Conifer loving friends

Dear readers – Just a quick note today to say THANKS for the support and encouraging words. I just noticed that this post will count as my 101st blog entry! I am amazed that there have been nearly 111,000 views to the blog in the 28 months of its life.

I’d like to point out a few new features I’ve added over the past few months that you may find useful.

First is the SEARCH tool at the top right menu. If you are seeking information on specific conifers or gardening topics within my blog, I think you will find this search tool quite handy.

Second, if you would like to be alerted by email when I’ve made a new post, you can click the SIGN ME UP button. Although this is an automated service provided by wordpress.com, your email address is recorded in my admin page. I promise you, I will never share your email address with anyone. I dislike SPAM as much as you do.

And Third, I have just activated a RATING system that will allow you to rate each post from Very Poor to Excellent. It would be interesting to me if you would take a moment to consider giving each post you read a rating.

That’s all for now – the sun is shining - I’m heading out to the garden!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Foggy garden

Back in December, when the days were nearing their shortest of the year, we were experiencing a wave of dark, foggy, drizzly weather that made the days seem even shorter. One morning it was more challenging than normal to motivate myself to get the old joints moving and rise out of bed. It was one of those mornings when I just wanted to pull the covers over my head and remain in the pleasant land of my dream world. But, thanks to my lovely wife, I found myself without any blankets and her gentle words of encouragement.

“You better get up or you’re going to be late for your meeting!”

I was running a little late and yet it was still dark outside. I dragged myself out of bed and I was heading straight to my morning tea when I was distracted by my curiosity of what was happening weather-wise, so I drifted over to our large family room window and pulled the curtains open.

Yup, dark and dreary – must have hot tea.

The foggy conifer garden

As my wife and I sat enjoying our toast and tea, the sun (such that it was) began to give some light to the garden. It was one of those days when the fog is so thick that it collects on every branch, twig and bit of evergreen foliage causing dewy droplets to delicately hang before they would, drip, drip, drop. As the daylight became brighter (which, believe me, is a relative term here) I became encouraged by how beautiful the garden appeared in the fog.

I looked over at my wife, and she seemed to be noticing the same thing.

“We have such a beautiful garden; I can’t imagine what we would be looking at right now if it wasn’t full of your conifers.”

She was right. Our garden full of conifers and other evergreen plants were accented with the beautiful silhouettes of Japanese Maples, which in the fog, gave the garden a visual depth that I don’t think either of us had appreciated before. There was something magical about the foggy garden.

Our conifers provided us with an amazing (almost surreal looking) landscape full of interesting textures, forms, colors and contrasts, that in their absence on this foggy morning, I probably would never have opened the curtains at all.

Our conifer garden brings us a tremendous amount of joy all year long, though in just six or eight weeks we will see a new season of spectacular color as the conifers and other exciting plants begin to explode in their springtime glory. In the meantime, we can enjoy all that the conifer garden has to offer in the winter while we sip our morning tea and enjoy the amazing beauty of conifers.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Wicked sick

The other day, I had a phone call from my inventor friend.

“So, how’s that time machine coming along?” I asked with just a slight tone of whimsy in my voice.

“Oh… so you didn’t notice?”

“Notice what?”

“Never mind – probably best no one ever finds out.” He said and changed the subject. “Hey, Ed, I’m going to send my boy over to your place to pick up some soil samples, ok?”

“Sure, what are you up to now?” 

“I am not at liberty to discuss it yet, but rest assured, it will have no global effect.” He said in his calm, monotone voice. 

I chuckled just a little and asked if while he was doing whatever it was he was going to do with my soil samples, if he could include some ph and nutritional tests for me. He was happy to write down my request. 

Five minutes later, his boy rolls up my driveway on his custom built industrial tricycle complete with attached trailer containing three five gallon buckets and a shovel.

“Hey Buddy – how’s it going?”

“Fine.”

“What’s your dad up to this time?”

“Don’t know.”

I’m beginning to learn that he has his father’s gift for conversation. He asks where he can dig and I show him three locations around my property that I wouldn’t mind some soil being removed. He then proceeds to fill each bucket up to the top with soil. I begin to wonder what in the world his father could be up to when he takes notice of one of my conifers down the path from where he is digging.

A young Pinus mugo 'Jakobsen' beginning to show its unique characteristics.

“Sick plant!”

“Well, actually it’s doing very well.” I say and proceed to tell him about the great qualities of my Pinus mugo ‘Jakobsen’.

“Yeah, wicked sick!” he tells me.

“Oh… so you like it?”

And who wouldn’t? ‘Jakobsen’ is a fantastic Dutch selection of the Mugo Pine. Very hardy to Zone 2, this dwarf conifer can grow almost anywhere in the USA. Unlike many new cultivars of Pinus mugo with their reliable, uniform mounding growth habits, ‘Jakobsen’ has quite a lot of character. With age it becomes an irregular, mounding, upright, small tree with a very unique clumping habit to its foliage which allows visual access to its thick silvery gray branches. Some describe it as having “natural bonsai” characteristics. Although I can see their point, I believe it would still require a little human interaction to achieve a real garden bonsai type form, but its natural habit certainly does inspire one to take pruners in hand to encourage a more artistic aesthetic. I also love its rich dark green needles and its dwarf habit. If you are looking for something, “wicked sick” for your garden, I have it on good authority that ‘Jakobsen’ is the plant for you.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Honored citizen

When we have an El Niño year, like this year, often our winter feels like spring with moderate temperatures and plenty of rain. This month, we’ve seen low temperatures in the upper 30s and 40s with highs in the upper 40s and 50s. While much of the central and eastern portions of our nation are enduring frigid arctic air, I’m feeling like I should be out digging in my garden.

Yesterday I took a stroll around my garden with pad in hand taking notes of some of the first projects I will need to address as the rains become showers and we begin to enjoy the occasional visit of the sun. As I am wandering around, I find that I am enjoying just being out and spending some quality time with my conifers. Oddly enough, they are like old friends. Some I have nurtured and enjoyed for longer than many of my human friends. There is one conifer in my garden that seems to be calling me.

 ”Ed…… Ed, over here.”

 ”What?”

 ”Ed…… LOOK AT ME!”

 ”Hey, you don’t have to shout – I’m looking already!” I think to myself.

It’s then that I realize that my Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’  is just about at the end of his glorious display for the season.

“Oh, Chief… it’ll be ok, you’ll be back in top form soon enough.” I reassure myself as much as the tree.

You see, ‘Chief Joseph’ is one of those very unique conifers that provide an incredible color display in the winter. From mid-October until late winter or early spring, the Chief is absolutely stunning! He lights up the dreary winter garden like no other. But, since he is severely lacking in chlorophyll, he becomes very tired after his winter show and he seems to ‘poop out.’

'Chief Joseph' at the beginning of his season to shine in the Jean Iseli Memorial Garden at Iseli Nursery.

Maybe you’ve seen it happen – some years are worse than others, but ‘Chief Joseph’ tends to turn from his spectacular golden yellow winter color to a sad looking yellowish brown as many of his needles show signs of stress late in the season. There are many theories that attempt to explain why this happens and some interesting folklore on how to avoid it, but the fact is, in the early spring when other plants are beginning to look their best, ‘Chief Joseph’ looks to need a good rest. And who wouldn’t after being the lone headliner in the winter show for several months?

Just about the time you might be thinking you’ve lost your treasured friend, you’ll notice that his buds are swelling. Then you’ll see candles beginning to extend and new needles forming and expanding.

He’s alive – and he’s ready to take a back seat in the garden with his soft green foliage. ‘Chief Joseph’ will put on a few inches of new growth, drop his older brown needles and wait his turn to be the spotlight in the garden once again when many other garden plants have come to their time of rest in autumn and through winter. The Chief waits for that right mix of cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours and WHAM! it’s like someone turned on his inner golden glow and it is intense!

‘Chief Joseph’ remains somewhat rare, but worth every penny when you find him. Just remember, everyone needs a little rest once in a while and with patience and understanding, The Chief will be an honorable addition to your garden.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Winter blues

“Look Ed, this whole episode about you and your ‘Montgomery’? Well, I don’t know what kind of spell you put on me, but I can’t get my mind off of your darn blue conifers!” 

You can image the look on my face as I sat in my favorite coffee shop with my nemesis, The Flower Girl. 

“Hahaha… oh c’mon, we like to tease each other a lot, but you’ve always appreciated conifers to some degree – haven’t you? I asked. 

“Sure… to some tiny, little, microscopic degree yes, it’s true. I don’t know what it is though. Maybe the light was hitting my ‘Hoopsi’ just right the other day, but it was shining so bright  – and it was virtually the only color in my garden. I’ve just had some kind of new hunger for blue in my garden, and there sure aren’t any flowers that would produce that much effect in the dead of winter.” 

Thinking to myself that the world of conifers had just won a major victory, I simply said, “I see… and how does that make you feel?” Which produced my friend’s trademark punch to my shoulder. 

Of course I referred her to some of my past blog posts regarding great blue conifers including, Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’, Picea pungens ‘Procumbens’, and the blue dwarfs. But one in particular came to mind that I don’t believe I have mentioned in this space before. The Blue Nest Spruce. 

At first glance, some may be lead to think that this delightful bluish/gray/green mound is a dwarf form of the Norway Spruce, Picea abies. A very old and popular cultivar called, ‘Nidiformis’ is commonly called the Bird’s Nest Spruce. But the cultivar I have in mind is actually from the Colorado Spruce, Picea pungens. 

Picea pungens 'Waldbrunn'

‘Waldbrunn’ has a very fine texture created by its thin sharp needles. A low growing, almost spreading mound, ‘Waldbrunn’s color and form are both unique when compared with other compact versions of the Colorado spruce. In my friend’s garden, which is dominated by flowering perennials, annuals and shrubs, I would place ‘Waldbrunn’ in widely spaced conifer groupings to allow plenty of room for growth and to provide more winter interest in her otherwise empty winter garden. Planting near other blues of varying shapes and sizes will work nicely, since she is interested in adding more blue to her winter landscape. Placing near green (both bright and dark) or yellows, it will provide a pleasant color contrast without looking out of place. During the summer months, when flowers and Japanese maples are in their full color, ‘Waldbrunn’ provides a unique texture and color contrast. 

I am thrilled to see my friend’s passion for conifers begin to awaken. I am very excited that during our visit she genuinely wanted me to tell her about three or four compact blue conifers that would work in her “cottage garden.” Not only that, but this time she picked up the bill at the coffee shop. 

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Garden lollypops

One thing I love about the end of January is the nursery and seed catalogs begin to arrive in my mailbox. This always launches the debate in our family about how much of our garden budget will go to conifers and how much will be designated to new flower seed. My wife and I immediately agreed that this year we would devote a little more space and time to growing fresh vegetables. There is nothing like a fresh tomato or ear of corn right out of the garden.

Then I had a fun idea – I suggested we start a lollypop garden.

The miniature growing 'Golden Sprite' makes a dandy golden "lollypop" in the garden and in containers.

I’m certain you have seen them – those little lollypop looking topiaries sculpted out of everything from ivy to herbs, and yes, conifers. One advantage with conifers is that if you choose a good dwarf or miniature that has been grafted on an 18 to 30 inch “standard,” you will have a very minimum amount of care to keep it small and manageable for many years.

For example, imagine planting a silvery blue Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ that appears as a blue ball floating above the soil and then filling the space under it with an assortment of colorful flowers. Or, if you prefer container gardening and your desire is to brighten up your patio or deck, you could choose from green, orange, yellow or blue low-maintenance conifers grafted on standards. Then, plant your new lollypop in the center of a well-made ceramic pot and fill in around it with flowers of varying colors and heights. Better yet, replace the flowers with other colorful conifers for a low maintenance year-round color display.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gnome' is another miniature conifer well suited to be grown in the lollypop garden.

Don’t let the cold and dreary days of winter stop you from planning your spring gardening adventures and imagine a crop of colorful conifer lollypops brightening your own special place.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Return of the Flower Girl

A while back I shared with you all a conversation I had with a dear gardening friend of mine. This gal loves her herbaceous flowering plants the way I love my conifers. I hadn’t heard from her for several months, but my last blog entry inspired her to give me a call. Apparently she thought my need for an intervention was a victory for her “side” of the gardening world and this would be a good time to rub it in.

“So, your conifers are giving you some trouble, huh?” she asked in her playful tone.

“Oh, I don’t know that they were the cause of my trouble.”

“You called one of them a “bully” didn’t you? And you had to move all that other stuff – I would’ve just got my chainsaw out and taken that big bully down!” she said with a bit of a chuckle.

“Yeah, I suppose I did lay some blame on that poor, misunderstood ‘Montgomery’.

I went on to explain that my beautiful, mature, stately ‘Montgomery’ was behaving exactly as is was genetically designed to. My erroneous expectations were the cause of my trouble.

You see, I was wanting one dwarf conifer to behave like another. I should have allowed it to be itself and not something I wanted. Afterall, there are other excellent (and even more dwarf) cultivars of blue spruce available. As it turns out though, once I relocated the plants being crowded by my faithful and trusty ‘Montgomery’, it immediately was transformed from bully to nobility.

'Lundeby's Dwarf' is an excellent, slower growing alternative to 'Montgomery' in todays smaller gardens.

Back when I originally planted my ‘Montgomery’ I was very well aware of its potential size. But that was 28 years ago and I was younger, and perhaps a little more ambitious. I had planned on annual or semi-annual pruning to keep its size under control – which worked well for the first 15 years. Since then though, I’ve allowed it to grow without my direct influence. If I had planted a different cultivar, one with less annual growth and a natural form more suited to my original design, perhaps I could have prevented a lot of work.

Two marvelous dwarf cultivars of blue spruce immediately come to mind.

Picea pungens ‘Lundeby’s Dwarf’ is a fantastic alternative if height is a concern. It has an annual growth rate of about half of what I experienced with my ‘Montgomery’ so it will take many, many more years to attain a height of ten feet. It has more of a mounding habit, so it will tend to spread a little more while remaining comparatively low.

'St. Mary's Broom' is perfect for small spaces, the rock garden or in containers.

Another favorite of mine is Picea pungens ‘St. Mary’s Broom’. Still officially in the Dwarf growth range with an annual push of just over an inch in my garden, this little beauty will be a very well-behaved blue mound in the garden for a lifetime.

There are other wonderful dwarf blue spruce of varying growth rates, forms and shades of blue that may also be considered. A creative designer could use an assortment to build a beautiful boundary that might mimic nearby hillsides or the mountain ranges of faraway lands.

Dwarf conifers are so versatile and beautiful that I don’t mind the few challenges they may induce. What other group of plants can be both foundation and centerpiece, border and boundary, filler and cherished specimen all while providing year-round color in the garden?

Ed
Conifer Lover