patio garden – Page 5 – The Amazing World of Conifers

Nuggets of pure gold

Published on May 21, 2009February 21, 2012 by edremsrolaLeave a comment

My miniature container gardens have really come to life the past few weeks. All the dwarf and miniature conifers are pushing their new growth and the companion succulents and mini-heathers are performing admirably. Two of the hot spots in my containers right now are both miniature Hinoki Cypress cultivars selected for their bright gold foliage color and extremely slow growth rates.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Golden Sprite’ has been a favorite of mine for many years. This little nugget of gold has tiny foliage that slowly grows into an irregularly shaped mound that is broader than tall. At fifteen years old, my oldest specimen is nearly 10 inches across and approximately seven inches tall. The foliage is so tight that I can barely stick a finger into this plant. I love its unusual mounded shape – this one really has a lot of character.

Another golden nugget of conifer joy is Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Butter Ball’. At first glance, you might think it’s identical to ‘Golden Sprite’, but upon closer inspection you’ll find that it is a more open grower giving it a chance to “breathe” a little bit. The tiny foliage is more a lemon-yellow color and it is noticeably looser than that of ‘Golden Sprite’ suggesting a slightly faster growth rate. Mine is still quite young, and it will have many more years in its current container before I will need to become concerned with transplanting it into the garden.

Both these little golden nuggets are valuable additions to my container garden. As they mature, I look forward to placing them in my rock garden (which will give me an excuse to purchase a couple more small ones to re-plant into containers.)

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Twisted sisters

Published on May 5, 2009May 5, 2009 by edremsrola1 Comment

I remember the first time I saw a conifer with twisted or contorted foliage. What a strangely appealing and unique plant it was. Today, I’ll share with you two of my favorite “twisted” conifers with yellow foliage.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Sunny Swirl’ is a selection discovered at Iseli Nursery. This special plant has the same twisted, contorted foliage as C.o. ‘Torulosa’ (its mother plant) but with yellow foliage. Its lack of chlorophyll probably accounts for its yellow color and its slower growth rate causing it to fall into border of the dwarf and intermediate categories of conifer growth rates. I love the texture this plant provides and its yellow color is a definite bonus. Growing in full sun intensifies the color, but ‘Sunny Swirl’ will tolerate some shade.

The second yellow conifer I’ll mention today also has tiny, twisted, cord-like foliage. Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Lemon Twist’ is a delightfully slow grower staying more compact than ‘Sunny Swirl’. This is a selection from Buchholz Nursery of a yellow sport originating on Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tsatsumi’. Due to its small, rounded habit, ‘Lemon Twist’ is ideal for container gardens, patios, the rock garden and even table top gardens when a smaller plant is purchased in one of those cute 4″ pots available at the local fine garden center.

Both plants offer great texture and color to the garden however you may choose to use them. I have a ‘Sunny Swirl’ in my garden that is nearly 4 feet tall now and a couple little ‘Lemon Twist’s in containers on my patio.

Next time: Golden yellow miniatures!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

The fantastic four

Published on March 4, 2009September 6, 2016 by edremsrolaLeave a comment

This is the third morning that I’ve been able to spend time in my garden while enjoying the late winter sun. Yes, it’s been mostly sunny for three days in a row!

Sunny mornings can fill an old heart with joy. As I work to get the garden cleaned up and ready to come alive again, I hear birds singing and squirrels chasing each other through the trees that surround my property. We had some strong winds blow quite a lot of debris into my garden from those same large trees. As my wife and I pick up fallen boughs, I am finding very little damage to my conifers. I was most concerned about some of my miniature Chamaecyparis since they can be a little finicky in the best of conditions. I am happy to report that they are all doing very well.

There are four of these mini-Chams that look particularly good in my garden right now. All four would be considered miniature (except perhaps, ‘Just Dandy’ which would be on the slower growing end of the dwarf scale) as listed by the American Conifer Society. All four are rich dark green in color and each has its own unique growth habit or form.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Ellie B.’ is a wonderful little plant with an upright growth habit. Its tightly held, shiny dark green foliage and slightly irregular form make it a nice miniature sculpture in the rock garden or containers.

Chamaecyparis obtusa Gnome - grafted on standard — Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Gnome’ – grafted on standard

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Gnome’ like its name suggests is a very slow growing miniature conifer. Grown from cuttings, ‘Gnome’ is a very compact plant with tiny, dark green foliage which forms a small globe-shaped mound. Again, excellent in containers and the alpine or rock garden.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Just Dandy’ is just that, “dandy.” The fastest of the four mini-Chams on the list today, but still remains a small green mound in the garden. Slow growing with small foliage and a slightly open habit which can help it “breathe” a little better than some other extremely compact conifers, this one is great in containers for a few years and then transplants well into the garden.

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’ is one of my first conifer loves. Rich dark green foliage on a slow growing mounding plant that is slightly faster than ‘Ellie B,’ make this older selection a worthy addition to your garden.

Keep an eye out for these little beauties coming to a garden center near you!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Sugar coated conifers

Published on February 12, 2009 by edremsrolaLeave a comment

We had another little snowstorm breeze through the other day. It was one of those kinds of snows that we typically get here in the Willamette Valley (unlike that big snowfall we had in December of ’08). This time, there was just enough snow to powder coat the conifers in my garden as with sugar. I remember a year ago, I wrote in the blog about the snow looking like it was whipped cream plopped over the garden. I wonder if there is a trend developing?

The December snow was beautiful and it did make for an interesting landscape, but it did bury all but my largest conifers. This little dusting was just enough to make nice highlights in the garden. What I particularly enjoyed was the way the snow enhanced my container garden.

Miniature conifers make great container plants. In my climate, I rarely become concerned with the temperatures dropping low enough for a long enough period of time to wreck havoc on my ceramic pots. Years ago, I would plant annuals and occasionally perennials in my containers. One day it occurred to me that my containers could be enjoyed all year long if I planted them with dwarf and miniature conifers!

Now my patio is becoming nearly as full as the rest of my garden as I fill more and more of its space with containers of all kinds filled with diminutive conifers and companion plants. My patio is a great place to display these containers with their year-round color and texture provided by conifers.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Thanks to my friends at Iseli for the photo!

In my own miniature world

Published on October 8, 2008February 21, 2012 by edremsrolaLeave a comment

When I am physically or mentally exhausted, I love to go into my special miniature world. When I’m there, the worries of this world melt away; there are no wars, no economic crisis, and no endless parade of political propaganda – just a peaceful garden where I am the king. In my miniature world, weeds (if they even sprout) are easily uprooted, plants receive the optimum water and sunlight conditions and I am able to spend time there consumed in the simple pleasure of marveling at the natural order of creation. I invite you to create your own miniature world, to enjoy as I do, its therapeutic qualities.

First, you’ll need a fairly good sized container. One of my favorites is hand-made out of materials easily found at your local home and garden store. I like hypertufa containers because they allow me to have a hand in the creation of my miniature world from the very beginning. I’ve found a great resource for the construction of hypertufa containers here, and I think if you have the time, you should give it a try. Of course, any container that is good for growing plants will do – I’d look for one that is broader than tall.

My miniature world is dominated by conifers. Miniature conifers can easily be grown and trimmed, if desired, into tiny trees fashioned after their giant cousins. Left untrimmed, their own natural forms reveal fascinating shapes that make my mini-world a unique and delightful place to visit. I also love to include companion plants such as sempervivum, saxifrage and moss into my little world.

I usually begin with an upright grower as a focal point in my mini-garden. Then I choose tiny conifers that grow less than an inch per year of various colors and textures. Some of my favorites are the miniature Hinoki Cypress such as Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’, C.o. ‘Golden Sprite’ or, C.o. ‘Ellie B’. I also love the Hemlocks, Tsuga canadensis ‘Minuta’, T.c. ‘Abbott’s Pygmy’ and T.c. ‘Horsford’. Very hardy selections of Spruce include, Picea glauca ‘Echiniformis’, P.g. ‘Pixie Dust’ and P. orientalis ‘Tom Thumb’. Finally, I’ll fill in spaces with interesting little rocks or drift wood.

Visit the American Conifer Society for an explaination of dwarf and miniature conifers and use their tools to discover other miniature conifers for your special little place.

If you are like me, you’ll love visiting your miniature world everyday – just remember to come back and pay your bills.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Thanks to Iseli for the photos!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: