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.