Tea time?

I thought today would be one of those lazy days where I would enjoy my garden from my favorite chair near the woodstove. Cup of tea in hand and a few of my favorite conifer books by my side, my plan was to remain warm and dry while dreaming of new conifers and where I might plant them. The morning was going as planned until I began to feel a little restless.

First I noticed that my foot was keeping fast tempo to music that was not playing. I got out of my chair and walked over to my window and noticed that several of my Picea abies and P. glauca cultivars were definitely beginning to push their new bright green spring growth. I sat back down, but I couldn’t keep my mind off of going outside and playing with my conifers.

“It’s just too stinking cold outside” I told myself.

Dwarf and miniature conifers and companions maturing nicely in a high quality ceramic pot.

Then I remembered my recent purchase of a few of those cute little conifers in the four inch pots that I picked up last week when the weather was nice. I was at the opening day of one of my favorite garden centers. I like to pop in on the first day of the season just to get a peak at some of the new plants fresh from the growers. I had no intention to make a purchase, but those little conifers are so cute, and I can always use more mixed conifer containers on the patio.

Out I go to the potting shed with my big heavy coat, my new little conifers and a couple companion plants to see what I can come up with. My favorite pot lady had a great sale on her excellent ceramic pots a few weeks ago, so I was all set.

I had a great time – even if I was a little cold – placing my new plants with a couple decorative rocks in a nice earth-toned pot. I’m looking forward to the little surprise I will have for my wife when she returns home in an hour or two. In the meantime, now that I’ve spent some quality time in my miniature garden, I am feeling quite satisfied here next to the woodstove. Time to brew another cup of tea.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Setting the record straight

One of my first encounters with a fellow plant enthusiast was a landscaper I worked for as a young lad. The guy was a first generation immigrant from Hungary with an almost non-stop flow of stories as we drove from one location to another. It didn’t take long for me to discover that a few of his stories were – how shall I put it – less than accurate.

During that time I had a fascination with native culinary and medicinal plants. I had done a fair amount of study utilizing the vast array of books available to me at the local library. I certainly recognized that I was no expert on the topic of wild plants and their medicinal and/or toxic properties, but I was fairly well read and had not yet met anyone with even an interest in the subject.

Tsuga canadensis 'Betty Rose' a delightful, slow growing, variegated Hemlock

One day as we were working in the back lot of one of the pristine homes overlooking the city, my boss alerted me to a magnificent old specimen of Tsuga canadensis ‘Pendula’. By this time I had begun to learn some of the more common conifers and I was happy to see a wonderful specimen of the Weeping Hemlock that I had only previously viewed in a book. As I excitedly approached this grand old tree, my boss warned me, “Don’t touch that one, its poison!”

“Poison?” I asked, not sure why he would say such a thing.

“That’s Hemlock, it’s poison!” he said with a tone of superiority that he knew something about the plant his young apprentice had not yet learned in his formal schooling.

“Poison Hemlock?” I asked, wondering if he was serious. “You mean like the drink Socrates was given as his death sentence?”

This turned out to be the wrong thing to say and only incited another stern warning to stay away from the tree because I would surely become poisoned and he didn’t have time to take me to the hospital.

Since that time, I have had several other opportunities, under less combative circumstances, to clarify to the less informed that, yes, there is a highly toxic plant called Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) and no, it is not in any way related to the genus Tsuga, a non-toxic conifer commonly known as Hemlock.

Tsuga canadensis 'Jervis' is an excellent garden sculpture

You may ask why a woody coniferous tree would have the same name as a toxic herbaceous plant. If you have ever worked with Tsuga, you very likely have noticed that it has a very peculiar scent – not at all like Pine or Spruce. Apparently, its aroma is very much like that of the Poison Hemlock (and the Water Hemlock which is also very toxic to animals and humans). So, two completely different types of plants with nearly identical common names create the confusion and equates to one reason why I always prefer to use botanical names when discussing plants.

Interesting to note that there is one plant that looks almost identical to Poison Hemlock and it is actually edible. Queen Anne’s Lace or, the Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), is an herbaceous plant with foliage and flowers that look very similar to Poison Hemlock but without the toxic properties. I am much more concerned about inexperienced wild food enthusiasts encountering Poison Hemlock in their quest for the tasty young root of the Wild Carrot than warning them away from my good friend, the Tsuga.

The moral to my story? Have no fear of enjoying the huge variety of excellent forms of Hemlock (Tsuga) in your garden. This is a genera filled with exciting dwarf, miniature and variegated forms;  from the delightfully variegated, miniature, ‘Betty Rose’ to the tiny, ‘Minuta’ or the dwarf, irregular, sculptural form of ‘Jervis’ to the stately and sprawling ‘Cole’s Prostrate’, I believe that you will find a garden Hemlock that will be a safe and welcome addition to your garden.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Weird and wonderful

I’ve been growing conifers for so long that I may have become desensitized to what is considered unusual or weird. When I have new guests visit my garden – those with very little prior exposure to the world of conifers – I find myself a little surprised by their total amazement with the plants in my collection. It seems that what I once saw (and others continue to see) as weird and wonderful, I have come to recognize as simply, wonderful.

As I was enjoying the amazing spring-like weather over the weekend, I discovered that I still have plenty of open space in my garden where early season weeds can germinate and create a lovely ground covering sea of green and white. I knew that this was my last chance to pull these particular weeds because they had been flowering for at least a week and with warmer temperatures on the way, they would be producing their “popping” seeds which means that they will very effectively spread themselves even further in my garden.

The unique variegated foliage of Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Baldwin Variegated’

As much as I enjoy crawling around on my hands and knees pulling weeds, I believe it is time to fill those empty spaces with conifers to prevent any more of this particular garden activity. My mind begins to wander as to what new conifer would be just the right fit in the space I need to fill. It must be dwarf, low maintenance, and it would need to be something extremely unusual.

Why, you ask? Because this small space is framed by larger, more ordinary conifers and a Japanese maple. On their own, each of these plants is a beauty, and together, they have made a very pleasant little vista in my garden. The space I want to fill is like a small room in a gallery awaiting the premier showing of an artist’s new sculpture. I need something that will stand out from the plants around it – something really “out-there” and yet with a unique beauty unlike other conifers in my garden.

Its sculptural quality adds to its mystery and makes ‘Baldwin Variegated’ an exceptional showpiece for any garden.

I have conifers that can represent every color of the rainbow. I have tall skinny conifers. I have short squat and spreading conifers. I have conifers that grow with perfect uniformity and others that grow with an unpredictable spontaneity and irregularity that they always stir up conversation in those who witness their beauty. Then I remember a wonderful little conifer that I have admired for years and years.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Baldwin Variegated’ is a tremendous dwarf Hinoki cypress with an irregular broadly pyramidal habit that will provide a wonderful sculptural element to the garden. It also has one of the most amazing creamy white variegations you will ever see. I can imagine that the uninitiated would find the overall appearance of this small tree quite unusual. (And my wife loves variegated plants.)

Perfect!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Anticipation keeps me waiting

After one of the mildest first two months of a new year, today our temperature is dropping to more winter-like crispness. Snow levels are dropping and we may even see sloppy wet snow mixed with rain at our elevation.  As much as I have enjoyed an early start to my garden chores, I am hopeful that the colder weather will extend my garden’s plant dormancy a little longer. If my Larix or Acers begin to push their tender new growth too early, they will very likely get hit with a spring-time frost that is typical in our area. On the other hand, I am in great anticipation for the onslaught of color that is coming soon to my conifer garden!

Good things come to those who wait, and the spring foliage of 'Taylor's Sunburst' is definately worth waiting for.

I am extremely enthusiastic about one conifer in particular. Pinus contorta ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ is an amazing tree that will pick up where ‘Chief Joseph’ leaves off. I’ve shared my excitement about the good Chief in the past and I’ve described how tired he can become at the end of his winter show. Within weeks, ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ literally bursts into its glory as it begins to extend its spring candles of brilliant golden yellow. As the candles continue to extend and the needles expand, the color becomes a little less gold and takes on a tone as if a little cream were added to the mix. This creamy yellow color becomes very prominent against the dark green older foliage that was the sunburst of springs gone by. Place ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ near other dark green or blue conifers for a spectacular color display. Throw a deep red Japanese Maple into the mix and you will find it difficult to pull your eyes away from this special space in your garden.

'Taylor's Sunburst' adds a lot of interest to the garden

Discovered in the Rocky Mountains, high in Colorado, ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ is a hardy Lodge Pole Pine that requires a well drained soil. Generally an upright growing intermediate sized tree, it can become somewhat irregular in form. I like the rugged, mountain grown look it can provide. With a little careful pruning and candle pinching, it can become a manageable, compact pyramid of spring gold. As summer approaches with its longer days and warmer temperatures, ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ kicks up its chlorophyll production and its foliage becomes greener – possibly a natural defense against the sun scalding the more tender yellow foliage. Through fall and winter, this tree steps out of the spotlight in time for ‘Chief Joseph’ to shine bright.

I anticipate a beautiful spring garden and I hope you will experience the joy a conifer garden can provide.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Two left feet

I am beginning to have second thoughts about putting so much effort into my Christmas light display in December. Even though it is a lot of fun during the darkest days of winter to have a front garden full of pretty little lights, unwrapping the trees and shrubs is far less satisfying – especially when you are a clumsy old gardener like me.

You may recall my adventure installing the lights last December. Yesterday, as I was taking down the display I had an experience that might have given my neighbors a chuckle while I fumbled and flopped around which ended with me doing repair work on a treasured old conifer.

I was particularly careful as I climbed the ladder and unwrapped the string of lights from my Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Pendulum’. Back on solid ground I moved the ladder away so I could continue circling the tree as I unwound the lights from their winter home.

Even unsheared, 'Boulevard' is a nice conical form. Sheared, like mine, it becomes more dense causing falling men to bounce off of it.

Now, as much as I enjoy Daylilies, what happened next made me less of a fan. I suddenly found myself stumbling in a mound of both the newly emerging foliage and last season’s dried leaves. Trying to regain my balance, I made sort of a hop on one foot that morphed into a pirouette as I spun around, bounced off of a sheared Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Boulevard’ and landed squarely in the middle of my treasured Pinus mugo ‘Sherwood Compact’.

Not sure whether the crackling sound I heard as I hit the ground was me or the dwarf pine, I pulled myself up and brushed off my jeans. Looking around to see if I needed to be embarrassed or not, it appeared as if my new dance moves were unwitnessed so I turned to inspect my pine. Sadly, it now appeared to be a new form of “Nest Pine” because of the large broken branch right in the middle near the ground.

Fortunately, I had my pruners at my side and I cut just beyond the break to a couple of side branches. Removing the broken branch revealed quite a hole, but with some creative fluffing of the remaining branches I was able to cover my mistake very effectively. Perhaps thinning out the interior of this excellent cultivar will be healthy for it in the long run. Hardy as these dwarf mugo pines are, they are not “Falling Ed” proof.

Needless to say, I am feeling the joy of gardening, in a rather painful way today. Now, where is the number for my massage therapist……?

Ed-
Conifer Lover