Friendly fishing

“Conifers? Yeah, I learned about them in my science class years ago, they’re those sticky, prickly bushes that grow into huge trees. Why would I want to plant any of those things in my yard?” was the question coming from my new friend in line at the DMV.

“Oh… conifers are far more diverse and exciting than that.” I replied. “There are conifers that are as small as that paperweight on the counter over there, that can be grown for years in a container on your patio. Besides being very slow growing, they can be found in an assortment of colors, from the lemon yellow of Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Golden Sprite’, to the rich blue of Picea pungens ‘Lundeby’s Dwarf’, in shapes and sizes from a pincushion, to a wide spreading low carpet, to mid-sized sculptural forms, to giant trees.

I sensed that I was beginning to lose the subject of my coniferous proselytism, so I changed tactics.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Golden Sprite' is an excellent choice for the rock garden, containers on the deck or patio, or in miniature theme gardens.

“I’ll bet your wife loves growing flowers in her garden, right?” He offered a slight nod and I continued, “She loves all that color during the spring and summer, and then I’ll bet you both look forward to dealing with all the dead brown debris in the late fall and winter as all those pretty flowers wither and die leaving you an unsightly yard with quite a lot of work to do to clean up that mess!”

“Huh – yeah, right!”

Picea pungens 'Lundeby's Dwarf' is a tremendous dwarf blue conifer that will provide year-round color and never require pruning to maintain its small form.

“With dwarf and miniature conifers, you can enjoy all kinds of color and texture in your garden with almost no maintenance whatsoever. No pruning, no deadheading to encourage more flowers, no constant fertilizing to encourage more growth and blooms, and once established in your garden, very little additional irrigation. In fact, if you reduce your lawn to a few paths meandering through beds of conifers, your workload will drop and your water usage will plummet.”

“So, a conifer garden could actually save me money?”

The hook was set, now all I had to do is reel him in. In mere moments he was called to the counter and that was the last I saw of my new convert.

A conifer lover’s work is never done.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Golden light or dark snowy skies

They’ve been warning us for days now of the huge snowstorm that is going to blast us with several inches of snow down to the valley floor. For those of us who love a little snow from time to time, of course, want to believe. Really, we do. Those of us who have lived in western Oregon for most of our lives have learned that usually the first or second panicked reports from our local news-casters are false alarms.

Sure, get the kids all hyped-up about snow and their heads filled with visions of days off school, building all kinds of snow sculptures, snowball fights, sledding, and in general, just having a great time! While parents, on the other hand, need to make child-care plans should the schools actually close. Sure, there are some snowflakes falling from the sky – if you are fortunate enough to find yourself above 500 feet in elevation – but it’s just a tease, it is not near cold enough to stick and accrue any reasonable accumulation.

The conifer garden looks fantastic in the midst of dark, stormy skies and a blanket of snow.

I would love to see my garden in a blanket of snow. What is it about a garden full of trees and shrubs, of all shapes and sizes, either sprinkled lightly or heavily covered in snow, that brings such a sense of peace and happiness? I haven’t had that pleasure since 2008, which turned out to be quite an unusual snow year for us with a big fluffy blanket of snow in January, and then again in December, in what possibly became the largest snow event in 40 years!

The conifer garden glows in the low winter sun.

Winter in the conifer garden is a beautiful time of year. We have had one of the driest Decembers in recent memory, and with that dryness, we actually had many days that were filled with sunshine! Oh, how beautiful are the conifers, dressed in their winter colors with the low, golden winter sun illuminating the scene in a hue of warmth; which brings to the soul, hope of the coming spring.

OK local weather forecasters, just keep teasing us with promises of a big snow event, I’m ready to enjoy the transformation of beauty it will create in my garden. But, rain or shine, snow or silver thaw, the conifer garden will be a place of beauty to be enjoyed, not only by me, but by all the critters that have made this little garden their home.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

The colorful winter garden

We have been enjoying a surprising number of mostly dry and partially sunny days the past several weeks with only the occasional instances of pouring rain. Along with these dryer winter days come colder temperatures, which I don’t mind since the colder the winter garden, the more intense the colors become in several of my conifers.

Anyone who has had the opportunity to acquire a Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’ as certainly by now seen the super-bright yellow of his winter glow. I’ve mentioned in the past that ‘Chief Joseph’ tends to sit quietly in the background through the growing season, when other plants are taking center stage. This is the time of year when the Chief quietly steps forward and commands full attention of anyone within view. The intensity of his bright yellow color seems to grow stronger as winter gets colder. He’s shining very brightly in my garden right now.

Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph' may be enjoyed in containers or planted directly in garden.

Other fun conifers to put on a colorful winter show are Cryptomeria japonica ‘Mushroom’ and ‘Hino’.  I mention these two specifically because they are tremendously attractive dwarf conifers that not only perform brilliantly in the garden, but they also make delightful little specimens in the container garden on deck or patio. Both will grow into nice rounded little mounding forms, but they do have distinctly different characteristics. ‘Hino’ has a somewhat tighter growing habit that grows into a more globose looking form. Its short, thick, awl-like needles give this great little globe a coarse texture.

Cryptomeria japonica 'Hino' - winter color

‘Mushroom’ on the other hand, has a very slightly more open habit and longer (though similarly succulent-looking) needles that are surprisingly soft to the touch. ‘Mushroom’ also has a little less of a globe-shaped form and rather looks like a very large (stemless) mushroom cap. Both cultivars are shades of rich green during the growing season and take on a special, bronze, orange, plum blush in winter.

Winter color of the succulent needles on Cryptomeria japonica 'Mushroom' make a delightful winter show in the conifer garden.

With a form like an extra-large, stemless, furry mushroom cap, 'Mushroom' is an interesting addition to the garden.

Planted near other conifers of complementary colors will ensure that your garden is as delightful through the winter months as it is through spring and summer.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Every new year brings new possibilities

I think it was pretty good planning on the part of those ancient calendar makers to have the new year begin in the dead of winter. From this aspect, everything seems possible. Plans can be made, changes implemented, wrongs can be set right. The new year brings endless possibilities in life – and in the garden.

Happy New Year!

My friends at Iseli Nursery created a printed, limited edition, 2012 calendar for their current wholesale customers. They have also made available to the rest of us, a beautiful PDF version of that calendar, which is available to download from their website. I’m happy that I hadn’t already purchased a calendar for the new year, because I printed this one out, taped it together at home, and it looks great!

My hope for the new year is that more and more folks will begin to use my favorite dwarf, miniature (and full-size) conifers in their garden projects. Seriously, how else can you fill a garden with such a diverse pallet of year-round color, structure, texture and wildlife habitat?

See you next year!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

I want a brand new conifer for Christmas

Anyone remember the novelty Christmas hit single from 1953 titled, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas? It has remained one of my very favorites since the first time I heard it. It just doesn’t quite seem like the Christmas holiday season without hearing this song at least once.

I was trying out one of those new online services that let you listen to tons of music on your computer – for free. My wife requested an evening of Christmas music, so I did a search and created a playlist. Sure enough, I found Gayla Peevey’s old recording. As we were enjoying our evening, working on our hand-crafted gifts, my mind began to wander as Gayla’s voice filled the room – what if I changed the lyrics just a little bit to better fit my Christmas wish – here is the result:

I want a brand new conifer for Christmas
Only a brand new conifer will do
Don’t want a bulb, no stinky Amorphophallus titanum
I want a brand new conifer to plant in my arboretum

I want a brand new conifer for Christmas
I don’t think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won’t have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring it through the front door, that’s the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a brand new conifer potted there

I want a brand new conifer for Christmas
Only a brand new conifer will do
No Rhododendrons, no silly little crocuseses
I only like colorful coniferususes
And colorful coniferuses like me too!

May you all have a holiday filled with the people you love.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Grafting goodness into the garden

The past couple of winters I have enjoyed adding a few new conifers to my collection through the process of grafting. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to graft thousands of new conifers, professionally and just for fun. Although, for an assortment of reasons, my grafting years came to a sudden halt some time ago. In recent years I have enjoyed propagating a few sought after treasures in my little hobby greenhouse.

Originally a seedling selection in 1938, 'de Ruyter' is a slow-growing tree with unique characteristics.

I planted a number of those treasures in my garden this past summer, and I am terribly excited to watch them grow and become mature specimens. One of those new conifers to my collection is one I have been interested in for a number of years. It has a very unique texture in its growth habit, and is one of the finest of the silvery/blue/greens to be found due to its prominent white stomatic lines on the underside of each needle, which are held on their branches in such a fashion as to light the tree up with their bright waxy brilliance.

As a frost covered winter specimen, or a silvery spruce in the summer garden, 'de Ruyter' is worthy of the hunt. It might be a good idea to special order this one through your favorite independent garden center.

The Serbian Spruce is known for this feature of bicolored foliage, and its cultivars, in their various shapes and forms, all display it to one degree or another. Picea omorika ‘de Ruyter’ is unique in its growth habit on this otherwise relatively “normal” broad, upright conical form. Each year the terminal cluster of buds – whether at the apex of the tree or at the tips of each branch or branchlet – will push forth a dominant central extension of new growth. At the base of this six or seven inch terminal growth are a thick cluster of buds, which also burst forth their new growth, becoming smaller branchlets of just two to three inches in length. All of this new growth is covered with varying lengths of blunt-tipped needles, longer at the base of the branch, held at an outward angle, while becoming shorter and lying more closely to the branch as they approach its tip.

My little tree is essentially just a terminal stem and its first cluster of branches at this point, and it will be many years before is becomes a notable specimen in my garden. Be sure to click the link to a summer photo of ‘de Ruyter’ in the garden at Iseli Nursery.

Although grafting is not for everyone, I intend to add a few new cultivars to my collection each year. I suppose I should begin to make my list for this winter’s fun!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

A tasty crystalline crust

Brrrr…. Our normally mild Pacific Northwest weather has turned foggy and frosty. It is unusual that we have a good little frost like the one this morning, although frost and fog make for a very pleasant stroll through the conifer garden.

When I first peeked out between the curtains, the sun had yet to lend much light to that morning hour. By the time we enjoyed our morning tea and I stoked up and added wood to the fire, I could see that we were immersed in a rather thick fog, which was just beginning to brighten enough for me to note a dandy little frost had added a tasty crystalline crust to all my plants.

Winter in the Conifer Garden is as inviting as any other season.

Winter can be a very pretty season in the conifer garden. While many of my friend’s gardens, with this sudden frost, have been reduced to many piles of spent-perennial brown mush with the occasional bare-twigged shrub along with an evergreen or two, my conifer garden is full of visual brilliance composed of varying shades of blue, green, gold, mauve and orange. Color, of course, is simply one part of the winter conifer garden equation, and looking out upon my garden, I see all of the wonderful shapes and forms from very large, towering trees, to smaller and more compact broad pyramids, to slender fastigiate forms and conical shapes. Also to be found are an assortment of colors and textures, along with weeping plants (both deciduous and evergreen) and spreading ground-huggers. The conifer garden is as much a thrill to encounter today, as any in summertime.

Winter shows off the structure of Japanese Maples resting in the conifer garden, while the conifers provide color, structure and texture.

The crisp air was unrelenting against my exposed skin causing my morning walk to be quite brisk. My discoveries were too great to be bothered by the cold as I marveled at the patterns of the frost clinging too and heaving from all of the plants in my garden. I loved the way the frost encircled the small branches of my Japanese Maples as if they had been dipped in glue and rolled in diamond dust. Even in the dim, fog diffused morning light, the frost caught a glimmer that managed to give off a little sparkle here and there. Winter’s magic was at work.

Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Barabits Requiem' stands as a sentry in the frosty conifer garden.

May your winter garden be filled with conifers, and other exciting plants, to delight your eyes and draw you out for more morning walks – if not this year, then in years to come.

Ed-
Conifer Lover