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.