The lonely blogger in the land of the long white cloud

A friend and I were chatting and the subject of New Zealand came up.  Plans were made and off to this far away place labeled by some past traveler as the land of plants.  As one geologist noted, about 85 million years ago Zealandia broke away from Gondwana with a unique cargo of plants and animals. It drifted along the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates untouched by humans until the Maori arrived as part of the great Pacific Ocean migration about 800 years ago.

New Zealand has a large assortment of conifers to seek out and enjoy.  The logical place of course is the Bot garden in Auckland and it is a good start.  However to see the great trees requires a bit of travel.  In the Northland north of Auckland is the Waipoua preserve.  It features the giant Kauri(Agathis australis) trees which were part of the unique cargo noted above.  This species dates to 200 million years ago and, before the arrival of the British in the late 1700's, grew over large swaths Zealandia.  Currently the largest tree standing carries the Maori name TANE MAHUTA (Lord of the forest).  It is 14.5' in diameter and 45' in circumference.  The height is 150'+ and the age is estimated to be 2,000yrs.  It is truly impressive. The largest tree known to exist  is the Kauri ghost tree .  Get this! It was 28' in diameter and 88' in circumference, twice the size of the current TANE.  It didn't take long for the British to destroy the New Zealand forest in the name of the king.

Mckinney Kauri Tree

Podocarps  Perhaps the most abundant conifer across the two main islands.  Podocarpus totara(Maori-Totara) and Prumnopitys taxifolia(Maori-Matai). Large specimen trees are scattered about in preserves and isolated forests and can be accessed with a bit of effort.  For the less adventurous, look for them in parks and gardens labeled as "Queen's Gardens."  An excellent example is the park in Wanganui just north of Wellington.

Large Matai Tree

Dacrycarpus dacrydioides-Kahikatea-New Zealand white pine.  This is the tallest tree in the country, reaching 200' more or less.  Found primarily in wet areas on the south island but also on the north island. A grove stands in a preserve near Hokitika at Lake Kaniere. The trees are growing in the swamp.

Dacrydium cupressinum-Rimu.  This tree is unique to me because of its weeping foliage.  It is abundant and grows as a companion to other conifers in the forests.  In a forest setting the tree is often thinly foliaged  and not worth a second look.  However, planted in an open area with plenty of sun, it really takes on a interesting shape and texture with dense weeping needles hanging as much as 12" below the branches.  In the far north of the south island(near Karamea) a sign designating the site of the large Rimu.  I can't resist the hike to see this tree.  It is worth it. It is in an isolated spot about a forty minute hike from a very lonely road.  The diameter is 9' and the height is estimated at 150'+. Wow. Getting dark so out of here.  One note. The wood of this tree is a rich red color and highly prized for furniture and other human uses.  So, the tree was heavily timbered and only a few great trees remain.

The Big Rimu

Much more is to be seen in the conifer realm along with the beautiful scenery.

China's gift

China's gift-hopefully it keeps on giving.

Cathaya argyrophylla

I'm back and will try to be more attentive to this blog.  Bogged down while trying to retire from the nursery biz.

Often during the daily toils of operating a plant nursery, one comes across unusual and hard to find plants that are not generally available to the public.  In a recent post, we referred to the Wollemi Pine out of Aust.  So far two of the original plants are steaming along in my landscape.  Kind of surprising actually.

Today(6-10-12)I will write about Cathaya.  My original plant was gifted to me from Iseli in Or. I promptly planted it and forgot it. Big mistake.  Later efforts to obtain this tree and install it in a culturally correct and careful manner so far have resulted in success.  The first effort was to place the tree in a large concrete planter in a sterile planting mix. I situated it in full southern PM sun and maintained a methodical water regimen. Almost every day in the summer months.  The plant prospered and grew to a large size relative to the pot, which was huge. Lesson:  it will take a hefty dose of sun. The pot experiment lasted a couple of years while I operated the nursery.  I will admit that the plant generated a great deal of curiosity and interest in having one.  Not possible at this stage because of no availability.

The plant ultimately had to go in the ground for obvious reasons.  I was able to locate a few growers who had had success.  With proper moisture in the soil, I knew that it would tolerate sun.  Next, drainage seemed to be a must so I selected a sand / clay site and added some organic matter.  The tree grows in China in areas where  the soils are limestone.  I can't offer that here in Ga. but the addition of  magnesium lime and phosphorous into our 5-6pH soil produced excellent results.  The tree was glorious this spring and lived up to its moniker, the silver fir.  Thanks to Tony Avent for this tip. I now have three; two in ground and one in a 100 gal landscape pot. The tree is getting out there a bit which is good.  It will do well here in Ga. Hopefully going forward.

If you can find one and if you grow conifers as a hobby, go for it.  Yin Shan. Cathaya.

Artful Conifers

Last week we took a short side trip on our way to North Carolina, stopping at Pearl Friar's "topiary" garden. Pearl has been written up in several travel and garden magazines (and probably other journals noting oddities) and I have once seen his face on a billboard in South Carolina. This garden is absolutely worth the short drive off Interstate 20 near Bishopville, SC. The garden is visible from the road that passes by the front of his home, but you will want to get out and view these masterpieces up close.
When we arrived, the garden was deserted except for Pearl's son and an apprentice who were busy tending to the grounds. Soon a couple small buses arrived and there were people milling about. There is no admission but a donation station is available and we gladly contributed to help continue what can only be described as one conifer (and boxwood) lover's obsession. In fact, Pearl's art has spread the entire length of the small road to the neighbor's and their neighbor's and their neighbor's home.

Gyokruya - Made for Shade

Conifers that not only adapt to but also do very well in the shade are hard to come by in our area. We know of a number but were pleased to find this variety, a Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica 'Gyokruya') at a friends house on a recent visit.
We know we can trust the siting of this plant as our hosts own and operate their own nursery and propagation effort here in North Georgia. Their specimen approximately eight or nine feet tall is shown at left at the rear of the planting bed against the house.
Though we have carried these plants for some time in our own nursery but had never used them in the shade -- until now! We had an empty spot near our home's entryway and placed a small one there several months ago now. It seems to be doing quite well, though it is still small.
Note: We have seen a number of variations in the spelling of this conifer's cultivar but believe the one we list to be generally accepted.

Tom Thumb - Keeping it in its Pot

We acquired a handful (literally) of these wonderful spruce (Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb') after much begging of the grower (Iseli Nursery in Portland Oregon). We had admired their bright gold year round foliage and very, very small size. The plants arrived at our nursery and were a mere 4" to 5" tall and about 8" wide and came with a hefty price tag.
The original group sold or promptly expired and we were heart broken. Nevertheless, we tried again and were able to sustain and even have one prosper in our garden. This time, and we believe this is the secret with this plant, we have kept it growing in its original soil and plastic pot yet embedded it in a more decorative container. We know that one day we'll have to transfer it to a larger pot allowing it to grow outside its original boundaries and we worry about that. One of our customers and fellow conifer enthusiasts, however, has his growing in the native soil and swears by it. So, there may be hope down the road when we get the courage up!

Weeping White Pine Graces a Corner in Suwanee

This weeping white pine (Pinus Strobus 'Pendula') was installed to fill this otherwise very bare corner of a deck. We love this plant as each one has such an individual character.

Plus they are very, very easy to grow in our area.

Rare Wollemi Pine

We acquired four plants from a release by National Geographic in 2005. Two are in the ground and two are held back -- just in case. So far the plants have survived 13 degrees on the low side and the upper 90s on the high side in typical Georgia clay.

We saw an 8 foot tall specimen in Oregon and it was quite striking with tiered branching on a very rigid main stem. Our experience so far is only with the juvenile forms of this plant. How it will prosper in Georgia going forward remains teo be seen, but so far, so good.

Planting instructions from the Geographic suggested a well-drained planting site with protection from temperatures below the mid 20s and a fertilizer application low in phosphorus. the plant should spurt and grow to 20 feet in ten years.