Miniscapes and the hot date

My wife and I had a hot date last night. Before you allow you mind to wander, let me clarify. We are currently in the midst of one of our rare, warm and sunny springs. Back in the 1980s, I remember several years in a row when we enjoyed temperatures during the month of May that exceeded 80 degrees for weeks at a time. That weather was, of course, far from what may be considered normal in my corner of the Pacific Northwest.

A miniscape is simply a miniature landscape in a container. In this case, including the miniature chair and garden tools adds to the fun and whimsy of the little garden. Some miniscapes might include a great deal of detail and be themed for fairies, or sports teams – anything you might imagine could become the theme of your own miniscape. (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’, Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana Aurescens’, Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Cumulus’ and Buxus sempervirons ‘Variegata’.)

So, yesterday, my wife and I went on one of our garden center dates, and it was HOT! Sunny warm weather, gorgeous wife by my side, and ultimately, a cart full of all kinds of plants for the garden. We Picked up a couple of tomato plants since we just don’t need as many as we would end up with if we planted a pack of seeds. I wanted two or three eggplants (they had some really cool heirloom varieties in stock) by my wife assured me that we would only need one. We also came to agreement on a flat of Marigolds, plus we found an assortment of herbs that we wanted to had to our herb garden.

Along with the conifers (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Verdonii’, Abies koreana ‘Cis’, Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’) there are a couple Sempervivums and a tiny, slow-growing holly named, Ilex crenata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’

I managed to sneak a few cute little conifers into the cart along with some new miniature  Sedums and Sempervivums so that I could plant a couple of new containers that we had picked up from our favorite pot lady back when she had great sale prices a month or two ago. My wife gave me quite a look at the checkout stand when the girl scanned the new conifers, but when I explained my plan to fill the new containers, her gaze quickly morphed from a cold stare to something a bit more warm and inviting.

By the time we arrived back home, I had explained my plans for the new miniscapes that I would be creating and it seems that things did heat up just a degree or two with a squeeze here and a pat there — I decided that the potting up of those two ceramic pots would certainly hold off until today.

Miniscapes are perfect additions to the deck or patio. While making a gentle transition from patio to garden, they also bring the feel of the garden into the smaller and more intimate space of the garden room. (Picea glauca ‘Jean’s Dilly’, Picea abies ‘Pusch’, Juniperus communis ‘Effusa’ and Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop’.)

One of the new miniscapes that I planted up today will end up as a housewarming gift for a couple of very nice, young friends that have recently purchased their first home. I am hoping to get them started off right with the year-round color, low-maintenance and tremendous joy of gardening with dwarf and miniature conifers. Once they have success with their new potted miniscape, I think I’ll be able to persuade them to branch out from more common or traditional landscape plans, and create a beautiful garden space built around the incredible pallet of color, texture and form of conifers!

My wife and I will also enjoy a new miniscape of dwarf and miniature conifers, and other cool little plants to add year-round color and interest to our patio. With the weather turning nice earlier than it has in many years, we expect to be spending a lot more time in the outdoor room of our patio, so it is always nice to have a collection of potted plants and miniature gardens to beautify that space.

I hope that springtime will arrive in your garden soon!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Golden Wilma and the seven dwarfs

I am very excited that one of my friends has just recently decided it is time to overhaul his backyard. He is ready to transform it from an ugly duckling of abused sod, to a beautiful swan of a garden, featuring the year-round color and low maintenance of dwarf conifers!

Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Wilma’ makes a brightly colored focal point in the garden.

“Ed, I’ve been thinking, since we just have the one dog now, and he doesn’t dig and tear up the backyard like the other two, I’d like to start planting the back into a nice garden like you’ve been suggesting.”

“Great! I’ll bring my tiller over as soon as the soil dries a little!”

Now, being the Pacific Northwest, that might not happen until the month of June, but in the meantime, I’ll continue to generate interest and enthusiasm in my friend by drawing a simple design, listing the plants I recommend, and point him to pictures of specimens on the internet!

In one corner, I have a nice combination of plants in mind that will utilize a dandy little ensemble of dwarf and colorful conifers that will provide nice contrasts in shape, texture, size and color. We will be starting with fairly small plants – probably nothing larger than a #3 container – so my friend will enjoy watching this space grow and mature for the rest of his life.

For the main specimen, I will use a Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Wilma’. It will be the tallest plant in the grouping and will grow to about 12-15 feet tall by 4-6 feet wide over the next 15 to 20 years. It is a bright lemon-yellow color which takes on a more golden hue during the winter - definitely a focal point in the garden.

Pinus mugo ‘Big Tuna’ will mature into a full-figured specimen in the garden with a compact habit and great rich green color.

Pinus mugo ‘Big Tuna’ will fill in nicely as a second plant which will add some height to this space. Not growing quite as quickly as ‘Wilma’, ‘Big Tuna’ will also be more broad as it matures into a small tree of about 6-7 feet tall by 4-5 feet wide in the same 15 to 20 year time span. It’s dark green needles and clumping, mounding form will be a nice contrast to ‘Wilma’s small, fine-textured foliage.

Growing into a broad, mounding form, ‘Spiraliter Falcata’ will add a very unique texture to the garden.

Next on my list is a really cool little conifer with yellowish-green, needles which twist and curve completely around their wavy branches creating small cords of foliage appearing to wriggle their way about the plant. Like my first two selections, Cryptomeria japoncia ’Spiraliter Falcata’ is one of the larger growing plants in this grouping, though it does respond very well to annual pruning if one is so inclined to create a more densely growing plant and slow its overall march toward its ultimate height. Left to grow naturally, we might expect ‘Spiraliter Falcata’ to grow into a broadly upright specimen of 6-8 feet tall by 6 or 7 feet wide over the next 15 to 20 years.

Upon closer inspection, one discovers the fascinating foliage characteristic which lends ‘Spiraliter Falcata’ its unique overall texture. Small, thick, curving needles wrap themselves around the small curving twigs giving a cord-like appearance to the foliage.

Cedrus libani subs. brevifolia ‘Kenwith’, a dwarf Cedar of Lebanon, will add another element of both color and texture to this space. ‘Kenwith’ is a very slow grower with very small, sharply pointed, light green needles. Growing just a couple of inches per year, this cool little conifer will grow into a small, broadly pyramidal tree of just 2-3 feet tall in 15 years and be a little taller than it is wide. Not a densely growing dwarf, It has open, curved branches which suggest a windswept tree and it may be fun to prune this one to enhance this natural tendency.

Cedrus libani subs. ‘Kenwith’ reminds me of something one might discover under the sea with its tiny needles covering small, curved branches appear as though they are under the influence of gentle undersea currents.

Next time I will describe the smaller dwarf and miniature forms which will be the tiny specimens in this corner design. Of course, we will not be limited to the eight plants in these two posts. There will be room for other ground covers and flowering plants for my friends to plant and enjoy. Be sure to check back next time for the four final conifers on this list!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

A hint of spring

Last weekend we had a beautiful dry day that was not otherwise filled with commitments so that we could spend it in the garden! I had a fair amount of weeding to complete before the next wave of rain storms would prevent me from having the motivation required to tackle the task. I grabbed my hoe, plugged a gardening playlist into my ears, and worked briskly enough to generate the internal warmth necessary to overcome the shortcomings of the late winter sun. Before too long I had worked my way through at least half of my garden beds and decided that my heart rate had been accelerated long enough to satisfy my primary care physician, so I cleaned up and took my wife out on a garden center date.

One of the great things about being married for most of our lives, we have come to the point that pretty much any outing that we both enjoy can be considered a date. We still sit close on the old pickup bench seat, we still hold hands as we walk through the parking lot, and we still love to spend time in the local independent garden centers together.

Picea abies ‘Hildburghausen’ is a rich green, slow growing conifer with a unique texture and tidy habit.

Being early in the season, I was not sure what I might expect to find as far as conifers go, but I was confident that my wife would find a few pansies, and other early season flowers to dress up her flower-box along our front walk. Much to my surprise, my favorite garden center had already received a new delivery of dwarf conifers. Since this was my first “official” visit to the garden center this year, I had plenty of funds in my new conifer acquisition budget, which was a good thing since I did find a few things that I couldn’t allow to remain at the garden center.

My first find was quite a surprise since I had been admiring this cultivar for a number of years, but until now I hadn’t seen it locally available. Picea abies ‘Hildburghausen’ is a fantastic dwarf Norway spruce with a compact, globe-shaped habit when young. Eventually it begins to form a central leader and develops into a conical shape. I love the very small, dark green foliage, the big, fat buds and its branching pattern gives a unique texture to the overall appearance.

Picea abies ‘Barryi’ is a very slow growing dwarf conifer with an elegant habit and a lot of character.

My next find was, Picea abies ‘Barryi’, which is a very slow-growing, cone-shaped dwarf with short, dark green needles. When young, it has a somewhat irregular looking coarse texture, but it ages into an elegant pyramid. I’ve had ‘Barryi’ on my list for a quite a long time, but when I saw it playing the cello on the cover of the Iseli Nursery catalog a few years ago, I knew I had to find one for my garden!

Finally, I found a very cool dwarf conifer called Picea omorika ‘Minima’. This cultivar is another that I have wanted ever since I saw it planted in the Jean Iseli Memorial Garden. Slower growing with smaller, thinner needles than Picea omorika ‘Nana’, a tree I’ve mentioned in the past, it has a similar color and texture but in a much more compact form. I have only seen this plant growing in the shape of a perfect sphere, but I suspect that it may eventually begin to form a leader and become a very broad pyramid. The oldest specimen that I have seen is close to 20 years old and it retains its globe shape. I love the two toned needles giving the plant a silvery-bluish-green color and it will look great planted near my bright yellow Juniperus horizontalis ‘Motherlode’.

Picea omorika ‘Minima’ is an excellent globe-shaped dwarf conifer that packs a lot of colorful foliage in a small space.

May spring arrive with its fresh warmth to your location soon. In the meantime, our cold rains have returned (with a promise of sunshine in the future forecast).

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Rainbows and rants

We  have been experiencing a rather typical Pacific Northwest February with plenty of chilly temperatures, rain showers, sun breaks and the occasional rainbow sighting. The other day, after completing several chores around the house, my wife and I decided to allow someone else to fix us dinner and treated ourselves to an early dinner out. Moments after we were seated near an east-facing window, it started raining. As it turned out, this was one of those heavy downpours that last only a few minutes and are followed by a sun break. In fact, while we gazed out our window, it seemed as though the rain has almost completely stopped while looking out a window on the other side of the building, we could see the rain was still pouring as it was highlighted by the bright sun.

The winter conifer garden is full of color, texture, form and interest.

My wife has a special gift of being able to sense when a rainbow is coming and within a moment or two, she announced, that we were in a perfect spot to see the rainbow. I looked out the window across the nearly barren landscape of the restaurant and looked back and forth for her anticipated rainbow. Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, one began to materialize right before our eyes. It slowly grew in intensity until we could see the entire thing, from end to end. The colors became brighter and brighter and then a second rainbow appeared in an outer ring not far from the original.

In a few more minutes, the magical color had dissipated, the rain began to fall again and we were left with a view of the bleak landscaping darkened by the now gray, cloud filled sky.

“When are people going to figure out that even commercial landscapes could be places of year-round color and interest if they would use dwarf conifers?” I asked my wife, not expecting an answer.

The low winter sun, diffused by many clouds, provides a well-lighted vista of the Jean Iseli Memorial Garden.

It really does not matter whether the sun is shining or not, a barren winter landscape, splattered about with few Barberry plants, some Rhododendrons and a flowering cherry or two just does not make an attractive winter scene. Since winter lasts from November through March around here, nearly half of the year many landscapes are bleak and barren. How simple it would be to design a commercial landscape with colorful, low-maintenance dwarf conifers! There may be more of an initial investment for the property owner, but in the long run, the cost of maintaining dwarf conifers in any landscape should be dramatically lower.

The incredible color and interest of the conifer garden is highlighted during a winter sun break.

Most commercial properties are not designed for outdoor lawn activities, so why pay to plant, fertilize, irrigate and mow a huge, lush green lawn that no one uses? Dwarf, intermediate and even large conifers would be a perfect replacement for large expanses of lawn grass in commercial landscapes. Reducing lawn areas to complement the visuals in many designs may be more effective, aesthetically and monetarily.

Once established, conifers require very little care. One would need to inspect for insect infestations and treat accordingly. Complementing any garden design with a mix of plants can encourage a proper balance of predator insects which can keep the unwanted critters under control. With the proper plant selections, there should be very little pruning necessary aside from trimming out the occasional dead branch from the abuses plants in public spaces often endure.

Low maintenance, drought resistant, colorful, hardy conifers, for beautiful gardens all year-long, I say!

Who’s with me?

Ed-
Conifer Lover

The case of the two-toned conifers

A few days ago the sun was shining bright, the strong east wind had subsided, and the temperature must have been in the mid-fifties – it was a great day to get outside and begin the gardening season of the new year. One project that had been on my mind for some time, and I really did need to complete, was the transplanting of two blueberry plants. I am not sure how many years they had been in their former location, but as the years passed, I found that what was initially a partly shady location became deep shade as surrounding older trees continued to grow and block out the sun. Although they did produce a few berries, I know that in their new mostly sunny location they will thrive.

So, as I was slowly soaking my new transplants in with water from the hose, my phone rang. After the traditional “how-do-you-dos”, my friend launched into the reason for his call.

“Ed, there’s something wrong with my blue spruce. I think maybe it’s reverting to a green spruce or something. Maybe it’s got bugs – whataya think?”

“Are you saying that it’s turning green?” I reply, thinking to myself that it is winter, and it is common for the brighter blue color of summer to begin to fade as the waxy coating that covers the green needles (which give them the appearance of blue color) begins to erode away over time.

“Is the whole tree turning green or just a portion – is it truly green or just that the brighter blue has dulled?

“Hang on, I’ll look.” We continue with small talk while he walks out to his garden. “Ed, its just the bottom half of the tree, it’s going to die isn’t it?” his voice dropping off, I could sense his disappointment.

“No… I don’t think so, maybe I better come over and have a look.” I said, reassuringly.

The darker, discolored foliage in the lower left portion of this ‘Montgomery’ is caused by what folks in the nursery business call, “Tractor Blight” – it occurs with several passes of a tractor or trailers brushing up and rubbing away the white waxy coating on the needles. Fortunately, the new growth this spring with completely cover this up with fresh blue foliage. My friend’s tree suffered a little more damage than this, and I expect his tree to make a full recovery as well. His greater challenge may be retraining his daughter how to back out of the garage.

My blueberries had received a very good soak by this time and since I really wasn’t motivated to continue on with projects in my own garden after digging and transplanting two 4-5 foot blueberry plants, I cleaned up a bit and made my way over to see what my friend was so upset about.

I pulled up along the curb in front of my friend’s house, and there it was, a beautiful Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ planted in a lovely bed of dwarf conifers which bordered along the inside curve of my friend’s large driveway. He greeted me just as I began to walk up the drive toward the tree. We

The bright sun and long days of spring and summer bring out the best, brightest lemon-yellow color of ‘Jantar’.

chatted while I had a good look all the way around the tree which had grown to the point where it was just at the edge of the pavement. I could see that a couple of the lowest branches were broken – or crushed. As I walked around the tree I found that the loss of blue color was limited to the driveway side of the tree.

I was just about to proclaim my diagnosis when one of the garage doors began to rise like a modern-day drawbridge, but rather than a horse-drawn carriage, my friend’s daughter backed her car out of the driveway, around the curve, sliding right up against the ‘Montgomery’ spruce, rubbing the lower portion of the small tree with the back quarter panel of her car, she then turned the car forward toward the street and sped off completely unaware of any affect she had on her father’s prized dwarf blue spruce. What we witnessed had apparently been going on for some time. Day after day of lightly brushing up against the lower portion of the tree began to rub off the waxy coating, revealing the true green color of the needles.

My friend and I turned and looked at each other, me with a restrained grin and my friend with his mouth dropped wide open.

“Case solved,” I said. “Shall we have tea, Watson?”

The funny thing is that my story does not end there. The very next morning I made a trip out to visit my friends at Iseli Nursery. As I approached my parking space, driving along the south side of the office, directly in front of me was a surprising phenomenon that I can’t remember experiencing to this degree before. There, before my eyes was a tree that was distinctly two-toned, split in half, right down the middle, from top to bottom.

Thuja occidentalis ‘Jantar’ is an exciting new plant from Poland that was discovered as a golden sport growing on the Emerald Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) a few years ago and is beginning to make its way into the American marketplace during that past year or so. This incredibly bright golden-yellow, tidy, narrow column is ordinarily brightly and evenly colored all the way around. This time of year, with our shorter days and less intense lower angle of the sun seems to have an effect on the intensity of color during the winter months. During the winter, ‘Jantar’s overall color deepens somewhat with hints of orange and bronze. What is fascinating is that the south side of the tree remains a very bright color, while the north side of the tree is duller, darker with slight hints of green. Approaching this tree from the east as I did, I could see a definite line where the bright color ends and the dimmer shades begin.

The south side of this ‘Jantar’ displays its bright amber winter color. The east side of the tree, you can see a distinct line delineating the bright sunny side from the darker north side of the tree. Finally, the north side of the tree just does not receive enough sunlight to stay brightly colored in our Pacific Northwest winter. Not to worry though, with the longer days and brighter sun coming, this ‘Jantar’ with be back to it totally bright yellow color soon!

So, the morale of my stories today are that many forces can affect the coloration of our conifers, from the effects of our natural world, to local wildlife – whatever the species.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

A delight for the present, and those yet to be born

We enjoyed hosting some family at our home over the Thanksgiving holiday. It had been quite a while since we had been able to host some of these folks so we were all very happy that the pouring rain of the previous days leading up to the big weekend had stopped and we were all able to enjoy a late autumn stroll through my garden.

As we followed along the garden paths, I was pleased to hear the expected “Ooos” and “Ahhhs” with the occasional, “What’s that!” One of my brother-in-law’s seemed particularly pleased with himself as he pointed to every weed and asked, “What’s the name of this one”. I think he was surprised when I actually knew their botanical name and he quieted down after I had recited a few.

The seed-bearing cones of Picea orientalis ‘Aureospicata’ begin to emerge just before the new yellow spring foliage growth.

Of course late autumn is not the best time to show off one’s garden, but the conifer garden was no slouch and with the assortment of color, size, shape and texture in my garden, there were many items which drew attention. People are almost always amazed when I point out a particularly small conifer and then tell them that it is nearly twenty years old. This group was becoming used to hearing that and by the time we came to one faster growing, and ultimately larger tree, they were surprised that it was one of the younger specimens in my garden.

I first began to describe to my guests that although Picea orientalis ‘Aureospicata’ has dark green foliage right now, when it begins to push its new spring growth next year, it will be bright lemon yellow! Like many flowering trees that explode with bright color in springtime, this conifer blooms its bright yellow foliage, but rather than dissipate in just a week or two like many flowering trees, ‘Aureospicata’ holds its yellow color for a couple of months as it slowly darkens to the green color that we enjoy this time of year.

Bright yellow new growth is just one striking feature of Picea orientalis ‘Aureospicata’.

Of course, I must mention here, as I did to the guests of my little tour, the bright yellow new foliage is not the only feature which emerges in spring and adds to the year-round value of this tree. Early every spring, bright purplish pink pollen cones begin to swell – even before the new yellow foliage display. These tiny cones do not last long, so you’ll need to keep an eye out for them. Just after the pollen cones emerge, the new seed-bearing cones will begin to develop. These female cones are also a very striking purplish color that become darker and darker as the cones mature through the summer months. Eventually, they begin to dry and turn a golden brown as autumn sets in, leaving ornaments hanging on the tree into winter. Here in the Pacific Northwest, our winter rain, wind and ice storms will tend to knock most of these cones off of the tree, cleaning it for a fresh new batch of garden ornaments in the coming spring.

‘Aureospicata’ will become a large tree in time. Mine is located where it has plenty of room to grow and become a featured specimen in my front garden. Long after I am gone, this majestic tree should continue to bring delight to generations of folks in the years to come.

Ed-
Confer Lover

Hoping for a very happy Thanksgiving

I love the vintage look of this special poster created by artist, Tom Whalen.

I am so thankful for the friends and family that my wife and I have enjoyed over the years. Though friends and family to come and go over a lifetime, it is the special memories that we carry of them that can bring us times of happiness when we can no longer be near.

One thing that always seems to bring back many happy memories of family events, from times long ago and family members many years past, is the T.V. holiday special, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. It seems that one way or another, this special found its way to be on the T.V. during the holiday weekend. It’s interesting how something as silly as an animated feature based on a comic strip can conjure so many happy memories.

I hope that you and your family will be creating many happy memories this holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ed-
Conifer Lover