Lying in the Shade

The other day I was thinking about different conifers that are classified as weeping or pendulous or prostrate. Some have very striking pendulous habits that require help to attain any real height at all. Others will begin their lives crawling along the ground and then with some maturity begin to show upward strength as they twist and curve and bend their way to unique and fascinating specimens. Still others will grow tall and straight as an arrow with all their lateral branches turning and growing straight to the ground where they then sprawl and make a ground cover skirt around the base of the tree. Some become full size trees while others are dwarf. The diversity within this category of conifer is truly amazing.

One of my absolute favorite prostrate growing conifers is Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate.’ While most hemlocks tend to prefer some shade, ‘Cole’s Prostrate’ thrives in it. I love the way it lies tightly to the ground as it crawls and sprawls its way in the garden. Planted in the rockery, it will soften the texture of the rocks and fall over the edge of a wall like a waterfall. I like to stake mine when young to establish some height and encourage a unique form before allowing it to do its own thing.

Yes – weeping, pendulous and prostrate conifers – I love them!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Thanks to my friends at Iseli Nursery for the links!

Low Glow

Texture plays a very important role in the garden. Due to their varying foliar types and growth rates, conifers can add a tremedous amount of texture throughout your landscape. One pine in particular comes to mind as a great addition to my garden because of its interesting foliar texture, compact form and great green color.

Pinus densiflora ‘Low Glow’ grows as a somewhat flat-topped mound and will tend to fill more horizontal real estate in the landscape than it will vertical. It has a fresh spring-green look to it all year and the coarse needles and compact form make for a very interesting texture.

My friends in the south tell me that it’s heat-hardy to zone 9 and cold hardy to zone 5, so it really should be used in most any garden all throughout the U.S. Who could ask for more in a great conifer?

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Thanks to my friends at Iseli Nursery for the photo link.

Favorite conifer?

People often ask me what my favorite conifer is. I’ll tell them that it’s  too difficult to come up with just one. So they’ll tell me to pick my favorite genus – again too hard to do!

I’ll start to think about Chamaecyparis, for example, and some of my favorite cultivars, then I’ll be reminded how great the Tsugas are and I’ll picture some favorites in my mind. It goes on and on for a while, from genus to genus and then I find myself back where I started!

Please don’t ask me to single out any one conifer – I love them all!

If you ever find yourself in Oregon, you will want to visit the Oregon Garden in Silverton. Overall the garden is still fairly young, but the conifer garden is definately worth a visit. Take the family and enjoy a very pleasent day – And hey, you try to pick just one favorite!

Thanks to my friends at Iseli Nursery for the photo link.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Blue Dwarfs

As I was wandering around the garden this morning I really took notice of my blue dwarfs. No, I’m not referring to the “little People” that live in my garden; I’m talking about a great group of dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce. Most everyone is familiar with the full size blue spruce trees (Picea pungens). There are also some great selected cultivars of the full size trees that were chosen for their reliable blue color, form, growth habit or other unique characteristics. Not as many of us are aware that there are some fantastic dwarf conifers with that same wonderful blue color.

Picea pungens ‘St. Mary’s Broom’ is one of those very special dwarf blue spruce trees. Really more of a mounding shrub than a tree, ‘St. Mary’s Broom’ will only grow a few inches each year. With such great blue color, this little mound really stands out when the annual and perennial flowers have long gone for the season and the autumn foliage show has ended. That’s one reason why I love conifers so much; they are perfect plants for year-round color. ‘St. Mary’s Broom’ is such a slow grower; it’s unlikely that it will ever outgrow its space in the garden.

Other favorite dwarf conifers with great blue color are:
Picea pungens ‘Hillside’
Picea pungens ‘Lundeby’s Dwarf’
Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’
Picea pungens ‘Sester Dwarf’

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

Ed-
Conifer Lover

King of the Garden

Here it is, the middle of November and most of the deciduous trees have presented their glorious display and shed most if not all their leaves. Just a few weeks ago, the garden was glowing with bright golden yellows and intense reds, most everything had begun its autumn show – everything except the stately Lion’s Head maple (Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’). Even just a week ago I was watching for any hint of color change as other tree’s colorful leaves blew by and swirled around me in the autumn breeze. This “King of the Garden” was waiting to present himself when there would be much less competition from other plants.

Sitting near the pond this past weekend, as I enjoyed the crisp autumn air, I was mesmerized by the color orange. The King had finally begun to put on his show. The deciduous trees delight us with many colors in the garden all year long, but we don’t see orange until the fall.  

Perhaps it is the contrast with the blues, greens and golds of our autumn conifers that give the orange of ‘Shishigashira’ it’s allure. Whatever it is, it is just a week or two out of 52 – and less if we have a good wind and rain storm. Its fleeting nature makes me think of other precious things in life and how I need to appreciate and acknowledge them a little more.

How many more weeks of clinging leaves and beautiful colors do we have? Not many here in the Pacific Northwest. Thanksgiving is just a week away – how appropriate.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

I’m thankful for my friends at Iseli Nursery for providing the great photo links!

Silberperle: a real garden gem

When I first procured my very own Abies koreana ‘Silberperle’ I was so excited. I hurried home to my garden to find just the right place to plant it. This miniature conifer is such a wonderful little garden gem. The plant grows as a small green globe with very prominent white resin coated buds. They look like tiny pearl ornaments scattered among the green and white needles. So, I found the perfect place for my new treasure in the rock garden and have been enjoying it for several years.

Just the other day – and I don’t know how I’ve missed it all these years – I stumbled across an old specimen of ‘Silberperle’ in one of the display gardens at Iseli Nursery. This plant was just over 30 inches tall and about one foot in diameter. It formed a wonderful tiny conically shaped tree. My own little specimen is much smaller and hasn’t developed a dominant leader yet, but seeing this old one at Iseli, I am looking forward to watching mine develop over the next several years.

Many thanks to my friends at Iseli for the photo links! 

Ed-
Conifer Lover