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.

Verdoni Dwarf Hinoki in Duluth, Ga

This lovely dwarf conifer (actually one of two) at the doorway of one of our customers is perfectly situated and sited.

The plant, a Verdoni Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Verdoni'), gets good sun most of the day and is well attended (watered whenever the drought restrictions allow).

We have found that these plants do best in our area when protected from the strong afternoon sun and when they are "brush" pruned regularly. By brush pruning we mean, reaching into the interior of the plant where browning or dieback occurs and merely brushing it off with your hand. It can be cut out using pruners as well but we find that more time consuming and no great advantage.

The Verdoni generally maintains this small shape (3 to 4 feet in height) as it is a fairly slow grower.

Wates Golden Pine -- A Yellow Pine

While the first time we encountered this yellow needled pine (Pinus virginiaina 'Wates Golden') , it was in Oregon and the yellow color far more pronounced, we have since planted several in the North Georgia suburbs and found them to be equally lovely if not as yellow.

Our experience is that the pine does not show its golden color until fall and often not the first year it is planted.

This specimen receives lots of afternoon sun. Others with more shade do not, as would be expected, seem to be as brilliant.

Showstopper on the Washington Highway

We were cruising merrily (very merrily after a wine tasting at Knipprath Cellars) along on our way from one wine cellar to another between Coeur d"Alene, Idaho and Spokane, Washington last summer when we noticed this very unusual conifer.

We stopped (of course), hopped out of the car, and began examining the tree to try to determine what it was. We noted the number and size of the needles in each bundle, the shape of the cones, and even scratched about on the ground to gather any viable cones.

When we finally got back to Georgia, we scoured through our ever-growing library of plants and the web of course and finally determined, as best we could, that this indeed was a Foxtail Pine (Pinus balfouriana).

The cones we gathered did not survive the trip back across the country, and lucky for them as we doubt they would have been good candidates for our area. This is a tree that normally inhabits the alpine and sub-alpine regions of the country. Don't ask us how it was doing so well at this low elevation and in a very arid parking lot!

Let us know if you have ever seen one of these or have a picture to share of a show stopper of your own.

Oh, and yes, about that wine.... Knipprath Cellars. A very small cellar in Spokane with some unusual wines. Our favorite was a blend--literally--the owner mixed together two on the spot and added a frozen grape to the glass. A marvelous combination: LaVi (vanilla port) and auChocolat (chocolate port).

Conifers at the Atlanta "Bot" Garden

The Atlanta Botanical Garden has a significant collection of conifers that sadly have become a bit crowded (though we have heard ABOT is planning a broader planting at their new site in North Georgia).

We noticed this particularly interesting use of Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) that had been pruned into an upright hedge. The five plants along the wall maintain their separateness and so appear as five irregular but very upright columns.

Conifers in the Landscape - Duluth, GA

This is a recent garden we have assisted in planning and implementing -- almost completely in conifers. The "pod" is an eye catcher from the street.

Some of our favorite conifers included in this installation are:

Golden Staghorn Cedar (Thujopsis dolobrata aurea) pictured at the right of the pod in its "shrub" stage. This plant will send up a leader and develop into a 10 to 15 foot high conical shaped evergreen. With the golden color it will light the space up.

Skylands Spruce (Picea orientalis 'Skylands') is also in the landscape and adds another golden glow throughout the seasons.

Conifers at the Chicago Botanical Gardens

An amazing place to visit -- a must on every conifer lover's list. We spent a few quiet hours rambling through as much of the 400 acres as we could as sundown approached one day last fall. Unfortunately the dwarf conifer area was under renovation.

The mature Japanese garden island was a lesson in design and use of conifers. These mature gracefully sculpted black pines were accented by carefully understoried and mounded shrubs.