What day is this—Thursday, June 2nd—how is this possible? This has been one of those years that has seemed to fly by at some kind of unnaturally fast pace. It has been one of the most pleasant springs, weather-wise, in my memory. We have had a perfect balance of sunny, dry, nice days and days fill with soaking rains so that the garden I planted weeks ago is growing happily. I also re-potted several of my small, grafted plants and they now have a prominent place filling the deck. All these plants – from dwarf conifers to herbs and veggies to flowers – have brought life to the otherwise plain and empty deck. With this nice weather we are finding the deck a very pleasant place to spend the evenings with our favorite books.
Even with all the great weather, I have made very little progress breaking new ground in the garden transformation. I do have some areas delineated for new beds and the larger veggie garden, but keeping up with life’s routines has prevented me from getting some bigger chores done.
Looking more like October than June, the fresh, new, spring foliage of ‘Autumn Moon’ might fool you into double-checking your calendar.
I have had time to dream about new plants for the garden and in a recent visit to the Jean Iseli Memorial Garden, I found another tree that I simply must make room for.
Who doesn’t love autumn foliage color? Autumn is possibly my favorite season (right after spring and summer) and I certainly intend to plant the new garden with opportunities for great color during that season! But why wait for great color?
Acer shirasawanum ‘Autumn Moon’ begins the spring season with a spectacular flush of autumn color that persists all through the summer and until leaf drop sometime in November! This tidy tree is perfect for the smaller garden and is a gem in a container on the patio or deck. I think this one might be just the right size to fit in my smaller front yard where it can tease the neighbors with its special color for seven or eight months every year.
I hope to get my mind back on my larger garden project at hand as well as return to more regular blogging in the weeks and months to come. Last time I promised to talk about different screening plants and that will have to wait until next time…
The Garden Bug has bit me early this year and I am very anxious and excited to get going on the new garden! I must admit, though, having to wait to begin breaking the soil and getting serious about working in my new garden is good… or bad, depending on one’s perspective. Although I do have some definite ideas and plans about how I will design my new garden spaces – both the strictly ornamental area and the productive, food producing area – the longer I wait to begin, the more opportunity I have to make changes. Which, as I said, can be good or bad.
“Hey Ed!” He greeted, “What do a dwarf and a miniature conifer have in common?”
From my perspective, allowing my imagination to flow is always a good thing, so changing my plan as new ideas form is quite fun. On the other hand, if I do not stick to a definite plan, I’ll never make any progress when I can finally break ground. One of the great things about the way I approach gardening is that nothing is forever. I can always move things around if I need to as the garden grows and matures. At this stage in my life, I think it would be best to have a good plan to begin with since I don’t have as many years in my future to make changes as I did 40, 30, 20, even 10 years ago. I am inclined to be more content with my garden layout so that I can spend my time enjoying the space rather than continually changing and re-working it.
Beautiful blue foliage of the perfectly symmetrical Fritsche Engelmann spruce make this tree worth waiting for.
So, although I do have some definite plans for the general layout of my new garden, I remain open to be flexible regarding many of the exact plants I will use in the design. For example, I took advantage of the amazingly spring-like weather in Boring, Oregon today and decided I would absorb some inspiration from my friends at Iseli Nursery by strolling through the Jean Iseli Memorial Garden. Thankfully, my long-time association with the folks there, I can pop in to get updates on what is new in the nursery trade.
As I arrived at the front desk to check in, I was stopped by one of the enthusiastic CSRs who happened to be walking by on his way to… well, wherever.
“Hey Ed!” He greeted, “What do a dwarf and a miniature conifer have in common?”
My eyes rolled up a bit as I began to think about some specific characteristics of common dwarf and miniature conifers. Growth rate was the first thing to come to mind, but also often times they may share smaller needles size and certainly more compact growth…
Not really wanting an answer he said, “Very little.” and continued on his way around the corner with his “hehehehe” fading the further he proceeded.
I thought for sure I heard the typical thump of a drum and cymbal crash (ba-dum, crash) often associated with comedic one-liners.
I smiled, and as I turned, there was Mr. Smith waiting for me.
“Hey Ed, follow me, I want to show you something.”
Out the door I followed my old friend and associate to the north-west section of the Memorial garden. We chatted as we strolled in the warm, late-winter sunshine and as we arrived at the destination of our little tour, standing before me was a beautiful blue spruce. I thought for a moment or two about this tree. I remembered it being much smaller (when this section of the garden was planted in 2008) and tried to think of how I had missed giving it much notice since that time.
The tree was gorgeous! I looked at my host and simply said, “Wow.”
“I know” he replied.
We both stood there for a minute or two and I finally mentioned how I hadn’t realized what a pretty form this new cultivar would mature into when it was first planted those eight years ago.
“Me too” he said with a big smile. “We don’t have a whole lot of these sold, or even available yet, but I think we need to let people know about this one!”
He assured me that there will be some plants landing in independent garden centers all across the country this spring, but it will be a few years before they have a large inventory. My thoughts went immediately to whether or not they might have one available to spare for an old friend of the nursery since this beautiful tree would fit perfectly into my new garden!
Picea engelmannii ‘Fritsche’ is a very lovely cultivar of the Engelmann Spruce. Its blue foliage rivals the color of many other Colorado Blue spruce selections. With its symmetrical, broad upright habit, its full, attractive form, great color and superb cold hardiness, it will be a winning choice for many areas of the USA and Europe.
I really love the way its lateral branchlets fall downward from the main branches creating a fully-clothed effect. I especially look forward to seeing the tree mature in the decades to come.
Now, how am I going to talk them out of a small one for my new garden?….
Almost 15 months ago I suffered a heart attack. Thankfully, I had recently read about the different warning signs that men and women may experience and that list instantly popped into my mind. My first symptom seemed somewhat normal and with the pain in the back of my neck, I presumed that I needed a simple visit to my chiropractor. A few moments later I noticed a very unusual sensation in my chest – not pain – just a very strange sensation that I had never experienced before.
I wondered to myself, “Am I having a heart attack?”
Not wanting that to be the case and yet aware that I may be leaving the house abruptly and going on an overnight visit, I decided to close the windows on that warm, late summer day. I gathered my wallet and keys and returned to my chair feeling a little light-headed.
Dwarf and miniature conifers can be easily grown and enjoyed for many years in containers.
Another moment later and I began to experience a mild but sharp pain shooting down my jaw and I said to myself, “That’s four, I’m calling 911.”
I made the call and wheeled my office chair out by the front door, which was already open due to the lovely warm day. A very, very slow ten minutes later the paramedics arrived and seemed to stroll slowly up my walkway to discover me sitting by the door.
“Hi Guys. Glad you’re here!”
After connecting me to their equipment, one of the medics casually informed me that he believed I was having a heart attack.
“I concur!” I replied, becoming a little anxious that we weren’t moving more expeditiously.
In what seemed far too long, they hooked me up and off we went, sirens blaring, to the best coronary hospital in the area. I wondered as we moved through light traffic on that Sunday early afternoon, why we seemed to be moving so slowly. I thought that the key to survival with heart attack victims was quick response and action!
Even folks with very little garden space may enjoy the joy of gardening with dwarf and miniature conifers!
When I arrived at the Cath Lab, I was greeted with smiles and the good news that the team was all warmed up since I was the 4th guest that day. I was taken into the Cath Lab and the procedure was done to unblock two arteries. Everyone along the way told me that I had done everything right and there was a huge chance for survival and very little damage. Only about an hour had gone by from the time I called 911 to when the nice nurse wheeled me to the room where I spent the next 48 hours or so.
Of the 4 heart attack patients they saved that warm, summer Sunday, I was the first to check out and return home to rest.
You just never know when your time will come to move beyond life on this world. I strongly believe that one should always extend love and kindness to those they encounter and one should embrace every opportunity to have fun. I had an opportunity to talk about my garden and dwarf conifers with my nurse. Even though she was over-worked and stressed with her own struggles in life, I was able to share some gardening stories with her in the wee hours of the morning.
Dwarf and miniature conifers can make the best containers look even better! The year-round color and texture of conifers sure is better than messy mounds of brown, dead foliage through the winter!
She seemed to enjoy the thought of adding dwarf and miniature conifers to the containers on her deck. She loves plants, and at this time in her life she simply doesn’t have time to care for a large garden. She does have time for several containers of mixed plants on her deck and she cherishes her quiet time with a warm cuppa brew in that small space. I told her about the year-round fun to be had when filling those containers with dwarf and miniature conifers.
Even the smallest balcony can become a calming and therapeutic space with dwarf and miniature conifers!
I believe it was healing for me to share about my love of conifers and I believe it gave my nurse a new perspective on how she might enjoy gardening in the limited space that she can currently manage. Her eyes brightened as she began to think about the possibilities available to her in making that small space even more therapeutic until her life calms to the place where she can extend her own joy of gardening off of the deck and out into her yard.
Life is short – let’s enjoy it and bring as much joy as possible into the lives of those around us through a friendly smile—and gardening!
After our unusually dry and mild winter, we have entered into the spring season with cooler temperatures, more clouds, more cold rain and even brief, scattered hail showers. We seem to be back to our “normal” now and many plants are beginning to push a bit of their new growth. Most of the early Japanese Maples have flushed their first push of fresh colorful new growth. Along with this first push of foliage, we also see tiny, delicate looking flowers, many with bright red or burgundy bracts that are very showy in the green foliage types and almost invisible in the cultivars pushing red new growth.
Bright, fresh, new foliage may be observed to be accompanied by tiny, delicate looking flowers, by those who look closely.
The Ginkgos have pushed some new foliar growth as well, although not near as much as many of the maples. Ginkgo biloba ‘Mariken’ is a very nice dwarf selection and its very tiny, new, bright yellow-green leaves are just beginning to emerge from buds along golden-tan branches.
Ginkgo biloba ‘Mariken’ holds stray water droplets captive in its tiny, emerging spring foliage.
Picea bicolor (alcoquiana) ‘Howell’s Dwarf’ is in beautiful color right now as both the male and female cones are rich purple-pink in color and look gorgeous against the bi-colored foliage of this very attractive small tree. Growing as a wide spreading shrub when young, the small garden tree will eventually set a leader and grow into an upright form. Light green needles with their waxy striations give the plant its distinctive bi-colored look.
The amazing spring color display of Picea bicolor (alcoquiana) ‘Howell’s Dwarf’.
Another exciting selection with bi-colored foliage just beginning to emerge is the low, wide spreading Abies veitchii ‘Heddergott’. Like ‘Howell’s Dwarf’ this slow growing dwarf conifer will eventually begin to grow into a broad upright shape. Its light yellow-green foliage is coated on one side with a thick white wax which is very effective at reflecting light and makes this dwarf fir shine bright in the garden.
Swelling buds are just beginning to break with the emerging new foliage of Abies veitchii ‘Heddergott’.
Intense color that cannot be missed this time of year is when the Abies pinsapo ‘Aurea’ is clustered full of bright purple-pink male pollen cones against the yellow, short, thick, succulent needles on this large garden tree.
Clusters of richly colored pollen cones adorn the short, succulent, yellow-green needles of Abies pinsapo ‘Area’.
I also particularly enjoy the mature, dry cones of Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Waggin Tails’. This tree seems to set cone at a fairly young age and displays many cone clusters creating a delightful ornamentation to this already unique and appealing, slow growing form of Douglas fir.
Making me nostalgic for Christmas-time, the mature cones and foliage of Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Waggin Tails’ ornament the garden beautifully.
What description of spring in the conifer garden would be complete without the reddish-pink new candle growth of Pinus parviflora ‘Tanima no yuki’? The newly extending candles of future foliage are always a pleasing sight against the mature, creamy white and green variegated, fine textured foliage of this stunning dwarf Japanese White pine.
Always a favorite sight in the spring are the pink extending candles of Pinus parviflora ‘Tanima no yuki’.
Last on my list of early spring garden stunners are the nearly pure white, bottle-brush flowers of Fothergilla gardenii. This pleasing, small, broad-leaved plant begins its spring season covered with sweet smelling, delicate looking flower spikes. During the summer, its green foliage reminds me of Clark Kent, unassumingly doing their job before the Superman of autumn color explodes onto the scene with mighty shades of red, orange and purple.
The thrilling, white, bottle-brush flowers of Fothergilla gardenii are the first exciting feature of this multi-season plant.
Springtime is a refreshing time of renewal. I hope you have time to stroll through your gardens and be enthralled and energized by all of the activity going on there, wherever you are.
I have been thinking about plant combinations. Now that I have the clean slate of my imagination without the constraints of an actual garden space, I have been enjoying creating the garden of my dreams – in my dreams. With all my years growing conifers of all types, sizes, shapes, colors and textures, I am drawing upon that experience in an attempt to design small garden vignettes which I will be able to utilize in my new garden – wherever it may be.
Pulling from my mind’s database of somewhat commonly available garden conifers (and other exciting garden plants) and utilizing the vast amount of information available through the internet, my goal is to create versatile combinations of plants that will work together well in an assortment of planting space sizes and shapes. The emphasis of my designs will be pleasing combinations of characteristics and growth rates, so that the plants will complement and flow together whether in a longer, linear bed or a wider, rounder space. Of course once I decide on the most important plants that I want to ensure I include in these garden vignettes, I can explore the many possibilities for filler plants, ground covers and even <gasp> flowering perennials, trees and shrubs.
‘Confucius’ is a beacon of bright, beautiful, year-round color in the garden.
I like to design with bold colors so that my gardens are filled with interest and excitement all year long. Dwarf and miniature conifers are available in a vast assortment of vibrant yellows, golds and blues with shades of green from very dark to very bright and some even exhibit a variegated combination of color. Along with the wide range of color choices are also variations in texture that affect the garden nearly as much as strong color statements. Compact, small-needled plants with many small branches held tightly can provide a dense, fine texture. Plants with longer, wispy needles covering long branches obviously give on open, airy feel to the garden.
There are literally thousands of conifer cultivars which supply my garden design dreams and imagination with all kinds of excitement. My goal is to begin by limiting myself to readily available cultivars. Once I actually have a new place to grow a garden, I can become more serious about tracking down some of the more rare conifers that have limited availability, and those that may only be available through other conifer enthusiasts and collectors.
One tree I believe will be a very wise choice to include in my future garden is Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Confucius’. I may have described this premium, golden yellow Hinoki Cypress in the past, but it is well worth mentioning again today. As an intermediate grower ‘Confucius’ puts out an average of 6 to 10 inches of new terminal growth per year. Lush, bright yellow foliage covers irregular branches and darkens to golden hues as it matures. Interior foliage, with less sun exposure, is lighter yellow green graduating to darker green the farther into the interior of the tree one looks. The gardener may choose to allow its irregular branching to dominate or, with a little pruning, a more symmetrical habit can be encouraged. In time, ‘Confucius’ will become a very prominent specimen and should be placed where its bright color will draw attention to, and complement other garden plants.
The Amazing World of Conifers 