Tag: rock garden

Super Dwarfs part two

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Last time I promised a list of what I consider to be “Super Dwarfs” (dwarf and miniature conifers with premium characteristics of habit, rate of growth and color) that both the novice and experienced conifer gardener will enjoy. In the mean-time, my wife and I had a wonderfully relaxing vacation camping with a large group of friends. I was able to spend time at our picnic table, with tablet and catalogs in hand, creating the promised list. Friends would drop by to visit so I had plenty of opportunities to promote my favorite conifers while camping.

Super minature conifers in the rock garden
Super minature conifers in the rock garden

The list I’ve created include fairly common dwarf and miniature conifers that should be relatively easy to find at your local independent garden centers. These winners have proven themselves in the garden for their reliability and ease of growth. Some other conifers can be finicky about the soil condition or other regional climatic influence, but these Super Dwarfs will be great for the beginning gardener or long-time enthusiast. I’ve included the USDA Zone rating to help you make choices appropriate for your local area.

Here is my list of twenty conifer Super Dwarfs – believe me it was no easy task keeping my list to just twenty! Some of these are still rare in the trade, but will be worth the hunt if you find them.

Growth rate Plant name USDA hardiness Zone
Dwarf Abies koreana ‘Cis’ 4
Miniature Abies koreana ‘Silberperle’ 4
Dwarf Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Mariesii’ 5
Dwarf Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ 5
Dwarf Cryptomeria japonica ‘Tansu’ 6
Dwarf Juniperus horizontalis ‘Limeglow’™ 3
Dwarf Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ 4
Dwarf Picea abies ‘Fat Cat’ 3
Dwarf Picea abies ‘Pumila’ 3
Dwarf Picea glauca ‘Jean’s Dilly’ 4
Miniature Picea glauca ‘Pixie Dust’ 4
Dwarf Picea glauca ‘Rainbow’s End’ 4
Miniature Picea orientalis ‘Tom Thumb’ 4
Dwarf Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ 2
Miniature Pinus mugo ‘Donna’s Mini’ 2
Dwarf Pinus mugo ‘Slowmound’ 2
Dwarf Pinus mugo ‘Teeny’ 2
Dwarf Thuja plicata ‘Whipcord’ 5
Dwarf Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate’ 4
Dwarf Tsuga canadensis ‘Moon Frost’ 4

Happy hunting!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Of mutants and pixies

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A family of pixies has moved into my garden. It’s true, but perhaps not quite what you might be thinking.

Last time I talked about two miniature forms of the Dwarf Alberta Spruce. I gave a brief explanation of the horticultural terms, Sport, Reversion and Witches’ Broom, all referring to mutations – new or different growth forms –  emerging from their respective parent plants. This time I’ll present for you the family tree of an exciting group of dwarf and miniature conifers originating from the White Spruce (Picea glauca).

We learned last time that Picea glauca ‘Conica’ was discovered near the beginning of the 20th century in Alberta, Canada. This new form of Picea glauca is a dwarf version of the White Spruce with a greatly reduced growth rate and nice conical shape. Many new cultivars have been discovered as mutated growth emanating from a small percentage of the millions and millions of Dwarf Alberta Spruce clones growing around the world.

Picea glauca Pixie
Picea glauca ‘Pixie’

One of those mutations was propagated and named ‘Pixie’ for its miniature growth rate and tiny conical habit. One day at Iseli Nursery, an employee discovered that one, in a crop of ‘Pixie,’ had a variegated sport. In fact, by the time the employee made this discovery, the sport had become virtually the entire small plant. This mutation was evaluated for a number of years, found to hold true to its distinctive characteristic and became the “mother” plant for a new cultivar which became known as, ‘Pixie Dust’.

Picea glauca Pixie Dust
Picea glauca ‘Pixie Dust’

‘Pixie Dust’ is even a little slower growing than ‘Pixie’ with the same nice miniature conical habit. What makes it particularly exciting is that mid-way through the growing season, it appears to be sprinkled with golden pixie dust with its golden colored second push of new foliage. Since not all the buds push at the same time, and since the golden color fades to rich green, ‘Pixie Dust’ makes me think of gold dust shimmering in the sunlight (in very slow motion).

Picea glauca Pixie Dust Sport #1
Picea glauca ‘Pixie Dust’ Sport #1

But the story doesn’t end there. A sport was discovered growing on a ‘Pixie Dust’ with faster growth but still within the dwarf growth range. This new sport has been propagated and is being evaluated at Iseli Nursery today. So far it is growing into a larger conically shaped plant with annual growth of 3 to 4 inches. Currently it is pushing its second flush and shows the same golden color as its parent.

So, we begin with a large forest tree that produces a dwarf cone shaped, highly popular cultivar, which itself produces a great many new cultivars through the magic of mutation. One of those mutations produces its own new cultivar, which at this time has also produced an exciting new form worthy of further evaluation.

Did you follow all that? Don’t worry, just enjoy the fantastic new conifers being introduced at your local fine garden centers and leave all the complicated science to the experts!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Humpty Dumpty and the Hobbit

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If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve discovered my fascination with fantasy creatures of folklore and modern fiction. I loved fairy-tales as a child, and I presume that some of that influence inspires my love of dwarf, miniature and unusual conifers. Many of them look like they were born in our imaginations!

Picea glauca Humpty Dumpty
Picea glauca ‘Humpty Dumpty’

Most everyone is familiar with a very common conifer (though they may not realize it) called the Dwarf Alberta Spruce. Picea glauca ‘Conica’ was one of the first dwarf conifers I learned way-back-when. A very slow growing form of the White Spruce, ‘Conica’ was discovered in 1904 near Lake Leggan, Alberta, Canada. Much slower growing than its parent, ‘Conica’ is a cone-shaped small tree with rich grass-green foliage.

One of the interesting “features” of ‘Conica’ is that it can be genetically unstable. Sometimes a branch will “sport” or “revert” and begin to grow with needles and growth rates very different from the parent plant. A reversion occurs when a new branch begins to grow at a rate similar to the species, Picea glauca. Left unchecked, these types of growth will quickly out grow and overtake the slower habit of ‘Conica’ leaving the gardener with a large tree that they did not intend.

Other odd growth sports can be found from time to time and they may range from very tight, congested branches and tiny foliage called witches’ brooms, to foliage of a different color as with, P.g. ‘Arneson’s Blue’ with its mottled shades of blue foliage or P.g. ‘Rainbow’s End’ with its golden yellow second flush of growth each year.

Picea glauca Hobbit
Picea glauca ‘Hobbit’

Two of my favorite cultivars were discovered as witches’ brooms and have been given names right out of fantasy literature. The first is P. g. ‘Humpty Dumpty’ with its slowly mounding conical shape. ‘Humpty Dumpty’ grows at about two thirds the rate of ‘Conica’ with perfectly scaled, small needles of rich green. Perfect for the rock garden or in containers.

Picea glauca ‘Hobbit’ is a half sized delight in the garden. As a youngster, ‘Hobbit’ is a plump little buddy in the rock garden or on the patio in a container. With maturity, his broad conical form will develop. Both cultivars have a tremendous amount of character as they grow and mature and neither will outgrow even the smallest gardens.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Nuggets of pure gold

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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
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Golden Sprite'

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.

Chamaecyparis obtusa Butter Ball
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Butter Ball'

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 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
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Sunny Swirl'

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.

Chamaecyparis obtusa Lemon Twist
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Lemon Twist'

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