside if there was any specials on remaining outdoor plants and she said "You can have anything you want for half off."

'Blue Shag' sat patiently in the back of our truck through the potluck, then all winter in our unheated detached garage. I visited the garage at least once a week to touch the soft green needles. In spring 2009 I planted it when the soil was thawed enough to dig a hole and it has been very happy in its spot since then! The name is a bit of a misnomer as 'Blue Shag' is not very blue at all, even though I have it planted in part-shade. It is a fantastic garden plant, though! One of my neighbors comes over regularly to visit my conifers and she always admires 'Blue Shag.'

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Last picture for now! This is Pinus strobus 'Niagara Falls,' which was also an American Conifer Society 2009 purchase. I potted and overwintered 'Niagara Falls' in our unheated back porch and it seemed to do just fine. The needles are very soft and the branches droop beautifully, but I would worry about planting this outside in my zone as it doesn't look strong enough to handle the snow loads that we get. For as long as I can, I will keep it potted. 'Niagara Falls' put on about three inches of growth last year so I think I can keep it potted for a number of years. I will need to trim the roots and repot it with new soil in the fall.

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Norridgewock, ME(Zone 5a)

Thank you for posting, fellow-conifer-lover! Your plants are wonderful, and most were things I hadn't seen before. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. First is Pinus wallichiana, dwarf Himalayan pine. This is its second winter here.

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Norridgewock, ME(Zone 5a)

Next is Pinus parviflora 'Glauca Brevifolia'. It was just planted this fall.

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Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

Quote from granitegneiss :
First is Pinus wallichiana, dwarf Himalayan pine. This is its second winter here.


I fear that one is mis-labelled, though fortunately so for you. The needles aren't long enough for Pinus wallichiana, and that species is also only zone 8 hardy (marginal in 7), so if it had been true to name, it wouldn't even have lasted one winter for you.

Resin

Norridgewock, ME(Zone 5a)

Resin,
Very interesting. I still have the original tag, so it isn't my memory, it must be the nursery mislabeled it. When I look up this species on the web, it says zone 5 hardy, which is also what the tag said. But I agree that my needles aren't long enough. I went out and measured, they are 3 inches. I suppose it is impossible to guess what species it might actually be? This is rather disappointing news!

Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

It could be Pinus × schwerinii (hybrid between Pinus strobus and Pinus wallichiana), that is commonly grown as a "Pinus wallichiana substitute" in areas too cold for P. wallichiana. This hybrid is very often mis-labelled as the species, which is the reason for the incorrect hardiness rating you've seen cited. But there are several other white pine possibilities too that yours could also be. Can you take a look at a shoot on it closely with a good magnifying glass, and see if the shoot is densely hairy, or sparsely hairy, or hairless - that would help narrow the possibilities down.

Resin

Norridgewock, ME(Zone 5a)

Resin,
I love your online name, BTW. If I look at last year's shoots, I find no hairs. But perhaps you wanted me to look at new growth? If so, I've got to wait a bit to answer your question.

Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Great information!

Resin, surely you have pictures of conifers to post!

Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

Thanks! With hairless shoots, Macedonian Pine Pinus peuce is also a possibility.

Yeah, I've got some conifer pics, though I tend to favour "real" trees ;-)

Like this Abies grandis, 57m tall . . . you'd need a big garden for it though . . .

Resin

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Awesome pic Resin! If I had the space (WHEN I have the space), I definitely plan to have more of the big boys as well. For at least the next few years I will be on a city lot.

Norridgewock, ME(Zone 5a)

Wanted to add another one, new last year. It is Thuja plicata 'Whip Cord'. You can see from the picture that spring has finally arrived, even in Maine.

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Norwalk, IA(Zone 5b)

I found this plant today in a batch of emerald green arborvitaes. It has a pure yellow gold stem I hope to propagate.I think a 12 ft tall yellow emerald green arborvitae would look cool in with the dark green conifers in the garden.

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Norwalk, IA(Zone 5b)

I also got a great deal on this 7 ft tall (25 gal pot) weeping spruce. $59 at H. D. what a deal. The rabbits destroyed my smaller one over the winter.This one has an awesome shape and form already. Don't look at my messy driveway. That gets an overhaul shortly too!

Kyle

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Lecanto, FL(Zone 9a)

Wow this thread got long. I'll have to read it later. I'm just so excited to find a conifer I've been looking for 2 years.
http://siskiyourareplantnursery.com/chamaecyparisobtusananaluteahinokicypress.aspx
I saw one at a restaurant on a trip to Myrtle Beach. I took a snippet from the rear of the plant but it didn't take.
Compared to other places the price was descent too. It will be tiny when I get it. OOOh, I can't wait. I'm hooked, definately hooked. Thanks so much for the pics, they're all great.

Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

It is exciting to find something you've wanted for a long time! I only ordered three conifers this year, all from the American Conifers Society:
http://www.conifersociety.org/cs/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=116&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

The shipping information is wrong on the page, I emailed the ACS after I had not received my plants in March and they let me know that this year they are shipping by zone, my plants will be shipped to me in June.

Does anyone have thoughts on whether Taxodium distichum ‘Peve Minaret’ would do okay in a pot, overwintered in an unheated garage in zone 5?

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

My Peve Minaret has gotten pretty big, so it might need a big pot. It's over 10ft tall.
But otherwise should do fine overwintered in a garage.
Here's a post of mine a couple years ago. Not a great picture, I'm afraid.
Unfortunately, got deer rubbed so it's one-sided. It's starting to recover.
Hate those deer...

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Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

Wormfood, your chamaecyparis should be beautiful. But make sure to provide afternoon shade or he'll get scorched. I have nana lutea in a wooden planter - it's about 3 ft tall, full and luscious fans of foliage. One of my favorites. Here it is a few years ago. It's fuller now.
It's planted with another of my favorite conifers, pinus parviflora Tani mano uki (snow on the mountain).

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

'Tani mano uki' is one my favorites! The Dubuque Arboretum has a spectacular specimen. Mine is rather pathetic, but still holding on after 3 years. It had about an inch of new growth last year and looks like it will have that much this year. Maybe I have it in too much shade.

Weerobin where did you purchase yours from? How old is yours?

Lecanto, FL(Zone 9a)

Weerobin
That is beautiful! I couldn't find a green one, or maybe the pics didn't display it clear enough. When it gets it new growth can you send in a photo?

And I was told, ic_conifers, that they turn brown during the winter. I don't know if that's just for the gold one or what.

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

My golden chamaecyparis doesn't turn brown for winter. It's a brighter gold in spring, but still fairly gold all winter.

IC, I think I got my p.p. tani mano uki from Coenosium Gardens, but not really sure.
They have a web-site, but it's pretty clunky as I recall.
Very nice people to deal with; and very nice plants.
It's probably 10yrs old. It's about 5ft tall, but wants to be bigger.
I candle-prune it in spring to keep it compact enough for my planter.
It's in pretty full sun and doesn't scorch. So, maybe yours should be in a sunnier location.
I also have a pine in a too-shady spot, but it's doing fantastic so far, so I've left it where it is.
It's another p. parviflora, but I don't recall the cultivar. Here's a pix.
The top of the tree is cut off in the photo - it's about 4ft tall.

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Norridgewock, ME(Zone 5a)

Resin,
When I look up the Pinus wallichiana nana on Iseli's website (http://www.iseli-nursery.com/photopages/PinuswallichianaNana.htm) (it was their label on the plant), it says it has a three-sided needle with one side green, two sides blue. Mine does indeed have that. Does that help decide whether it is the x schwerinii cross?

Weerobin and ic_conifers, I love the Peve Minaret and had never seen this before. It is listed as zone 5 when I look up on the web, doesn't that imply it doesn't need to be in a garage over winter? Or are you just wanting to be safe (a feeling I can certainly relate to).

Weerobin, great looking planter, do you do anything special with that over the winter?

Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

Sorry, no - they both have that character (and so do almost all white pines!)

Resin

Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Granite, I just want to have it in a pot that I can move around! : )

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

Granite, I do absolutely nothing special for my planter-conifers.
Just leave them to the elements over winter.
They seem to do fine.

Lecanto, FL(Zone 9a)

That is so cool, 3 sided needles...


Iseli Nursery ! Thank you for that website. I've watched the slideshow 3 times. Just amazing.

This message was edited Apr 17, 2010 10:28 AM

Norridgewock, ME(Zone 5a)

Weerobin,
I just made a conifer planter for my sister, who lives in zone 6 also. I had told her to put it in her garage over winter, but based on what you said, that is not necessary. What about the soil freezing and the pot breaking? Has that ever happened to you?

Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

I overwinter all of my conifers in pots in the garage or on my back (also unheated) porch. The only one that gets left outside is a hypertufa which is too heavy to move.

Zone 6 can mean a lot of things, if you have a very wet winter I would be afraid of leaving stuff out and having it rot.

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

I just leave one planter out, which is the one posted above.
It's made of wood. When the plants were small, I brought it into garage overwinter.
But for the past 6-7 years, I have left it outside. The plants have done fine.
Other smaller conifers in pots get overwintered in the garage.
My garage has a large west-facing window, so they get some light.
But I also overwinter 15 or so small conifers in plastic pots heeled in to mulch on the east side of my house. They do fine also.

Pepperell, MA(Zone 6a)

here is a fernspray gold that i really enjoy - quick question on trimming this one - it is in its second year now and has gotten a bit branchy - is it ok to clip them back a bit?

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Iowa City, IA(Zone 5a)

Wha your 'Fernspray Gold' appears to have a lot faster growth rate than mine! Mine only added about three inches last year and will probably do that this year as well. I don't know anything about trimming, sorry.

Pepperell, MA(Zone 6a)

it did grow more than i thought it would - and has some good size branches now - i got another little one a couple weeks ago and it has a very tight form - i wait and see if anyone else knows.

Lecanto, FL(Zone 9a)

Here's my new baby. Larger than I thought it would be. And seems to have made the transition well from Oregon to Florida weather.

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