Of mutants and pixies

A family of pixies has moved into my garden. It’s true, but perhaps not quite what you might be thinking.

Last time I talked about two miniature forms of the Dwarf Alberta Spruce. I gave a brief explanation of the horticultural terms, Sport, Reversion and Witches’ Broom, all referring to mutations – new or different growth forms –  emerging from their respective parent plants. This time I’ll present for you the family tree of an exciting group of dwarf and miniature conifers originating from the White Spruce (Picea glauca).

We learned last time that Picea glauca ‘Conica’ was discovered near the beginning of the 20th century in Alberta, Canada. This new form of Picea glauca is a dwarf version of the White Spruce with a greatly reduced growth rate and nice conical shape. Many new cultivars have been discovered as mutated growth emanating from a small percentage of the millions and millions of Dwarf Alberta Spruce clones growing around the world.

Picea glauca 'Pixie'

One of those mutations was propagated and named ‘Pixie’ for its miniature growth rate and tiny conical habit. One day at Iseli Nursery, an employee discovered that one, in a crop of ‘Pixie,’ had a variegated sport. In fact, by the time the employee made this discovery, the sport had become virtually the entire small plant. This mutation was evaluated for a number of years, found to hold true to its distinctive characteristic and became the “mother” plant for a new cultivar which became known as, ‘Pixie Dust.’

Picea glauca 'Pixie Dust'

‘Pixie Dust’ is even a little slower growing than ‘Pixie’ with the same nice miniature conical habit. What makes it particularly exciting is that mid-way through the growing season, it appears to be sprinkled with golden pixie dust with its golden colored second push of new foliage. Since not all the buds push at the same time, and since the golden color fades to rich green, ‘Pixie Dust’ makes me think of gold dust shimmering in the sunlight (in very slow motion).

Picea glauca 'Pixie Dust' Sport #1

But the story doesn’t end there. A sport was discovered growing on a ‘Pixie Dust’ with faster growth but still within the dwarf growth range. This new sport has been propagated and is being evaluated at Iseli Nursery today. So far it is growing into a larger conically shaped plant with annual growth of 3 to 4 inches. Currently it is pushing its second flush and shows the same golden color as its parent.

So, we begin with a large forest tree that produces a dwarf cone shaped, highly popular cultivar, which itself produces a great many new cultivars through the magic of mutation. One of those mutations produces its own new cultivar, which at this time has also produced an exciting new form worthy of further evaluation.

Did you follow all that? Don’t worry, just enjoy the fantastic new conifers being introduced at your local fine garden centers and leave all the complicated science to the experts!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Humpty Dumpty and the Hobbit

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve discovered my fascination with fantasy creatures of folklore and modern fiction. I loved fairy-tales as a child, and I presume that some of that influence inspires my love of dwarf, miniature and unusual conifers. Many of them look like they were born in our imaginations!

Picea glauca 'Humpty Dumpty'

Most everyone is familiar with a very common conifer (though they may not realize it) called the Dwarf Alberta Spruce. Picea glauca ‘Conica’ was one of the first dwarf conifers I learned way-back-when. A very slow growing form of the White Spruce, ‘Conica’ was discovered in 1904 near Lake Leggan, Alberta, Canada. Much slower growing than its parent, ‘Conica’ is a cone-shaped small tree with rich grass-green foliage.

One of the interesting “features” of ‘Conica’ is that it can be genetically unstable. Sometimes a branch will “sport” or “revert” and begin to grow with needles and growth rates very different from the parent plant. A reversion occurs when a new branch begins to grow at a rate similar to the species, Picea glauca. Left unchecked, these types of growth will quickly out grow and overtake the slower habit of ‘Conica’ leaving the gardener with a large tree that they did not intend.

Other odd growth sports can be found from time to time and they may range from very tight, congested branches and tiny foliage called witches’ brooms, to foliage of a different color as with, P.g. ‘Arneson’s Blue’ with its mottled shades of blue foliage or P.g. ‘Rainbow’s End’ with its golden yellow second flush of growth each year.

Picea glauca 'Hobbit'

Two of my favorite cultivars were discovered as witches’ brooms and have been given names right out of fantasy literature. The first is P. g. ‘Humpty Dumpty’ with its slowly mounding conical shape. ‘Humpty Dumpty’ grows at about two thirds the rate of ‘Conica’ with perfectly scaled, small needles of rich green. Perfect for the rock garden or in containers.

Picea glauca ‘Hobbit’ is a half sized delight in the garden. As a youngster, ‘Hobbit’ is a plump little buddy in the rock garden or on the patio in a container. With maturity, his broad conical form will develop. Both cultivars have a tremendous amount of character as they grow and mature and neither will outgrow even the smallest gardens.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

The plumber and the gardener

May was a most amazing month for us in the Pacific Northwest. It has been many years since we have had such a great month of May for gardening. My wife and I had a weekend plan that included visiting our local fine garden centers and coming home with exciting new plants to beautify our patio and garden. Sometimes our plans don’t come together just as we’d like, and instead I found myself hunting for some specific plumbing parts without access to my trusty old local plumbing store and all their years of experience and advice this particular holiday weekend.

I was spending far too many hours going from one home improvement or hardware store to another looking for my specific parts. While I was there though, I just had to cruise through the garden section of these large box stores. The great thing is that plants were everywhere! The home improvement centers, the hardware stores, the grocery store and even the gas station all had plants for sale taking advantage of the magnificent spring weather.

My last stop to find my elusive parts was within sight of one of my favorite fine garden centers. Fortunately I found my plumbing parts so I could get this project finished; only after I made my way over to the garden center to see what was new!

The sunny, May garden

Venturing inside I was immediately hit with the vision of all those beautiful plants. My head began to spin just a little in my enthusiasm and I took pause in the shade to wipe the newly formed beads of sweat from my brow. As I was taking in the glory of all those plants, my mind began to play out the story I would tell my wife about how the pickup bed was full of plants and just two small plumbing parts when I arrived home. What snapped me out of my imaginary scenario was the sound of laughter.

One thing missing from all those other places that sold plants was the children. Here children were everywhere. Full of life and excitement as they assisted moms and dads in the selection of plants, their laughter and squeals of excitement filled the place. There is just nothing that compares to the sounds of children having fun, and this place was FUN. One girl was running around with a cell phone making a video of the plants all while giving her best News Channel commentary – it was quite cute.

I love to see plants sold everywhere, but for me, I want the comradery and purpose of my fellow gardeners at the garden center. It is that experience, where both the novices and old-timers buy from the knowledgeable garden center folks while surrounded by the sounds from the jungle of life, both young and old, that give me great joy – even when there are still plumbing repairs to be done.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Nuggets of pure gold

My miniature container gardens have really come to life the past few weeks. All the dwarf and miniature conifers are pushing their new growth and the companion succulents and mini-heathers are performing admirably. Two of the hot spots in my containers right now are both miniature Hinoki Cypress cultivars selected for their bright gold foliage color and extremely slow growth rates.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Golden Sprite'

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Golden Sprite’ has been a favorite of mine for many years. This little nugget of gold has tiny foliage that slowly grows into an irregularly shaped mound that is broader than tall. At fifteen years old, my oldest specimen is nearly 10 inches across and approximately seven inches tall. The foliage is so tight that I can barely stick a finger into this plant. I love its unusual mounded shape – this one really has a lot of character.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Butter Ball'

Another golden nugget of conifer joy is Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Butter Ball’. At first glance, you might think it’s identical to ‘Golden Sprite’, but upon closer inspection you’ll find that it is a more open grower giving it a chance to “breathe” a little bit. The tiny foliage is more a lemon-yellow color and it is noticeably looser than that of ‘Golden Sprite’ suggesting a slightly faster growth rate. Mine is still quite young, and it will have many more years in its current container before I will need to become concerned with transplanting it into the garden.

Both these little golden nuggets are valuable additions to my container garden. As they mature, I look forward to placing them in my rock garden (which will give me an excuse to purchase a couple more small ones to re-plant into containers.)

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Twisted sisters

I remember the first time I saw a conifer with twisted or contorted foliage. What a strangely appealing and unique plant it was. Today, I’ll share with you two of my favorite “twisted” conifers with yellow foliage.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Sunny Swirl'

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Sunny Swirl’ is a selection discovered at Iseli Nursery. This special plant has the same twisted, contorted foliage as C.o. ‘Torulosa’ (its mother plant) but with yellow foliage. Its lack of chlorophyll probably accounts for its yellow color and its slower growth rate causing it to fall into border of the dwarf and intermediate categories of conifer growth rates. I love the texture this plant provides and its yellow color is a definite bonus. Growing in full sun intensifies the color, but ‘Sunny Swirl’ will tolerate some shade.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Lemon Twist'

The second yellow conifer I’ll mention today also has tiny, twisted, cord-like foliage. Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Lemon Twist’ is a delightfully slow grower staying more compact than ‘Sunny Swirl’. This is a selection from Buchholz Nursery of a yellow sport originating on Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tsatsumi’. Due to its small, rounded habit, ‘Lemon Twist’ is ideal for container gardens, patios, the rock garden and even table top gardens when a smaller plant is purchased in one of those cute 4″ pots available at the local fine garden center.

Both plants offer great texture and color to the garden however you may choose to use them. I have a ‘Sunny Swirl’ in my garden that is nearly 4 feet tall now and a couple little ‘Lemon Twist’s in containers on my patio.

Next time: Golden yellow miniatures!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Garden lighthouses

Looking around my garden the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the most intense color in my conifers is yellow. I don’t think I’ve noticed it in the past. Sure, there have been one or two gold conifers that have really popped out this time of year, but not as many as I am seeing this year. I can’t explain it, but I sure can enjoy it!

All these bright yellow conifers – from large growers to intermediates, from those with traditional foliage to those with unusual characteristics, and even the miniatures – they look fantastic this early Spring amongst the blue and green spruce and other conifers as well as the fresh new red and pink and orange foliage of some of my Japanese Maples.

Three of the larger growing Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) cultivars that are standing like lighthouses right now are Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Aurea,’ ‘Goldilocks’ and ‘Confucius.’ All three have their own unique growth rates, color intensity and overall texture. I am happy to have the space to grow all three in my garden.

Chamaecyparis obtusa Goldilocks

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Aurea’ might be considered the “granddaddy” of the golden Hinokis. Introduced in 1860, this tree will become quite large with age and stands out with its golden yellow newer foliage. Older, shaded foliage will tend to turn a nice green color which contrasts well with the brighter new foliage. Rated with a annual growth rate of over 12 inches per year, ‘Aurea’ will become a stately tree in the garden.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Goldilocks’ is a newer cultivar that is becoming more available in the local fine gardening centers. Also a large grower, ‘Goldilocks’ has intensely bright yellow foliage that reminds me of the Lemon Yellow crayon in the old Crayola 64 count box. A strong central trunk and very uniform branching habit make ‘Goldilocks’ an improved form when compared with ‘Aurea’ and it’s irregular branching when young.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Confucius’ is an intermediate grower that will form a shorter, wider and more densely foliaged plant than ‘Goldilocks’. If a smaller tree is desired with a brilliant yellow color, ‘Confucius’ is a real winner; one of the best golden yellow Hinokis to be sure.

Next time I’ll compare two fantastic yellow plants with unique textural characteristics – don’t miss it!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Of candles and new beginnings

As children, we look forward to every birthday. That one day in the year when we become the focus of attention of our family and friends. Each year, with great anticipation and excitement, we draw in a deep breath and blow with fierce determination to extinguish the candles burning atop the cake.

Birthday candles bring back many memories of years past. They also cause me to think of the days ahead – the new things to learn and experience, the new friends to make and the new plants for my garden. 

Conifer candles have a similar effect on me. 

Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead' candles emerge in spring

Have you ever noticed when Pines begin their new push of growth in spring? You will begin to see long narrow “candles” emerging out of the terminal ends of the main trunk and branches. Those tight candles will elongate, sometimes resin coated, sometimes with a papery wrap or tightly woven silky threads, growing and stretching until the needles begin to unfold creating the foliage for the current season. The showy candles on the pines in my garden are perhaps the first of the conifers to wake up in spring creating an early show as the daffodils and tulips begin to fade.

Keep an eye on your pines this spring and watch for the candles to emerge. Maybe you too will catch a happy memory from your childhood or ponder what life may have for you in the coming months.

Ed-
Conifer Lover