Inspired by rugged nature

Living somewhat near the Pacific Ocean, I love making the drive to the coast several times every year. It seems just about anywhere I go along the coast in the Pacific Northwest, I’ll find naturally sculpted pine. Sculpted by the strong coastal winds and the salt air, our native Shore Pines (Pinus contorta) surely have inspired many a garden tree artist and bonsai enthusiast.

I have a friend that wanted to recreate the coastal wind-blown look in his back garden so he planted several shore pines along with some other native coastal plants. He was terribly disappointed that the trees grew straighter and taller and much faster than those he had seen for years on the coast. By the time I met him, his pines were shading a large portion of his garden and he was ready to convert them to firewood.

I would have loved to tell him those many years ago about a fascinating cultivar of the Shore Pine named ‘Spaan’s Dwarf.’ This dwarf form grows naturally with curving, “wind-blown” branches and stunted growth as if it had been growing in the harsh coastal conditions. With just a little annual pruning, this small tree can become a garden tree of great distinction.

If container gardening is your passion, Pinus contorta ‘Spaan’s Dwarf’ is a prime choice there too. Imagine having your own miniature shore pine on your patio or deck to amaze your friends. This slow grower adapts very well to life in a container.

Its slow growth, small size and interesting branch structure inspire me to do a little pruning every spring. It’s more like having a living toy to play with than a high maintenance large garden tree that may require hours and hours of work to keep it looking good.

Thanks again to my good friends at Iseli Nursery for the photo.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Sometimes conifers can fool you

I was out in the garden this weekend getting some of the perennials cleaned up and “tucked in” for winter. I had been bent over trimming and digging and generally having a great time in the rare autumn sun (yes, our sky had turned from shades of grey to a beautiful blue color). I layed on my back in the cool grass for a moment with the sun on my face when I happened to glance across the garden to see a dwarf fir that I did not remember planting. I jumped to my feet (ha!) Well, I managed to get up and walk over for a closer view.

“That’s no fir,” I thought to myself.

It was my new Picea abies ‘Motala.’ I just aquired this beauty in the spring and planted it in a space to give it some room to fill out over the next several years. In the mean time, some “filler” perennials and grasses had pretty much obscured it from my view.

One thing that really interested me in ‘Motala’ was it’s unique needle arrangment and the way the needles all radiate outward much like an Abies pinsapo. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this one will develop.

Thanks to my friends at Iseli Nursery for the photo.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Yes, it’s hardy, and I like it too!

I have a friend that lives in the Midwest and he is always looking for very hardy conifers. We’ll be on the phone talking about our latest finds – me bragging about the great new bun-shaped Chamaecyparis or fascinatingly irregular form of Cryptomeria  – and I know he’s rolling his eyes on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, but I found a really cool dwarf mugo,” my friend tells me.

I’m thinking, “Oh great, another little green blob.” until I remember how much I like some of the TRUdwarf^® mugos I have in my rock garden. “What did you find?” I ask.

“Something called, ‘Short Needle,’” he says.

Oh yeah…there really are some great dwarf and miniature, extremely hardy mugo pines available these days. Sometimes I forget, living in our relatively mild climate here in the PNW, that other areas of the country are very limited to what they can grow. But, super hardy does not need to mean boring!

I just came back in from my rock garden to realize that most of my very dwarf and miniature conifers ARE very hardy too! As I mentioned earlier, the TRUdwarf^® line of dwarf mugo pines include some great finds in sizes ranging from tiny, with growth rates of an inch or less per year, to simply dwarf forms like P.m. ‘Mops’ that can grow to about 6 feet by 8 feet or so in 30 years.

Some of my favorites for their very neat and compact form are:

Pinus mugo ‘Mitsch Mini’
Pinus mugo ‘Donna’s Mini’
Pinus mugo ‘Slowmound’
Pinus mugo ‘Mops’ and
Pinus mugo ‘Big Tuna’

All are great specimens for any conifer garden – I’m glad my mid-western friend reminded me of these excellent garden gems.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Thanks to my friends at Iseli Nursery for providing the photo links.

Color spots

Every spring my wife wants to go to the local garden center and bring home “color spots.” You know, those annuals that you can buy in six or eight packs and plant them around the garden to provide splashes of color for a few months in spring and summer. I keep reminding her that dwarf conifers make great color spots.

For one thing, they last all year long – not just a few months. And secondly, they are such low maintenance – you never need to “dead head” them or constantly fertilize them to force their best performance.

Take Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘White Pygmy’ for example. Here’s a great dwarf conifer that appears as a speckled green and white mound. Over several years, this little ball of color will still be a very manageable size in the garden – very much the same scale as color spots tend to be – and all you need to do is plant it and enjoy!

Even in winter, ‘White Pygmy’ remains a bright spot in what would otherwise be an empty space where the color spot used to be.

It’s taking some time, but my wife is coming around – pretty soon, I think she might forget about those annuals all together.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Photo kindly provided by my friends at Iseli Nursery.

A ray of sunshine

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we often describe the color of our sky in shades of gray. This time of year, we see more of the darker shades than the lighter. Sometimes our gray sky drops to ground level and we have fog. It was one of those foggy days that I was surprised by a wonderful ray of sunshine in my garden.

I had almost forgotten about my Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph.’ Most of the growing season when I am delighted by so many other colorful conifers and companion plants, the good “Chief” stands quietly waiting for his chance to shout, “Here I am!”

And shout he does! Even in our dark gray and foggy garden, ‘Chief Joseph’ had already turned his bright golden “winter” color like a ray of sunshine. During spring and summer, ‘Chief Joseph’ appears to be an ordinary and very unassuming Shore Pine. As the autumn weather begins to cool and winter’s cold snap arrives, the chief will become brighter and brighter golden yellow. He makes a great winter specimen in the garden and a pleasant autumn surprise.

Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’ photo provided by my good friends at Iseli Nursery. 

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Autumn arrives in the Pacific Northwest!

It seems just one week ago I was seeing the beginnings of our autumn colors around the garden. This week, the colors have just exploded! I’ve got to share with you two of the most intensely colored trees in my garden right now. Both are Japanese maples.

The first, Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ has these huge, deeply cut leaves that have turned a stunning blend of deep rich reds, orange, golden yellow and scarlet. It’s been such a joy to watch the colors change over the past week or so – and they just keep getting more intense with every day!

Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ photo provided by my friends at Iseli Nursery.

The next one that I must tell you about is Acer palmatum ‘Tobiosho.’ This one was selected for it’s autumn foliage display. This may just be the longest lasting display I’ve experienced. Even as early as three weeks ago, this one began to show its fall colors. Slowly, day by day, more of the tree changed until suddenly the whole thing is eye-popping RED! In early morning light (or our gray northwestern days) the color almost looks burgundy, but in bright sunlight it appears to have been lit on fire with a spectrum of such intense red colors I can’t find the words to describe it.

Acer palmatum ‘Tobiosho’ photo provided by my friends at Iseli Nursery.

With the many varied colors available with conifers and the addition of an assortment of Japanese maples, today’s gardens have the ability to provide twelve full months of color!

Enjoy your autumn!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Sester Dwarf

Now this one is a real thing of beauty. Think of the bluest Colorado Blue Spruce you’ve seen growing in the mountains, and then shrink it into a compact, formal, blue cone-shaped specimen perfect for even my mother’s tiny garden. If I only had room for one blue spruce, this would likely be the one to have. (Well…honestly, I’m too far gone for that – I’d find room to plant more – one way or another.)

Picea pungens ‘Sester Dwarf’ photo provided from my friends at Iseli Nursery

Ed-
Conifer Lover