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).