my new mini conifer garden projectw/lotso'pics

16 years ago

I found some really cool rock the other day at a local landscape supply place and decided it was time for a new conifer project. Fortunately I did not have to purchase any conifers for the project, but just moved the ones I already had from other areas of the yard. The one thing I didn't have was space, so a larger Pinus mugo 'Slowmound' was moved to a neighbor's yard, along with a few other plants to create a 5'x3' space next to my patio, prime real estate that I can see when I'm inside and out. Believe it or not there is 800 lbs. of rock surrounding this little garden, but that was my only recent investment in the project other than the gravel which was cheap. Anyway, hope you like the results.

[above: Pinus sylvestris 'Jeremy' (center), Pinus uncinata 'Pixie' (bottom),Abies koreana 'Blaue Zwo' (upper left)]

[above: Pinus parviflora 'Hagoromo' (center), Pinus strobus 'Tiny Curls'(upper left), Pinus leukodermis(heldreichii) 'Smidt' (lower right), A.k. 'Blaue Zwo' again upper right.]

[Above: Picea glauca 'Cecilia' (center),Pinus flexilis #83 (center left), Abies koreana 'Cis' (upper left)]

[Above: Pinus aristata 'Lemon Frost', not looking very lemony at the moment, but I like the way it looks up against the rocks]

[Above: Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Elf']

Dan

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Comments (21)

conifers
16 years ago
Nice rock and rocks.

And an impeccable taste in conifers! So you finally moved your 'Blaue Zwo' from the pot to the garden I noticed, and that Picea glauca 'Cecilia' is one cool conifer.

wow. later

Dax
jaro_in_montreal
16 years ago
Very nice !
Agree that those rocks are very cool -- especially the two with moss on them.
So how did you wrestle them into place, if I may ask ?
....that lawn in the background looks completely undisturbed ! ....did you have help from some UFO guys ?
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I just saw Sester among the early christmas plants at the nursery. it is meant to be a pot plant or living xmas tree, I'm sure.this nursery would never carry it in its regular inventory. I also saw a "Hoops" blue spruce, highly recommended for it's blueness, but don't know that I have a place to put it... and gave up my week long struggle deciding whether I really had a space for a half price metasequoia "gold rush" the only place right now would be too close to powerlines, and the impending hurricane winds and some recent GW comments reminded it me it would foolish to put a beautiful expensive tree in harm's way. Having given up that dream, St. Mary's Broom may still be left at the same nursery. Dee- and others with conifer fright- screw up your courage. I have had arborvitae "smaarg" in my garden for 10 years and it is a perfect height, lovely shape, great color. Two anchor corners of the bed. I have had chamycypress obtusa in the center, also for ten years, and its lacy fronds make everything look better. I think I could have used something smaller, and this year is the first year I lightly pruned the tips a couple of inches. And it is highly unlikely that anything labeled "dwarf" will ever dwarf anything in your garden, even in 20 years, unless the perennials themselves are 5 inches high. At that height, weeds dwarf them more quickly and persistently than a dwarf conifer. It took me nearly ten years in this garden to add conifers; I think I understand the feeling of insecurity. In my case, moving into another plant group was an outcome of my maturing gardening skills and sensibility that paralleled the maturation of the garden. The garden NEEDED the solidity, gravity and permanence of conifers. A deciduous shrub, a big grass, or a big pot just wouldn't work. There were places where the garden needed to be "held down" and anchored. Keep us posted, especially if you get some conifers into your Edens. Marie/idabean
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i said: past president of the American Conifer Society join the Soc... and then.. contact the past pres .... and tell him you just joined.. and am afflicted with the disease of coniferitis.. and ask if you can make an appointment .... to learn ... or ask him if he has a plant list.. simply so you can peruse what he grows ... done right... i doubt he will turn you away ... if that doesnt work.. after you join.. find what region you are in.. and contact that local pres... and ask him/her ... third... once you join.. you will get a telephone directory ... by state no less.. and start calling peeps in GA.. and find out who will allow a visit ... 99.9% of plant people.. love to show off their gardens .... [we worry about the other .1% ... lol] .... and by joining.. you become one of us.. for better or for worse ... dont make excuses .... by joining.. you have resources available ... trust me ... and if you are ever heading toward MI ... bring your directory.. and give me a head up ... ken ps: a good hint.. an email upfront.. gets you my real last name.. which makes using the directory easier .... but you could still find me.. if you tried hard enough ... lol.. since adrian in my zip code/city .... pps: did we mention we are good enablers????
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Well summarized Joe. I'll say Will that having a relatively maintance free "garden" is virtually and without question, impossible. You like Dave and folks with immense amounts of plants in a close proximity will always have the 'disadvantage' of hand-weeding and needing to continuously move plants - throughout your entire life-time. A life's project. Re watering: Once your plants are in the ground for two years you shouldn't need to water but every month for dry spells. I rarely water. New trees, however, I will water every three weeks but only if there hasn't been a single drip of rain. Otherwise, they too are only going to get watered, once-monthly. When I do water I water extremely deep. This can take me up to two full days for the probably 400-500 plantings I have. I've created an arboretum for myself and I believe this can be accomplished on the small property, as well. It's all about spacing plants, and 'time'/planned-lifespan, and nothing more. There are enough well-known plants available these days that 30 years ago conifer witch broom hunters were just seeing 10-year growth rates from. That being said, the answer is 'how long do I want this landscape, plan, to be pursued?' Some may say I'm 'lucky' to have six acres, however, for six years I lived on a postmark size property that I "preached" the same 'strategy' of proper plant spacing for a future garden. This is the advantage of being able to garden thru a lifetime aging along with the trees/shrubs and always being able to take care of your gardens throughout your old ages, because conifer gardens along with woody plants as companions allow a person to do this... knowing this at the age of 36 is a blessing in my opinion. My plantings are solitary - however this does not mean that I cannot link them together as beds. All my life I will be able to fill up a tank sprayer with roundup and shoot weeds from the seat of my garden mower, it's that simple for me. The same tank I can use to water, as well. Once a specimen becomes permanetely-established, (remembering I am on six acres) I won't even mulch them. In fact of the hundreds upon hundreds of seedling-conifers I've planted since 2007, almost none of them have I ever mulched. Like you say, I have different "blood" running thru me and am extremely impressed with the fantastic combinations of plants that some of you are able to maintain, for me the same gardens would become a mess because I'm not a "maintenance gardener" - flowers are beyond my realm of possibilty. Instead, my showplace is an arboretum/pinetum setting, where I can evaluate different species or cultivars within this setting... that also allows the plants to grow to absolute maturity. The minimum I space my individual plants, in time, is 50 years. Most however, are spaced for 100 years or a lifetime. My closing thoughts are, this will also be a "garden" with the attached label of, an arboretum. Time will be of the essence, here... trees will take shape and provide interest, quickly; and the rest of the mini's and dwarfs will show their presence during the next 5-100+ years. ------------- Dax
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Alexander, this is wat I would recomment you: European section: Dwarf/tall mini 1: Abies nordmanniana 'Filip's Perfect Column' Bed 1: (minis and semi minis) -Abies pinsapo 'Ronda Mt.' -Picea abies 'Wichtel' -Picea omorika 'Morava' -Pinus mugo 'Milky Way' -Pinus sylvestris 'Brobeck's Watermelon' Bed 2; (minis and semi minis) -Abies alba 'Schwarzwald' -Abies nordmanniana 'MÃÂ¼nsterland' -Juniperus communis 'Goldschatz' (ground cover) -Pinus cembra 'Liliput' -Pinus heldreichii 'Smidtii' -Pinus mugo 'Ophir' -Pinus sylvestris 'StÃÂ¥le SÃÂ¸rensen W.B.' Asian section: Dwarf/tall mini 2: Abies koreana 'Verdener Dom' Bed 3 (minis/semi minis): -Abies koreana 'Silberkugel' -Abies veitchii 'Kramer' -Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Butterball' -Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Silverlode' -Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb Gold' -Pinus koraiensis 'Blue Ball' -Pinus parviflora 'Regenhold' Bed 4 (minis/semi minis) -Abies koreana 'Kohouts Icebreaker' -Abies veitchii 'K2001' -Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chilworth' -Ginkgo biloba 'Troll' -Juniperus conferta 'All Gold' (ground cover) -Larix kaempferi 'Blue Dwarf' -Picea orientalis 'Barnes' -Pinus parviflora 'Pygmy-yatsubusa' -Sciadopitys verticillata 'Mecki' American section: Bed 5 (minis/semi minis) -Abies balsamea '94018' -Picea glauca 'Cecilia' -Pinus banksiana 'BanskÃÂ¡ Stiavnica' Bed 6 (minis/semi minis) -Abies balsamea 'Jamie' -Abies concolor 'Kojakovice' -Picea glauca var. albertiana 'Jalako Gold' -Picea mariana 'Blue Planet' -Picea pungens 'Blaukissen' -Picea sitchensis 'PevÃÂ© Wiesje' -Pinus flexilis 'Tara Mae' -Pinus strobus 'Horsford' -Thuja occidentalis 'Mirjam' Bed 7(minis/semi minis) -Abies balsamea 'W.B. 1' -Picea pungens 'Waldbrunn' -Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Marieke' I put some time in this plan, the combinations I suggest will work fine for your to create a very nice dwarf conifer garden. What also is very important, I double checked if all are availlable, you can start planting right away ;0)
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dcsteg
16 years ago
In a landscape setting rocks are second to none. Conifers and accompanying plants have to take first.

Three hundred pound rock specimens are about as big as I can handle and that's a load. I invested in a heavy duty 2 wheel hand cart to accomplish this. Careful placement, tilt, height need to be considered before you begin with your design with the right conifer tucked in place.

Dan what a great design. You have the talent. Great job.

Dave
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
superb!!!!

on those tiny ones ... i have a couple of them .. and they were grafted up about 2 inches from soil level ... probably the lowest the grafter could go with large fingers ... yet you have the stone right up to the needles????

i will presume that you .. with your experience.. did not bury the trunk improperly ..

but would caution others who might not know.. that tree/conifer trunks are not made for going underground .. you cant just plant them at any level you wish .. like a tomato ...

otherwise.. as usual .. i am jealous ... lol

ken
greenlarry
16 years ago
Very neat,and nice of you to give the mugo to your neighbour,wish I had neighbours like that! ;) I could live with something like this-oh no don't give me another hobby please! ;)
jspece
16 years ago
Wow...super!
conifers
16 years ago
You guys are all drunk
greenlarry
16 years ago
Excuse me but i'm only drinking tea officer! ;)
dansgrdn
Original Author
16 years ago
Dax, yep moved the 'Blaue Zwo', 'Hagoromo' and the 'Smidt' from that same container. I really like the P.g. 'Cecelia' too, thanks for the response.

Jaro, no, no help from UFO's, they did help me with my crop circle garden though :) I moved them with my trusty ol' 2 wheeled hand truck (dolly). There are 6 rocks all together and the heaviest one wasn't more than 150lbs., so it wasn't too bad. The whole project only took about an hour and a half. I'm still envious of the cool rocks you have in your garden.

Ken, I'll admit I may have been a little overzelous in my application of the gravel mulch, but I can assure you that they are planted at the correct soil level. I'm going to wait for the gravel to settle and adjust if necessary.

Thanks, for all of the responses, Dan
cascadians
16 years ago
Very engaging to look at! Makes a person appreciate rocks. If only I had had land earlier ... my grandfather was immersed in lapidary and had oodles of sumptuous rocks. But the land was in Tucson and riddled with the valley fever mold and I was young and a bit stupid, more idealistic, and set off on my own ... leaving all those rocks, now unavailable.

Dan, enjoy your marvelous view as it gently grows. Sweet.
conifers
16 years ago
Thank you Dan.

Dax
bluespruce53
15 years ago
Hi Dan, whats happened to some of the photos on this thread, did you remove them ?
tunilla
15 years ago
Hi Dan.Great stuff.Rock around the clock!And super cool moss-the real world in miniature,isn't life wonderful!
Just one technical question:how do you rock-garden lovers deal with the not-so-welcome invasive plants known as 'weeds'.My rockeries always end up being invaded by bindweed and Oxalis.So far I haven't used any Roundup or other weedkillers,mainly because I'm afraid the stuff might end up in the ponds and kill the fish&aquatic plants.
So it's pulling 'em up by hand all the time, a time-consuming,never ending job!Thanks for any ideas you may have.T.
karinl
15 years ago
Me too, I missed this thread earlier and want to see more of the rock!

I usually use a hand truck too for moving rocks around on the ground, but there are more tricks, especially if you're driving them from somewhere. I often have help loading them where I get them (landscape yard, construction site) but have to unload them myself. I have ways of using sheets of plywood (on thick towels to protect the car) and piling up bags of soil to roll rocks out onto. I once rented a pick-up truck and an engine hoist for some really big ones.

KarinL
dansgrdn
Original Author
15 years ago
Bluespruce and KarinL, the images should be back now. Refresh the screen if they're not back. Dan
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
15 years ago
Dan, go to the link below and see if you see anything familiar
Marshall

Here is a link that might be useful: zt
kmanzfive laknee
15 years ago
As always, AWESOME ! What's the story with P. a. 'Lemon Frost'? Yellow in the winter ? or a yellow hue ? Info., please.
And please with the onset of colder weather about to reign down upon us at some point, (75 today in NH !) keep those pics coming, so all of us can dreaming of spring. And again Thank you, Thank you, Thank you ! :)
dansgrdn
Original Author
15 years ago
Marshall, I appreciate the heads up. I suppose it was bound to have happened sooner or later. I have posted quite a few pics over the last few years, and new it was a risk that someone might swipe one. I figure though, I can always go in the back yard and take another one that looks bigger and better next Spring, and its funner sharing them.

Kmanzfive, the Pinus aristata 'Lemon Frost' was selected by Don Howse from porterhowse I believe. It's growing 2-4" a year for me right now. It's supposed to be frosted yellow in the Summer, but has never really colored up really well for me. It's still a favorite though because it has stayed small and I really like Pinus aristata.

Thanks, Dan
angie1010
15 years ago
Where can you buy these small conifers?
dansgrdn
Original Author
15 years ago
Angie 1010, Bethlehem Nursery and Coenosium Gardens are good places to start, when looking for mini conifers. Dan

Here is a link that might be useful: Coenosium
firefightergardener
15 years ago
GREAT pictures! You have a real sense of art. I cannot picture my conifer beds having nearly that kind of character. I CAN however start adding some of those COOL rocks. I assume you paid a decent amount for them? Where did you look? That cracked-moss covered one in particular is worth it's weight in... well copper at least.

Again, AMAZING stuff. Inspiration for the new enthusiasts. :)

my new mini conifer garden projectw/lotso'pics

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