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Conifers of Malaga, Spain
By Tom Cox
September 12, 2019
Discover the conifer diversity of the southern coast of Spain. This is part 2 of the author's horticultural adventure. Click here to read part 1.
Estate of Mr. Jose Alba in Malaga, Spain. Note the large conifer, Cupressus sempervirens (Italian cypress)
Our last horticultural stop was to the southern coast of Spain and the beautiful city of Malaga. Our hosts for the day were Mr. and Mrs. José Alba and their son Alejandro. Offering the same warm hospitality received from our previous hosts in the Azores, these were extremely gracious people who shared our passion for plants.
It also reminded me of our second visit to Spain, when we were hosted by (at that time) the only two American Conifer Society members in Spain, Mr. and Mrs. Luis Basté and Mr. and Mrs. Josep Vilaseca. Thanks to our common love of conifers, we are now good friends with these two ACS member families and are looking for them to visit us this year.
The Spanish Sojourn
After a drive of about an hour, we arrived at the Albas’s summer estate in the mountains. Along the way, we learned that they are civil engineers and are working on a proposal to build the fourth longest tunnel in the world, in Colombia. It was fascinating to learn that a portion of the road and tunnels that we were traversing were designed by the family business. Upon arrival, we were invited inside and treated to an array of Spanish cheeses, ham, fruit and wine.
Covering 21 acres (8.5 hectares), Jardín Del Rosario (www.jardindelrosario.com) appears to be out of a movie set. The gently rolling hills are flanked by large, tree-covered mountains. As one enters through the large iron gate, there are numerous olive and cherry orchards. Nestled among them is a spectacular garden of over 5,000 taxon and some 22,000 different plants.
Massive trunk of the conifer, Afrocarpus falcatus
A Noteworthy Conifer Garden
From a conifer perspective, their most noteworthy collection is filled with many species of pines from around the world, such as the Chinese red pine (Pinus tabuliformis). Other conifers of note include Cupressus, Thuja, Cryptomeria, Juniperus, and numerous others. Comparatively speaking, this is still a young garden that will only get better as time goes on, and one could not ask for a better setting. It was clear to see that Mr. Alba is a connoisseur of rare plants, as well as a keen gardener.
At the conclusion, the entire family drove us to the white hillside village of Mijas, where they escorted Evelyn on a walking tour of the small Spanish village. This was followed by lunch at a chic restaurant along the Costa del Sol. If you are planning to be in Spain, you may email [email protected] to coordinate a visit to the garden.
We wish to thank each of the individuals referenced in this article for their hospitality and assistance in making this visit possible.
Taxus baccata Footnote
In preparation for this trip I had several personal communications with the director of the botanical garden on Faial Island, Azores. In our correspondence, he had informed me of a relic population of Taxus baccata, which had been declared extinct. Apparently, there are five plants remaining on Pico Island, from what was once widespread. Since we did not have the opportunity to visit Pico Island to see an in situ specimen, I am only including a brief mention.
Quoting from Biodiversity and Conservation, June 2010, Volume 19, Issue 6:
The leaves of the Azorean provenance were smaller than those of all other Taxus baccata described in literature; moreover, they have a higher stomata density and more numerous stomata rows. These features are all primitive, according to suggested morphological, evolutionary trends. We assume that sequence analysis of the Azorean population represents a different evolutionary line within Taxus. This suggests a more direct derivation from ancestors than provenances from Mediterranean and European regions. These individuals may be the last survivors of an ancient lineage, preserved in the Azores as part of the Macaronesian flora.
Photographs by Tom Cox.
Tom Cox is past president of the American Conifer Society and the founder and owner of Cox Arboretum and Gardens in Canton, Georgia, where he focuses on evaluating, selecting, and displaying plants from around the world that are hardy in USDA Zone 7b. He is also concerned with preserving critically-endangered plants.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2019 issue of Conifer Quarterly.
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Wednesday, June 14, 2023
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How I Started My Evergreen Garden
By Barbara Ashmun
April 5, 2020
Follow a conehead's first foray into gardening with evergreens.
The conifer, Kohout's Ice Breaker Korean fir (Abies koreana ‘Kohouts Icebreaker’)
My first adventure with conifers began when a friend took me to a nursery specializing in them. I was going only to look, not buy, but when a group of silvery Abies koreana ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’ kept winking at me, I couldn’t resist. I bought the smallest plant, barely a foot tall. But back home, reality came crashing in. It didn’t belong in my garden at all, sigh.
After moving to Portland, Oregon, from New York City, I’d been smitten with flowering perennials and roses. By the time I’d discovered Silberlocke, my garden was an acre of island beds and borders overflowing with color, largely inspired by English cottage gardens. Where on earth could I put a conifer?
In a pot, of course, where I could enjoy it as a treasure, all on its own. I gave Silberlocke a place of honor close to the house where I’d see it every day. As it developed, I repotted it into a larger, more attractive ceramic container. But surprisingly, instead of growing taller, it burgeoned sideways. Instead of staking it, I let it have its way, and enjoyed its interesting asymmetrically wide shape.
Pottering around with Conifers and Evergreens
Eventually, when Silberlocke tipped over its pot, I figured it was telling me to plant it in the ground. I placed it at the edge of a border, right along a path, where it framed the shrubs and perennials behind it beautifully with its calming silver tints. It was the perfect low hedge, better than any boxwood.
By then, I craved another Silberlocke which stood up straight, to plant against a cedar fence. It’s especially gorgeous when it catches the winter sun, which makes the needles sparkle even brighter.
When a gorgeous purple smoke tree and a Florida dogwood both succumbed to fungal disease in a prominent bed, I grieved. But sadness turned to joy when I realized I could grow more conifers in containers there. Since they were difficult to place amid flowering perennials, I could group them together in this problem bed, as a collection.
Of course I would also need some beautiful new containers. Now I had a perfect reason to hunt for more conifers—and for more ceramic containers. I could hardly contain myself!
The evergreen 'Curly Tops' Sawara false-cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Curly Tops’)
Visits to the Conifer Nurseries
Fortunately we have quite a few conifer nurseries on the outskirts of Portland, and winter visits help liven up our rainy season. Even wholesale nurseries willingly welcomed me when I’d organize my gardening group of some twenty avid gardeners to descend as a pack. Some even gave us an informative tour, narrated by the owner.
Conifer growers around here tend to hold forth passionately about their plants, with so much detail and enthusiasm that I nearly exploded with impatience to grab some! After a typical tour and talk, our group would finally disperse into a buying frenzy, doing our best wrangle politely over the rarest specimens.
After Silberlocke I fell for 'Kohouts Icebreaker,' an even more radiant fir, with tinier needles which recurve so strongly the nearly-white undersides are fully displayed. ‘Kohouts Icebreaker' simply glows. Slow growing, it’s taken a couple of years to come into its own. Did I mention that conifers can be expensive?
I tend to buy the smallest sizes out of frugality. I’ve convinced myself that it’s a greater pleasure to watch these infant plants grow up than to get instant gratification from a mature conifer.
Adding to My Collection of Conifers and Evergreens
Even though it’s considered a dwarf, the Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Curly Tops’ I saw in a friend’s garden was over six feet tall. Each branchlet curled back so that the impression was of a silvery blue mass of curls. The most dynamic conifer I’d ever met, it was so adorable I couldn’t live without it. I found a one-gallon plant for sale and potted it up in a black container for contrast.
I began noticing more conifers whose branches wiggled every which way, like Cryptomeria japonica ‘Spiraliter Falcata,’ with short needles in a lively shade of green. Its gracefully twisting nature makes it super appealing, and so interesting to contemplate that I placed it at the edge of a bed all by itself, instead of in a group.
Similarly eye-catching, Pinus strobus ‘Vercurve’ has longer twisted needles in bundles of five. The plant looks fluffy and friendly. When I saw it in a friend’s garden, a stab of envy told me I needed one. Thus began my interest in many more dwarf white pines, twisted or not. I probably bought P. strobus ‘Shaggy Dog’ and P. strobus ’Sea Urchin’ for their names, but so what! All are soothing shades of blue-green, and look charming in containers.
Pinus strobus ‘Louie’ was my first golden pine. I’d seen it repeatedly in at least four garden centers before I got over the sticker shock. Lusting after it was relentless, and there was no doubt that I’d succumb—it was just a matter of when. I’d run my fingers through the soft golden needles and sigh, then leave without the plant. Until finally, desire triumphed over economy, and I bought it, singing “Louie, Louie” all the way home.
The conifer, Louie eastern white pine (Pinus strobus ‘Louie’)
Another favorite is Abies pinsapo ‘Aurea’ for its stiff, tightly woven needles, blue-green below and yellow at the tips. Especially in winter, this fir is eye-popping and as architectural as a piece of sculpture. Another conifer intriguing for its texture, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tsatsumi Gold’ has threadlike foliage, glittering with gold.
More varieties of Chamaecyparis obtusa followed, like ‘Nana Lutea,’ ‘Sunny Swirl,’ and ‘Melody.’ These three need at least partial shade, for their needles burned in full sun. ‘Butterball’ is especially sensitive and needs full shade to be happy.
‘Butterball’ led me down the path of globe-shaped dwarf conifers, and before long I had acquired Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Spaan’s Cannonball’, ‘Cream Ball’, and ‘Silver Lode’. These three ball-shaped conifers make a quirky group which tickles me every time I pass by it.
“Threadleaf”, or Sawara false-cypress, is less costly than most dwarf conifers, so I’m more likely to spring for it impulsively. Since the first three were so affordable I splurged on a larger Thuja occidentalis ‘Linesville’, aka ‘Mr. Bowling Ball’. I admit that like ‘Louie’, it might have been its name which grabbed me.
Final Thoughts on Gardening with Evergreens
Sometimes I must have a conifer to evoke a scene from the past. Years ago, on a freezing winter day, my father and I drove over to Wave Hill, as was our tradition when I visited him in New York, regardless of the weather. I stood in front of a mature Pinus wallichiana ‘Zebrina’ in a trance of delight, mesmerized by the shimmering tree with striped needles. I don’t really have the right place for one in the ground, so I bought one for yet another container.
My father has passed on some years ago, but ‘Zebrina’ lives on in my garden. As it glimmers in the winter light, memories of our many visits to Wave Hill come flooding back, especially the pleasure of that one winter day.
This article was originally published in the Summer 2016 issue of Conifer Quarterly.
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How to Plant and Care for Cedars
By Jack Christiansen
April 13, 2020
Read about planting and caring for a favorite ornamental conifer: the cedar.
Cedar galore: a panorama of the Christiansen Garden in San Jose, CA
When I first started my garden 10 years ago, I did not have a clue as to what kind of plants I would use to fill it. My son and I installed tons of rock for the hardscape, but I didn’t have a clear idea of how or what I wanted to plant. It was when I attended a bonsai show in San Jose, CA, and met a vendor there who used Cedrus (cedar) for his bonsai that I was hooked.
The conifer, Hillier’s HB Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Hillier’s HB’)
Starting a Cedar Conifer Collection
Conifers were seldom seen at local nurseries in the San Jose area at the time, and, what was offered was not that inspiring. The vendor at the bonsai show displayed a particular cultivar, Cedrus libani ‘Green Prince’. That plant, like no other on display, made my heart skip a beat. Even now, many years later, ‘Green Prince’ still mesmerizes me.
I enjoy many species of conifers, but none more than Cedrus. Everywhere I look in my garden, there is a cedar.
My go-to handbook for finding cedars back then was the catalog Larry Stanley had published for 2007-2008. I spent a lot of time reading it from cover to cover. Although all of the conifers listed interested me, I opted to buy as many dwarf cedars as I could. Yes, the Addicted Conifer Syndrome set in, and there was no turning back!
The conifer, a prostrate Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara ‘Prostrata’)
Seeking Rare Cedars
I was determined to search out places in Oregon and Washington that listed hard-to-find cedars. I mused about what those unique plants would look like in my rock garden. I asked myself if they would grow, and what kind of shape they would take over the years?
I have 23 cedars in my garden now. I also appreciate the large ones that were planted in my community decades ago. Cedars have always been my favorite trees in the landscape, but I never knew the names of the trees or the number of varieties.
I hope you enjoy the pictures of some of the different cultivars growing in my garden.
The conifers, Feelin’ Blue Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara ‘Feelin’ Blue’) and Horstmann Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Horstmann’)
Tips for Planting and Growing Cedars
My experience choosing and growing cedars taught me the following:
- Only purchase a plant that can grow in your USDA zone. Cedars will not fare well with long periods of hard freezes or humid summers. Some varieties are more cold-hardy than others. Check the zone where you live and compare the recommendations of the grower for best results.
- Make sure that the plant you purchase is compatible with the size of the space you have in mind for it. With good pruning skills, you can generally make it fit. Cedars come in various sizes, from miniatures to full-sized trees. Check the 10-year size estimation tag for the best placement.
The conifers, golden Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Aurea’) and Deep Cove Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara ‘Deep Cove’)
- Cedars prefer a soil that drains well. Here in Northern California many of us have heavy clay. Planting on mounds or slopes helps with drainage and keeps the plants happy.
- Cedars do not like to be drenched by heavy watering. Once established, cedars are very drought-tolerant. New plantings need to be watered regularly for at least the first couple of years.
- I have found that cedars are quite free of insect damage. Newly planted trees watered from overhead can develop fungus during the heat of summer. Spraying the cedars against fungus will ensure healthy and happy plants over time.
The conifer, a blue weeping Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’)
- In my experience, the best time to transplant cedars from containers into the garden is when they have finished their first spring growth, and after that growth has hardened off. Your own zone and climate may dictate different timing.
- Unless you want your plant to grow as a ground cover, many cedars will need staking to get them up off the ground and to encourage them to grow upward. I have allowed some plants to grow naturally and have trained others to be more vertical. It is up to you. Just be mindful of the size parameters of the plant and where you place it.
- Do not be overly concerned if your newly planted cedar does not take off immediately after planting. Cedars need time to establish a good root system. Position the young plant where it gets sun, but not hot wind and extreme heat. Newly planted trees usually start growing sometime in the third year.
I wish you well enjoying cedars!
Photographs by Jack Christiansen.
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A Rooftop Garden of Conifers
By Colby Feller
November 3, 2019
Make the most of limited spaces with rooftop conifer gardens.
The rooftop Conifer Corner garden in 2015
Like any great pugilistic match, the first few rounds are a feeling out process. You have to learn the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent and, adapt and be prepared for surprises. Like a boxing match, the conifer test and display garden atop the Arsenal in New York City, which was my first experience with conifers on rooftops, took a few rounds to feel out, but now it is, I believe, a knockout.
In the fall of 2010, a small conifer test and display garden was installed atop the Arsenal in Central Park. Located on the East Side at Fifth Avenue and 64th Street, the building currently houses the offices of the headquarters of New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the Central Park Zoo.
The garden has a north-facing exposure, the building protecting it on one side, but the garden is still fairly exposed. The Arsenal rooftop is a challenging location as the garden is neither surrounded by buildings nor under a tree canopy, and is subject to very high winds.
Conifer Plant Preparation for a Rooftop Garden
The plants must also be well-chosen, as there is no irrigation system or formal maintenance program. Instead, the garden is cared for with the help of interns and volunteers (more information about, and pictures of, the original installation can be found in the Winter 2011 CQ, as well as in an article by Sean Callahan, “Hidden Gem in the Making” on the ACS website).
This garden, called the “Conifer Corner”, has now survived its eighth winter and seventh growing season. During round one, we had a 75% survival rate. A couple of factors are likely to have been responsible for the lost plants.
Although I am a proponent of fall planting, logistics forced the initial planting into the first week in November, which may have been a bit late, and this was followed by one of the worst winters on record. Perhaps, if the plants had been more established, fewer plants would have been “knocked out”. The good news is that during the later rounds, with winter’s delivering record cold and snow, only five plants were lost from the remaining original installation and these were specimens which were replaced in year one.
Another view of the Conifer Corner garden atop the Arsenal in 2015
Challenges of a Rooftop Conifer Garden
The plants definitely illustrated an “all or nothing” pattern at the site. Besides those plants which had to be removed, only a couple of the remaining specimens looked a bit worse for wear after the challenging first winter, but most looked perfect and were pushing new growth.
I have noticed a trend with conifers here in Manhattan; year one appears to be THE year which makes all the difference. Even in less severe conditions, with proper irrigation, year one poses a challenge, and the plants are either lush and vibrant or completely dead, and then the remaining plants are off to the races.
Perhaps not surprisingly, early expectations as to which plants would do well, did not play out. From the beginning, we recognized the site as being tough—no irrigation, a light-weight soil medium with little organic matter (Gaia soil), high winds, an urban environment with resultant pollutants, and the urban heat island effect.
We thought plants like Pinus heldrechii ‘Irish Bell’ and the various junipers would be as tough as nails, and the Cedrus more delicate, but we were incorrect. One might be inclined, since this was in a single test garden with limited specimens, to call this a fluke, but at another site in Manhattan I work on, which features a number of conifers, P. heldrechii and any number of junipers also did not survive.
It may be that these plants have difficulty in the City because they are grown in container gardens. However, interestingly, my father also had some difficulty with the Juniperus horizontalis ‘Ice Blue’ in the ground on Long Island, as it appears fussy until well established. Only one of two Juniperus horizontalis ‘Monber’ Ice Blue™ planted at the Arsenal survives, again illustrating the importance of care until the plants are acclimated and established.
Dwarf and Miniature Conifers in Rooftop Gardens
Although in general dwarf and miniature varieties of plants seem to be more robust; on urban rooftops, the larger juniper specimens have done well, while our dwarf favorites seem to be hit or miss. Plants like Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’, J. squamata ‘Blue Star’, as well as the ‘Ice Blue’ mentioned above have turned out to be not well suited to rooftop environments.
Junipers in general, though, may not be the right choice for rooftops for completely different reasons. On the terraces and balconies in the City, clients live in close proximity to their plants. Working with junipers and installing them can give us gardeners the “juniper itch”, and although clients may not be as entangled with the plants as we gardeners, the people who own these gardens may like to brush their hands along plants, walk barefoot outdoors, and may be allergic.
The rooftop Conifer Corner garden's progress from 2014
Rooftop Conifer Gardens and Summer Desiccation
In the City, wind and the resulting desiccation are also factors to contend with. Many times we think of this as a winter phenomenon, and is especially a concern in containers which freeze solid during the winter, the frozen soil adding to winter desiccation.
Interestingly, this has not been the case for conifers here in the City, either for the dwarf plants discussed here, or larger specimens which can be used as hedging material—Juniperus chinensis ‘Hetzii Columnaris’, Juniperus virginiana ‘Emerald Sentinel’’, and various Thuja, for example. Even with proper irrigation, it appears desiccation is a summer event in the City, and when compounded with the hot buildings and HVAC venting atop many of these roofs and terraces, there is no room for error. The lack of irrigation at the Arsenal makes it a true test garden in the summer months.
Anomalies and Aberrations
Although I will not list every plant at the Arsenal, a number of Chamaecyparis which were pre-existing at the site, as well as the Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Lutea’ and ‘Lynn’s Golden’, which were planted in the Fall of 2011, have done very well. Then there is an odd trend where the fairly globose, or somewhat pyramidal forms have not retained their shape, but have grown horizontally and irregularly, even though neither lack of sunlight nor crowding are issues at the site.
Two Cedrus: C. deodara ‘Prostrate Beauty’ and C. deodora ‘Blue Ball’ both did well for five years, and then after pushing Spring growth, both completely defoliated in a matter of a week. Being that they survived for so long, and have performed admirably at this site and others, I will call this an aberration. We are trying two more Cedrus at the site which seem to be very content. Cedrus fall into the surprise category, as we thought they would be more delicate, and I had never seen them used on rooftops before.
The rooftop Conifer Corner garden in 2013
Thriving Cultivars at the Conifer Rooftop Garden
The other conifers introduced into the garden were a very small Picea abies ‘Gem’ (since deceased), Abies balsamea ‘Piccolo’, and Tsuga canadensis ‘Minuta’. Since these are single plants, any observations are of limited value; but I was surprised by the success of the fir, considering the lack of irrigation and the humid weather.
I am pleased to see Tsuga surviving, as it may also be a good choice for shadier sites, and as we are expanding the garden this year into a new corner where shade plays more of a role. These are in addition to Cryptomeria japonica ‘Tansu’—which has excelled.
Caution to those who wish to use Cryptomeria on rooftops, they need to be protected. The specimen on the Arsenal rooftop sits low to the ground, and it is nestled against the building, yet it also needs a good number of hours of sunlight to thrive and remain full, thus making siting difficult. Various dwarf Picea abies cultivars have shown mixed results for us.
Adding Non-Conifer Complements
Any number of pine species and cultivars seem to excel on rooftops, including, but not limited to Pinus thunbergiana ‘Thunderhead’, P. densiflora ‘Low Glow’, P. sylvestris ‘Hillside Creeper’, P. banksiana ‘Schoodic’, and P. mugo var. mughus. Interestingly enough, pines appear to take sun and drought better than many of the other conifers, but suffer the most from winter desiccation, unlike the other conifers where summer desiccation is more of a threat.
We have also added some non-conifer specimens, but with a focus on dwarf plants such as Ilex crenata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’, Rhododendron keiskei x ‘Fairy’s Fairy’, and Acer palmatum ‘Winter Flame’. These plants add different textures and further blend the Conifer Corner with the rest of the garden. As an aside, Japanese maples do remarkably well on rooftops and are a lot less delicate than they may at first appear—I would dare say they are our best performing specimen container trees in the City.
Overall, at the test garden at the Arsenal, and other sites in the City, dwarf conifers do very well in containers due to their size, slow growth rate, evergreen foliage, and diversity of form, texture, and color. I find that conifers can make for a very clean, almost sterile and regimented design; so, for many people, one needs a fairly dense planting and inter-planting with non-conifer species to create a visually pleasing garden.
This is because unlike in a suburban garden, where your plantings are surrounded by lawn, trees, or beds, in the City, plants are in containers, and surrounded by walls, railings, pergolas, and the building itself—already have very “constructed” environments.
The Conifer Corner garden on top of the Arsenal in 2013
Addressing Limited Spaces with Rooftop Gardens
In just the few years, the scale of the Arsenal test garden is already feeling mature, with plants beginning to “kiss”. As always, the challenge is to find a balance, because on the rooftop, like many rooftops in the City, there is simply limited space into which to transplant the existing specimens, or to add more plantings and containers. Perhaps this is why annuals and tropicals are so popular on rooftops; you start with a blank canvas year after year. And, yet conifers, which are underutilized on urban rooftops, and are too often relegated to hedging material, are in many ways ideal for these spaces.
Many people want the feeling of being surrounded by trees on their rooftops, and often large mature trees are not possible. But, much like bonsai, conifers can offer the shape, feeling, and structure of a large tree without being all that large. Not only are small specimen conifers ideal for small containers, but even large specimens, 6–12 feet, do very well in small containers. We have plenty of 6 foot plants in 18 or 24-inch containers which, although not necessarily ideal, do well and meet the challenge we face in the City with limited space. Acer aside, I can’t say that I have seen other genera of trees or large shrubs do as well in small containers.
Maybe there is no knockout plant, but at the end of the day Chamecyapris cultivars are my rooftop favorite, and do very well. They offer so many different sizes, colors, and offer a very unique “texture”, especially for those who find conifers too “rigid” or formal.
Gardening in the Sky with Rooftop Gardens
The Arsenal, as a conifer display garden display, illustrates well the various shapes, textures and colors available which work well on an urban rooftop. Another example, shown in photos here, of the possible uses of conifers in the City, is a garden I work on professionally. This garden, one of the highest residential garden spaces in New York City, is also composed mostly of conifers and has helped inform some of my own observations in this article.
That far up in the sky is like planting on the side of a mountain, and when you are not in the clouds, you have views of Central Park, the Hudson River and New Jersey to the West, and the East River and Queens to the East. This site only receives maintenance a few times a year, and, indeed, conifers are one of the few genera of plants which can face the challenges of the site while also adding four season interest for the owners of the apartment which has floor to ceiling windows all around.
The Arsenal garden has been well received. The ACS supported me in this endeavor as I stepped into the world of horticulture as both a hobbyist and a professional, and little did I know how this little garden would bloom both literally and figuratively.
If you are planning to visit the Big Apple and will be on the Upper East Side, call Kaitilin Griffin (during visiting hours, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, 830 Fifth Avenue @ E. 64th St.), (212) 360-8240, or e-mail her, [email protected], prior to arrange a visit.
Photographs by Bruce Feller.
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Conifers of the Olympic Mountains
By Jack Christiansen
March 1, 2021
A Short but Magical Trip to the Olympic Mountains.
Text and Photography Jack Christiansen
The snow-capped Olympic Mountains in the distance.
My wife, Linda, and I had just disembarked from the ferry at Port Angles, WA, which had taken us from Victoria Island, British Columbia, where we had visited the ancient forest. We were on the final leg of our September 2019 vacation in the Pacific Northwest. I had wanted, for a long time, to visit the Olympic Mountains, with their high, year-round, snowy peaks and rain forest. The excitement was almost overwhelming. Here we were, at the gateway to a fantastical place.
The road sign stated that the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center was just 17 miles ahead, rising from sea level to an elevation of 5,200 feet. The ridge gets its name from its intense winds. The scenery along the way was simply spectacular. We stopped at various pull-offs to take photos and to enjoy the higher-elevation views and the cool breezes. The weather was very comfortable, and the sky was sapphire-blue, with traces of white, puffy clouds. All was perfect for taking pictures.
The time we had to spend there that afternoon was very limited. We had to be back to Seattle the next day to fly home. Still, we knew that this was going to be a majestic conifer adventure and we wanted to take in as much as we could in the time we had. We inquired inside the Visitor Center to ascertain where the highlights were. The place was very busy, with people going everywhere, all dressed in the latest hiking gear, all ready to start their outdoor adventure. We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed out for the trail to Hurricane Ridge that started just across the road.
Of all the species in the genus Abies, my most favorite one has always been Abies lasiocarpa (subalpine fir). At this elevation, it is the predominant conifer inhabiting the area. As we looked down to the lower elevations, we could see Sitka spruces (Picea sitchensis) and western hemlocks (Tsuga heterophylla), too. Needless to say, my curiosity was peaking.
Subalpine firs sculpted by the forces of Nature
Stripped of their branches, the subalpines keep only their lower branches.
As we hiked up the rocky, barren formation, we came across a small cluster of older, highly weathered subalpines, which had lost their tops. They showed the marks of their struggle to stay alive and still maintain their lower foliage. The dead tops had all turned a frosty-white color that starkly contrasted with the dark-blue skies overhead. As we reached the top, the trees and distant mountains suddenly all popped into view. I could have stayed there for hours. After taking a few photos, we moved farther on along Hurricane Ridge, viewing a forest of subalpine firs. These trees appeared to be younger and smaller in stature with their slender shapes. It was a forest like I had never seen before, with vibrant-green foliage clustered tightly to the trunks of the trees that reached skyward like narrow buildings that just kept going on forever.
We had first taken the Cirque Ridge Trail that allowed us to see scenic views on all sides of the ridge. To the north, the mountains in the distance were mostly devoid of trees, a sign that a forest fire had cleared the area, years before. Turning west, we saw the tallest snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountain Range, visible miles away in the distance. We couldn’t help but imagine what a captivating exploration that area would provide us on a future trip.
Clusters of conifers contrast with the golden grasslands.
Off in the distance, evidence of the aftermath of forest fires.
As we continued along Hurricane Ridge to its farthest point, we had to drop down to the High Ridge Trail, on the south side of Mount Olympus. This was a steeper descent, with fewer trees than on the north side. However, the trees showed even more signs of age and weather from high winds that had sculptured off their tops, leaving some with stripped branches on one side. I took a lot of pictures that day, mesmerized by the beauty of the area. Eventually, we found our way down to Big Meadow Trail. Here we could see golden grasslands, broken up by tight clusters of conifers, a beautiful scene that I’ll always remember.
As we slowly found our way back down the trail to the visitor area, we had completed a three-mile hike in about three hours. We stopped many times along the way to take photos, enjoy the trees, and view the diverse mountain scenes. When we left that afternoon, I came away with a catalog of photographs that we could enjoy later.
This was the last leg of our vacation in 2019, and I can’t imagine a better way to end it. Our visit may have been a short one, but it was a treasure we’ll remember.
Editor’s Note. Jack and Linda Christiansen visited Vancouver’s Ancient Forest prior to coming to the Olympic Mountains. I refer you to that account in the Winter CQ 2020, Volume 37, Number 1, pp. 10-12.
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Posted By Kathy Swanson,
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
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Announcing Nursery Discount Program for ACS Members
By Web Editor
September 6, 2017
The ACS Board of Directors is pleased to announce a new benefit for ACS members and our nursery partners in our mission: 10% discounts for members at select retail nurseries and the ability to purchase directly from some wholesale nurseries that ordinarily restrict their sales to the trade. This program furthers the goals of the Society by introducing more nurseries and growers to those wishing to learn about conifers and their use in the landscape. The more that nurseries and growers have customers requesting interesting conifers, the more likely that they will themselves learn about them, propagate and sell them.
In order to receive this discount, members will need to identify themselves as ACS members, and because we don’t issue ID cards (although we are working on that), we have created this form that you can fill in with your name, member ID and expiration date. We will also post the form in the 'My Account' section of the site.
We will maintain a current list of participating partner nurseries on the website, so check frequently for any additions. If there is a nursery in your area that you think would like to participate as one of our partners, let us know the nursery name and contact information, especially the name of the right person to speak to. You may certainly ask them yourself, and then let us know with whom we should follow up.
Benefits for nurseries:
- We will list them on our website and link to them if they have an online presence.
- We will feature them in social media.
- We will remind members of the program every year in the spring CQ and direct members to the website for a current list of nurseries
The Western Region, which does not publish a newsletter, will send an email out each spring with a link to the website list.
Regions that publish newsletters will publish their regional list each year in their Spring issue.
We will provide education about conifers and their culture.
Requirements for nurseries:
- Give ACS members who identify themselves as such 10% discounts (retailers) or allow them to shop (wholesalers).
- Display ACS brochures at POS (retailers).
- Promote the ACS mission of educating the public about conifers
ACS responsibilities:
- Each nursery must have an ACS contact person.
- The ACS contact will provide the nursery with brochures/holder
- The ACS contact will also help the Program Manager with any updated information or questions from the nursery.
- The ACS will help the partner nurseries (as requested) with information about conifers, their nomenclature and their culture
Get out there and get shopping! Fall planting season is upon us.
The ACS Board of Directors is pleased to announce a new benefit for ACS members and our nursery partners in our mission: 10% discounts for members at select retail nurseries and the ability to purchase directly from some wholesale nurseries that ordinarily restrict their sales to the trade.
This program furthers the goals of the Society by introducing more nurseries and growers to those wishing to learn about conifers and their use in the landscape. The more that nurseries and growers have customers requesting interesting conifers, the more likely that they will themselves learn about them, propagate and sell them.
In order to receive this discount, members will need to identify themselves as ACS members, and because we don’t issue ID cards (although we are working on that), we have created this form that you can fill in with your name, member ID and expiration date. We will also post the form in the 'My Account' section of the site.
We will maintain a current list of participating partner nurseries on the website, so check frequently for any additions. If there is a nursery in your area that you think would like to participate as one of our partners, let us know the nursery name and contact information, especially the name of the right person to speak to. You may certainly ask them yourself, and then let us know with whom we should follow up. Benefits for nurseries: We will list them on our website and link to them if they have an online presence. We will feature them in social media. We will remind members of the program every year in the spring CQ and direct members to the website for a current list of nurseries The Western Region, which does not publish a newsletter, will send an email out each spring with a link to the website list. Regions that publish newsletters will publish their regional list each year in their Spring issue. We will provide education about conifers and their culture.
Requirements for nurseries: Give ACS members who identify themselves as such 10% discounts (retailers) or allow them to shop (wholesalers). Display ACS brochures at POS (retailers). Promote the ACS mission of educating the public about conifers ACS responsibilities: Each nursery must have an ACS contact person. The ACS contact will provide the nursery with brochures/holder The ACS contact will also help the Program Manager with any updated information or questions from the nursery.
The ACS will help the partner nurseries (as requested) with information about conifers, their nomenclature and their culture Program Manager: Sara Malone, 707-486-0444, [email protected] Sara is also the Program Coordinator for the Western Region. We are currently seeking coordinators for the other regions. If you are interested. Please let her know. Get out there and get shopping! Fall planting season is upon us.
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Posted By Admin,
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
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Planting as Nature Intended
By Jared Weaver
June 29, 2017
Giving New Plantings the Best Start
Planting a tree or shrub in your landscape can be very exciting, but it can also be the start of a painful loss of what was once an interesting, possibly expensive, plant. On the surface planting seems to be a simple task – dig a hole to fit and put in the tree green side up. But to ensure success you should strive to recreate the natural habitat of that plant.
The first step is to choose the right plant for the right place, or as many of us do, find the right place to plant that tree you had to have at the nursery! This means considering your hardiness zone, heat zone, soil type and drainage, average moisture, etc. We have had all winter to daydream and plan for planting season, so we’ll assume you have chosen plants that have the genetic ability to thrive in your garden, or at least tolerate the climate and soil.
Flare at soil level
Possibly the most common planting mistake is planting too deep. There are a number of contributing factors, but first let’s consider a tree growing naturally, that is from a seed. The seed germinates at or within a couple of inches of the soil surface. The radicle (root) grows down and the plumule (shoot) grows up. This means that only the roots are covered by soil. Root tissues are adapted to grow in the moist environment of the soil and resist naturally present decay organisms. The bark of the trunk is different. Undamaged, it provides protection from insects, rodents, and air-borne fungi. If it is covered in soil it succumbs to subterranean fungi.
If you pull up a seedling in the forest you will see a clear difference between the roots and shoot. This is what we should strive for in our planting - only roots in the ground. While you are in the forest, observe the flare of saplings and mature trees. The flare is the area of transition between the trunk and the roots; it is an obvious widening from the trunk to the root plate. In nature it occurs at the soil line.
This tree has been grown too deep in the field. The arrow indicates the flare, which is far below the soil level of this balled and burlapped specimen
Old planting advice says to plant the tree at the level it was grown in the nursery. Too often when a plant is brought home from the nursery it is already too deep in the soil. Traditional nursery production methods pile more soil on top of the flare. In container grown plants, the seedling is often placed in the bottom of the pot and soil is added to fill the pot. In field operations cultivation to control weeds pushes soil on top of the root ball. The soil in your landscape is not the same as in a nursery pot or field. Modern advice is to locate the first roots growing directly from the trunk and place those near the surface of the soil. If you cannot see an obvious flare at the surface or there is a gap between the trunk and the soil you must do some searching.
With balled and burlapped trees, you can probe the soil ball with a stiff wire. If you can find 3-4 main roots within 3 inches of the surface you can plant at the same level the tree was growing. Any deeper and you need to carefully remove soil to find the main roots. Sometimes you can find the roots poking through the sides of the root ball. Be sure to remove wire baskets, twine, trunk wrap, and any other packing material. It is just that –packing material -designed to protect the plant during shipping. If it would not decay naturally in less than 6 months, it will impede root growth or cause girdling.
This tree is planted at the correct depth
With container grown trees, you often have a mass of roots that you need to untangle. Avoid root bound plants, because you will have a difficult time untangling enough roots to avoid girdling, and they tend to dry out quickly. Bare-rooting container trees is a good practice. Soak the container in water to loosen up the growing medium, and then untangle the roots while keeping them moist. This will allow you to find the flare and eliminate potential girdling roots. Bark or peat based growing medium also creates a soil interface problem that may cause your root ball to dry out too quickly or remain too saturated.
It may be little scary to remove any roots at planting, but it is better to remove circling roots that could girdle the tree a few years down the road just as it is really becoming a nice specimen. I have seen more than a few mature trees that appear healthy only to suddenly decline or topple over in a gust of wind. On closer inspection the trunk looked like a pole going straight into the ground – no flare. This is a sign of potential girdling roots as a result of deep planting. Just do a Google search for ‘girdling roots’ to see the horrors you can avoid!
Mulching is another tree care task that is often done incorrectly. Look again to nature to see how it should be done. Just a couple of inches of organic mulch is best. Never apply more than 3-4 inches total and keep it away from the trunk. While it may not be the most attractive, composted arborist wood chips make some of the best mulch for your soil. It has a good balance of carbon and nitrogen and breaks down to improve the soil. Be careful with some organic mulches such as pine straw and hardwood bark as they can grow fungal mats that actually repel water. You can alleviate this problem with a rake; just stir them up a bit.
Don’t forget to water in your new tree, and leave any pruning for a year or two to allow some recovery time. Hopefully your efforts will pay off with a tree that will out-live us all, just as nature intended!
About the Author: Jared Weaver has served as the City Parks Arborist/Forester in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the past decade. He is the Southeast Regional Director and represents our region on the ACS Board. He grew up in rural Pennsylvania, which instilled a love of plants, gardening, and the outdoors. He served in the US Army before moving to Bowling Green to attend Western Kentucky University where he majored in Horticulture with a minor in Art.
Excerpt from the March 2017 Southeastern Conifer Quarterly.
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Posted By Admin,
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
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Bonsai Basics...or How the Ponderosa got into the Pot
By Sara Malone
January 14, 2015
Pinus ponderosa in its new pot
I had never considered acquiring a bonsai specimen until I attended the ACS Regional meeting in Oregon last August. Our stops included Ryan Neil's Bonsai Mirai and the nursery of Randy Knight, who supplies Ryan with many of his mountain-dug specimens. It was easy to get the fever at Bonsai Mirai; Ryan uses traditional Japanese techniques on native conifers for a distinctively American interpretation of this ancient craft. By the time we got to Randy's, I was on the hunt for one of my very own.
ACS members Maryann Lewis, Gerry Fields, Jack Christiansen and Carol Brant study the pine to determine proper orientation
Fortunately, the crowd included two ACS members knowledgeable in bonsai, Jack Christiansen and Gerry Fields, who encouraged me to look for a tree. I found a Pinus ponderosa at Randy's that I fell in love with, and with their blessings, I bought it and took it home. Randy's collected trees are referred to in bonsai terminology as Yamador-style, which are the trees taken from the wild and formed into a stylized bonsai. Jack and Gerry estimate the tree's age at about 200 years. They promised to help me transplant it in the dormant season. The pine was still in the box that Randy had built for it when he brought it back from a collecting trip to the Rocky Mountains. Ponderosas have always been one of my favorite conifers,and it is fun to have a different version of this native tree.
A group of us gathered last week to repot the pine. I was prepared; I had purchased a new pot, larger than the wooden box it was in, I assembled soil and lava rock for potting medium and I spent some time determining which was the front of the tree and which was the back. Actually, I only thought that I was prepared! Jack and Gerry arrived with a car full of supplies: a pot that they had purchased specifically for this specimen (which was much smaller than mine), various types of planting media, and tools and supplies that did not resemble anything in my garden shed. ACS members Carol Brant and Maryann Lewis (who is also President of the Aesthetic Pruner's Association) joined us as spectators.
We spent about an hour assessing the tree and its orientation. It was not a simple matter of front vs back. Jack and Gerry, with input from the rest of us, considered all sides as well as the vertical placement of the trunk. They tilted the box up and down, turned it on angles and considered the optimal perspective. Ultimately, we all agreed that the tree should be tilted back and placed in the pot diagonally, neither options had I considered in all of my earlier determination!
Prying the box off the pine. The tree had been in this box since it was dug, about four years ago
We were pleased to see that the pine had a strong, healthy root system
The next part was not for the faint-hearted. Jack and Gerry pried the box off and exposed a dense mass of roots. I have lots of experience planting trees and am accustomed to trimming and untangling root-bound specimens, but I was not prepared for the way that Jack and Gerry exposed and pruned the roots. Using a variety of tools they separated out the woody structural roots and reduced the size of the mass. The tree had a long, woody, surface root that restricted the options for repotting;they were able to saw most of it off as there were enough feeder roots at its base and on the other sides of the rootball to nourish the tree.
That root on the left was completely removed!
Jack and Gerry opening up the root ball
Then they prepared the new pot for planting, which entailed attaching wire to the bottom of the container to use to secure the tree, and Gerry formed the bottom drainage layer or round clay balls mixed with large agricultural pumice (roughly 50-50). He and Jack filled the pot with a soil mix from Japan, made of approximately 30% akadama (a hard clay material), 40% lava pebbles and 20% coarse sand. So much for my pails of soil and rocks at the ready! We also sprinkled in super phosphate 0-45-0 fertilizer pellets to promote root growth.
The mix of potting materials ready to receive the tree
Movin' on up...er, down, to the new pot!
Once the big woody root was cut off it JUST fit!
Then it was just a matter of wedging the tree diagonally into the pot and adding and tamping down more planting media. Again, Jack and Gerry used a variety of tools, some specially made for bonsai, some improvised (Chopsticks are effective for pushing medium under and around the roots!) The final touch was to wire the root mass into the pot for additional security and then 'tuck in' the tree with a topping of dried sphagnum moss. We watered it well and decided that it should stay in the greenhouse for a few months while it settles in and builds some new roots.
Jack pushes planting media under and around the roots
Adding the planting media to the pot.
The Pinus ponderosa bonsai in its new pot!
Taking care of a bonsai will be a new experience for me. It has to be watered every day right now, with its severely reduced root system, and because the planting materials are inorganic, will require fertilization as well. I love my conifers partly because they are so trouble-free; this one pine will get almost as much attention as my other 500 conifer specimens together! However, I can appreciate different aspects of conifers in this bonsai specimen. And I have Jack and Gerry to guide me and teach me more about this wonderful art form. Thanks, guys, for yet another great conifer experience!
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Posted By Admin,
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
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The Heritage Tree Program: Preserving Campus History Through Cultivation
By Sara Malone
November 9, 2017
Note: this article was written by Brandon Miller, recipient of the 2016 ACS Scholarship
The trunk and bark of a specimen Pinus bungeana (lacebark pine) which will be propagated through the Heritage Tree Program
As one of the recipients of the 2016 American Conifer Society Scholarship, I am writing this article to introduce myself and provide a glimpse of how I carried out the mission of the ACS and benefitted from the scholarship. I am a horticulturist with an interest in rare, unusual, and underutilized woody plants - especially conifers.
My interests in horticulture and conifers began at the age of 12, with a curiosity about bonsai and the encouragement of Richard Eyre, owner of Rich’s Foxwillow Pines Nursery, Inc. After generously donating a few dwarf conifers to my practice of bonsai, Rich suggested I not fret over my early failed attempts and continue trying until I succeeded. This encounter inspired me to continue learning about conifers, acquiring new plants, and trying my hand at growing them.
My academic career began at Iowa State University, where I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy and Horticulture in 2015, and my Master of Science Degree in Horticulture this past May.
While exploring the botanical curiosities originating from my youth, I have observed that the collections of many conifer connoisseurs exhibit a vast array of forms, colors, and textures which often reflects the interests and tastes of a gardener. We “coneheads” often overlook a more basic feature or purpose that these assemblies of rare and unusual plants can serve: as living relics with a story.
Each plant has a unique story, whether it’s a common garden species or a scarcely seen specimen. More often than not, attention is given to a specific cultivar due to its rarity in the nursery trade. But what can be just as interesting and unique is a plant that represents a special memory, time, or place. It is this idea that inspired my former advisor, Dr. William Graves, to begin the Heritage Tree Program at Iowa State University. The goal of the Program is to preserve the historic trees that grace the nearly 160-year-old campus by propagating and distributing their progeny to those interested in procuring a living piece of campus history. The program funnels the proceeds to further preserve the old, historic trees that reside on the campus and doubles as a learning experience for students.
I was lucky enough to be one of the few students to serve the program by growing the progeny of some of these magnificent trees. The program is not restricted to conifers and their relatives, but I took a special interest in participating in the cultivation and sale of seedlings from one of my favorite species, Ginkgo biloba. The beautiful old grove of ginkgo that we used for propagation is located just off the central campus near Catt Hall where, every fall, it puts on a breathtaking golden fall display. This experience opened my eyes, and nose, to the fascinating, yet pungent, process of growing Ginkgo biloba from seed.
The grove of ginkgo exhibiting autumnal display, near Catt Hall on the Iowa State University campus
Rich’s advice continues to resonate with me and to this day contributes to my views and philosophies as a horticulturist. I continue to employ Rich’s advice as I begin my studies in the field of Horticultural Biology at Cornell University as a Ph.D. student.
I am lucky to continually be supported and learn from many influential horticulturists and it is with immense gratitude that I thank The American Conifer Society for supporting me in my academic venture. By awarding me the American Conifer Society Scholarship, you lightened the burden of acquiring tuition funds. In doing so, you have helped me to focus on the most critical component of school: learning. I would like to specifically thank the American Conifer Society Board of Directors, Gerald Kral, Scholarship Committee Chair, my sponsor, Andy Schmitz of The Brenton Arboretum, and my many mentors, including Rich Eyre, for their invaluable support.
Ginkgo seedlings, progeny of the Catt Hall ginkgo trees, propagated by the Heritage Tree Program, in the Horticulture Hall greenhouse at Iowa State University. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Mahoney)
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Posted By Admin,
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
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A Tale of Two Conifers
By Christy Docauer
November 30, 2022
Has a difficult gardening decision ever plagued you, such as having to select one of two very gorgeous conifers to cut down, so that the other tree could thrive? This dilemma confronted Dorothy when she observed that two of her trees were growing at top speed and that the branches of each tree were merging with those of the other, causing the lower branches of both to die. How did this happen? Find out in Dorothy Danforth's "A Tale of Two Conifers" here.
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