Backyard Gardening Blog » Plant Profiles

Dawn Redwood: Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Gold Rush’

Administrator — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:08:47 +0000

In addition to the cedar I bought yesterday, I also bought a seqouia, a redwood, for here in Michigan. Crazy you say? Well, apparently, notsomuch.

What gardener doesn’t dream about having a massive redwood in their yard, and if we could live for a thousand years we might be able to get one, but instead I guess we must just relinquish ourselves to younger versions of the trees, which yes, you can grow outside of California.

There are three species known as redwoods or sequoias. Sequoia sempervirens or Coast Redwood, is the tallest known tree in the world and is the one you think of when you think of giant redwoods. The Sequoiadendron giganteum or Giant Sequoia is also one of the biggest trees and while there aren’t any known ones taller than a coast redwood, they are the biggest, by volume, trees in the world.

The third one, the one I bought is Metasequoia glyptostroboides or Dawn Redwood which I will call ‘metasequoia’ because I hate typing the rest of it out. I paid $32 for it, a 3 footer in a 1 gallon container. Got it from Gee Farms here in Michigan.

Metasequoias were thought to be extinct. There are fossil records of them all over the world, but no known survivors were located until 1944 when they were found growing in a secluded valley in china. It has since been exported for gardeners to grow all over the world. It is perhaps a good ecological choice to grow too, considering how close to extinction it is.

It is the smallest of the lot, alas, topping out, it is believed, at 200 feet (in many many years) but like it’s relatives it is a very fast grower to 50 or 100 feet. The fact is we just don’t know how big this tree can get because we have no 1000 year old samples to check out.

It is also the hardiest of the three. I have seen reports of it being hardy in zone 6, or 5, but quite a few sources stating zone 4, including some university sources which I consider to be accurate. Coast redwoods are the least hardy, but Sequiadendrons will supposedly take zone 5 (until you get a really really cold winter I suppose).

Sheltering and putting it in a microclimate such as on the south side of a hill where it will be protected from northern winds will probably help. Additionally, it needs full sun, so a hill is good there to, and it needs lots of water, so the base of a hill is also usually pretty damp. I do not have a hill, so it is going in my backyard. However I also bought a couple for my parents, and they have a hill (and are almost zone 4) so I told them to plant it as I described above.

There are a variety of Metasequoia cultivars now, many of which do not grow as fast as the species variety. The one I bought, ‘Gold Rush’ is supposed to grow as fast or only slightly slower, so that is good. It also has striking golden foliage which it is supposed to keep all year, which is rare for a sun lover. I like designing with contrasting foliage colors so this is a good choice for those applications.

Like a bald cypress (a cousin) the plants are deciduous conifers, so they lose their needles in the winter and go dormant (which probably aids their hardiness). Also like a bald cypress, they develop gorgeous trunks when older, which have to be my favorite feature of the plant. Corded, complex, reddish trunks, very pretty.

I have a small yard, and if my house still stands in 200 years the tree will probably be too big. But whomever the current owner is I suppose can always cut it down and use the valuable wood to build a deck or something.

In the meantime I will enjoy, consequently, I also think they may do well as bonsai. I have a dream of going out and planting cuttings on public land near my house, which should be preserved forever. So in generations there will be some huge trees growing there, my footprint on the future.

Himalayan Cedar: Cedrus deodara ‘Karl Fuchs’

Administrator — Sun, 16 May 2010 01:02:29 +0000

My recent post about what a real cedar is was not a coincidence, I have been looking at buying one, and today I did.

I have wanted a cedar for years, even since I saw Paul James’ on his show. Paul has a weeping Blue Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, and it is absolutely gorgeous… and not hardy in zone 5. No matter how often I now see HomeDepot or Lowes carrying it, it is not hardy here. Now… perhaps in a microclimate it might survive, a courtyard, or if you give it serious winter protection, but it really needs zone 6.

However in doing some research I discovered another variety, Cedrus deodara the Himalayan cedar, that is more cold hardy and one specific cultivatar, ‘Karl Fuchs’ definitely so. It is blue, which I wanted, not as blue as the atlas, and the needles aren’t quite the same, but I’ll make do. It is my only choice really, so I have to don’t I?

Anyways, I really like these true cedars. They have very short and tightly packed needles so you really see a lot of the tree structure. As my gardening tastes have evolved I find myself attracted more to the form or structure of plants such as in Japanese gardens where the stem or trunk and branching is as important and beautiful as the foliage.

So the cedars, with their short needles that cling in clumps to the trunk and branches, really show off the form, and it is a unique look for the garden. I wanted one specifically for the spot in which I planted it. In that area of the garden I’ve got a Japanese maple with red foliage, some yellow heucheras, and all sorts of green plants, but not a single plant with blue foliage. The closest plant with blue foliage was probagly 40 feet away, and using contrasting foliage colors in the landscape is always a good idea, so I needed something.

They do need some care to make sure they survive, even if they’re supposed to be hardy. The reason evergreens can survive the winter isn’t just because they handle the cold, but because their needles have adapted to handle the dryness. Winter is the dryest season, cold winter sun, drying winter wind, air without any humidity to it, it all takes a toll on plants. Most evergreens have a waxy coating on their needles or foliage to help prevent moisture loss and it is this that allows them to be evergreens. When an evergreen gets dried out it is called winter burn and you’ll notice it as a browning or bronzing of the leaf tips or exposed sections of the plant.

Well, cedars are less able to deal with these stresses than other evergreens, they just evolved where the winters aren’t so cold and dry.

So they need protection from the winter sun, and need protection from the winter wind. I have a very sheltered backyard with the house to the west and big trees pretty much all the rest around the perimeter. So my backyard is relatively low on wind, and I planted this Cedrus deodara on the north side of a large spruce which should protect it fully from the winter sun. I may also do a loose burlap wrap this winter to help it too. You might think that a plant that is marginally hardy in your area might do better with a southern exposure, and in most cases you would be correct, because it is warmer on a southern exposure, but for evergreens, especially Cedrus, the sun is more damaging than the cold.

If I have any problems with the tree in the future I will be sure to post an update, if anyone has any tips for growing one in z5, please leave a comment.

Now you Cedar, Now you Don’t

Administrator — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:11:21 +0000

I have a peeve, and thy name is Cedar. Or is it?

People are confused, I was confused, confusion abounds, what is a cedar? What isn’t? I’ve even seen articles, writing by some sweatshop overseas writing shops I’m sure, that are completely mishmashed confusing true cedars with fake ones. That is the quality you get I guess when you pay by the word at one of these generic article spam sites, and don’t give any bonuses for accuracy.

A Thuja, not a Cedar

A True Cedar

Anyways, what I mean to say, is that what you think is a cedar, probably isn’t. If it is native to North America, it isn’t a cedar, if it is growing in zone 5 or colder, it probably isn’t a cedar (though, there are a few exceptions).

True cedars have the genus cedrus and are native to North Africa, the Middle East, and regions around the Himalayas. If it isn’t a cedrus it isn’t a cedar.

Eastern Red Cedar

Eastern Red Cedar, the most common non-cedar cedar. Is what most people in North America think of when we think of the word cedar. This tree is native to most of the eastern US and Canada. It is evergreen, has blue berries (not cones) and scaly green leaves, not needles. The scientific name of Eastern Red Cedar is Juniperus virginiana for you see, it is a juniper, not a cedar.

However, if you want to be really confused. This is the tree that gives us the smelly and rot resistant “cedar” wood we all know and love, but again, it isn’t an actual cedar.

Western Red Cedar

Western Red Cedar also produces aromatic and rot resistant wood. It grows larger typically than the Eastern Red Cedar. It is a conifer, producing little cones as opposed to the berries found on the Easter Red Cedar. The scientific name of Western Red Cedar is Thuja plicata for you see, it is a thuja, not a cedar.

Western Red Cedar can also sometimes be called Arborvitae, which at least, is accurate if generic.

Northern White Cedar

Northern White Cedar is a tree which is again native to the Eastern parts of North America, it has cones, often starting yellowish before maturing, and scaly leaves again. It is, of course, not a cedar, but another thuja, Thuja occidentalis specifically. It is also often called Arborvitae. The lumber of Northern White Cedar is often used for log cabins and the like. It also has very many cultivars and is widely planted in landscapes.

So what is a cedar?

A cedar has to be in the genus Cedrus there are only a few types, worldwide: Cedrus atlantica or Atlas Cedar; Cedrus libani or Lebanon Cedar; Cedrus deodara or Himalayan Cedar. Others just aren’t true cedars. Additionally, most non-cedar cedars are the type of evergreen with scaly leaves, not needles. Cedars have needles. So an easy way to remember if it is a real cedar or just pretending, is if it has needles or not.

True cedars are very unique looking plants and make excellent specimens if they can grow where you live. They generally need mild winters (most can’t live in zone 5 or colder, there are a handful of exceptions) and shelter from drying winter sun. They certainly look nothing like the false ones most people think of.

Video: How to Build a Raised Island Bed with Retaining Wall Bricks

Administrator — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:12:08 +0000

I’m doing videos now, this is the first one I’ve posted (though the fourth I’ve filmed). Some notes.

1. Expect to spend around $5 a linear foot for a 2 brick above ground (3 rows total) retaining wall as in the video. This assumes $1.50 per brick.

2. Use high quality soil for back filling. I used composted cow manure, it is like $1-$2 a bag, not much more expensive than standard topsoil, but oh, so much better. You rarely get the opportunity to fertilize beneath plants, do it when you can. It all starts with soil. This isn’t poop, it isn’t smelly. It is cow manure that has been composted for a year or more. Its just some of the richest darkest earth you’ll find.

3. Raised beds rule! Sod busting sucks, critters eating plants suck, tilling sucks. With a raised bed you only need to cut up a little sod and can instead dump dirt in instead of tilling or tearing dirt out. Much much easier, much better for the plants. Raised beds also increase drainage, lift your plants off the ground and away from munching rodents (though, obviously, they can climb, so it isn’t foolproof protection. But… rodents also don’t like to sit on top of things exposed to owls and cats and the like). The buried course of bricks can also confound moles and gophers (yes!). If you want to really confound them lay a layer of hardware cloth (fence-like metal sheeting) at the bottom to prevent tunneling up into it. A raised bed also makes it easier to weed (less bending) and can even provide a little freeze protection since cold air sinks.

4. Stone raised beds are the most awesome, but the hardest to make and really really expensive. Wood raised beds are the cheapest and the easiest, but aren’t at all good looking. Retaining wall bricks I think are a good compromise of ease and affordability with attractiveness. By the way, one the size I made in the video is perfect for a dwarf fruit tree.

Full text construction directions to follow soon.

Carpet Phlox, a great groundcover

Administrator — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:31:29 +0000

When this blog started I really liked Ice Plant and it was my favorite groundcover. Not anymore. As much as I liked ice plant for it’s drought invulnerability and it’s nonstop all summer long flowers, it is only marginally hardy here and I had problems keeping it coming back.

I planted some carpet phlox way back then too though, and it is still going strong and spreading, and while it doesn’t flower all summer (Spring only) I still love it, and think it may be my favorite flowering ground cover.

It forms a nicely evergreen spreading mat of foliage that keeps weeds down and otherwise acts like a mulch for the soil. In spring, concurrent with tulips usually, it’ll be covered in blooms, absolutely covered. It also has a scent, and looks great cascading down walls.

I have three varieties, though I do not recall they’re specific names. One is pink, but it is sold as red. One is lavendar, but it is sold as blue, and the third is a candy-cane like white with red stripes.

The best performer for me as been the lavendar (aka blue). It grows the fastest, flowers nicely, and is very hardy and evergreen here in my mid-south Michigan zone 5 garden. Pink (aka red) has the same hardiness as the blue, but grows perhaps a little slower. The flowers are brighter though (you can’t out-bright hot pink).

The “candy cane” looking one is a poor performer. It is the least hardy, getting some die back here, it grows slower, and seems much more susceptible to drought than the other two (or, it needs more water) all told it has been a poor performer and I do not recommend it.

The other two I recommend fully.

Carpet phlox spreads like other ground covers by slowly creeping and having new roots get formed where it touches the ground. I also believe there is some seed based spreading going on as well. It seems to grow a foot or two in a year, depending on the variety and the health. Supposedly hardy to zone 3. I’ve seen some people pooh-pooh it because it doesn’t flower all summer, but the foliage is not unnattractive and the plant is largely carefree, no weeding, no seeding, no watering, no fertilizing. That has to be worth something. Sure, there are plenty of annual groundcovers that’ll bloom all summer, but those are annuals, and so much more work.

All told, next to some golden lysimachia, I think carpet phlox is my favorite ground cover. But then again, it is Spring, and it is really beautiful right now (everyone who walks by the yard turns their head). Maybe I’ll feel different in the fall.

Kudos to Stark Bros

Administrator — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:41:18 +0000

My first plant of the year has arrived, a ‘Goldcot’ Apricot Dwarf from Stark Bros, and I need to sing their praises.

I’ve talked up Stark Bros before, mentioning them as my favorite place to get fruit trees, but they beat themselves in quality this time. This dwarf apricot was around 4 feet tall, and nicely branched already. Considering it is a dwarf, that is a really nice size to get. The branching is important as well. Often you’ll get trees that aren’t much more than a trunk, and since fruit comes off tertiary branches that typically means three years of growth. With primary branches already perfectly in place (this is what I mean by nicely branched, Stark’s employees perfectly pruned the branches to create well spaced and angled primary scaffolds), it could fruit sooner. The yield won’t be large, but it’ll be something.

The tree also had really nice sized roots, and judging by the condition, it looks as if the tree had been dug and the soil washed off mere hours before delivery, obviously, thats not possible, but it looked so good I’m sure that almost no time passed between when they dug it at their nursery and when they had it sent out. This is important. Some places might dig weeks before sending, which can really hurt a plant (or kill it), so Stark’s seemingly super-quick time is a huge benefit.

If you need a specialty fruit tree, I highly recommend Stark’s as a place to shop.

Now, about the tree. Apricots are one fruit that really really benefits from allowing to ripen on the tree. They are picked, pretty immaturely, to be shipped to supermarkets because once ripe they have very little shelf life. By growing your own you can let them ripen and get a much superior fruit (actually, most fruit benefits from this IMO). I picked a dwarf variety because I didn’t want a big tree, I picked the ‘Goldcot’ one because it was bred here in Michigan so I knew it could take the winter. I also got the tree for my wife (yes, by the way, I am a man, I saw myself quoted on another blog today and I was referred to as “she”), I think apricots are alright, but she really loves them, and I’m a good husband, so I bought her a tree.

I also turned the process of planting into a how-to tutorial: How to Plant a Bareroot Tree.

Japanese Irises are Better than Bearded Irises

Administrator — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:09:42 +0000

There can be no discussion, the Japanese iris is superior, in fact, I think I hate bearded irises now, and they used to be my favorite flower.

Bearded Irises, Falling Down on the Job

So, seriously, what kind of slob falls down on the job? The bearded iris, thats who! These beautiful flowers used to be my favorite flower when I was a novice gardener, they were big, interesting, flowers, and I liked big, interesting, flowers. But when I became more experienced and discriminating I realized all the shortcomings these plants have.

The tall bearded irises that are so popular cannot stand up to wind or rain, their scapes cannot support their flowers and any outward pressure will permanently damage the plant to the point where the flowers will adorn the ground.

They also don’t have the longest bloom time, big flowers are nice, but they could stick around longer. They also are finicky bloomers, sometimes they can just quit blooming until you divide them.

They also have ugly as sin foliage. Seriously, tall bearded irises have some of the most ugly foliage of any garden perennial. They look find when young, but as they age (where most plants improve) they get ugly. Big bald spots in the middle of a clump, so ugly. Yes, you dig and divide and try to give away the extras to family and friends who run in horror from yet-another-iris. This doesn’t excuse the fact that an iris put in the ground merely 3 years ago is going to be ugly this year.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the foliage is a nice bluish color, but it is just too sparse.

Japanese Irises, Fixin’ Whats Broken

Now lets compare with the Japanese irises. They have very tall (3-4 foot) clumping foliage that stays in a clump, looking like gladiolus, a bigger siberian iris, or a daylily on steroids. The foliage is attractive, and works really well at the back of a border. Additionally, there are variegated varieties.

The flowers of a Japanese iris are big, perhaps bigger than a tall bearded iris, they don’t really have much in the way of standards, but they have huge falls, they also in my experience last a little longer. Finally, they bloom later, around the same time as lilies, which is great. Lilies lack a strong purple color, and irises have that in loads. They’re of a height with lilies as well. So you can plant some purple Japanese irises next to some red lilies and have a really nice combination.

Did I mention they’re sturdy? Perhaps it is the clumping action that adds stability, but I’ve never had one fall over.

There isn’t as much variety available in the Japanese iris, but perhaps that is because they’re not as common, as people request them more, which they should, more varieties may be introduced.

In anycase, I can’t see a situation in the future where I would put a new bearded iris in my garden, and in fact will probably tear out more of the ones that are there currently. In contrast, I fully intend to plant more Japanese irises.

Garden for Dollars, Grow Asparagus

Administrator — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:55:03 +0000

One of my favorite things about gardening is that you’re making free food. Well, not exactly free is it? Anymore than anything is free. You spend the time, you buy the gardening supplies, fertilizer, etc. Many people probably do garden at a loss, I’m sure I do, but I enjoy it, so there is that.

There are plants you can grow, which, I think give you more bang for your buck than other plants.

For instance, in choosing a shade tree for your yard, you could plant an oak tree, or you could plant a walnut tree. Both drop nuts, but Walnuts are much more palatable to humans (though, you can eat Acorns in a pinch). Nuts are very expensive at the store, and having your own supply can save you big bucks. You’ll have to shell your own of course, but in the shell nuts keep for longer AND all those empty shells are compost fodder.

For a Spring followering tree you could plant a redbud, or other ornamental, or an apple or pear tree. Both give you flowers, and relatively small size (dwarf and semidwarf varieties are readily available), but the apple or pear tree give you fresh fruit as well. My pear tree planted in 2004 was bought for $20 at Lowes, and came about 6 feet tall, it is now around 20 feet tall and produced last year (it’s fourth year in my yard for those keeping track) around 40 super sweet ripe awesome pears. Big round fresh fruit can be as much as a few dollars per pound at the store. I’m not even talking organic fruit or stuff at Wholefoods or places like that. I shop at a regular old supermarket, and their apples can get as high as $2 each. $80 in production from this still very young tree is pretty good. You also get a higher quality product because fruit left to ripen on the tree does not ship very well, and in fact should be eaten within a day, but man oh man, it is so sweet and juicy.

I’ve also talked on this blog before about raspberries, my favorite edible for saving money, but I’ll admit it isn’t the most attractive plant, so perhaps not a good substitution as the others above were.

This blog post though, is about asparagus. Asparagus is relatively unique among veggies in that it is a perennial, not an annual. Now, from the standpoint of saving money, perennials are a bargain. You buy them once (or start them from seed once) instead of once per year. Additionally, because perennials establish root systems that go deeper and further than annuals, they need less water and less fertilizer. So the savings come all around.

Asparagus is also one of those plants that taste better when eaten fresh, after picking sugars in the plant start converting to starch, so the sooner after picking you eat it the better. And of course it is also fairly expensive in the store, so you’re getting more buck for your acre.

Asparagus I also find is fairly ornamental. The foliage becomes tall and airy, not unlike an ornamental grass, it also clumps somewhat, so I think it could be used the same way as an ornamental grass in an ornamental garden. Additionally it has some fern like qualities as well, but of course for full sun. See the picture with this post of some growing in a field.

The only downside with asparagus is that while you can plant it once and eat for decades, it can take a year for your first harvest. Depending on the size of the roots (and asparagus is sold bareroot) you will probably need to let it just grow the first year without harvesting (though, if some big mamajama spears poke up, feel free to eat them). See, harvesting stresses the plant and you want it to get nicely established in year one, in subsequent years if after harvesting you notice it start putting up weaker and thinner spears (pencil size or smaller) stop harvesting for the year. So generally, you harvest asparagus for a few weeks to two months in the Spring, and then let the plants mature and rebuild for the rest of the year until the following Spring.

I’ve grown asparagus for a few years now, but I am doubling my capacity this Spring because I’ve had good success with asparagus here and after trying other veggies in a certain spot I decided to just go with asparagus there as well. I shopped around and the best deal I found was at Park Seed (direct link to the product on their site). They have 40 plants for $29.95. That is pretty good. Also, both varieties are good (I grow them both). If you do not get this set, when shopping for asparagus male plants are priced at a premium, not because they taste better or grow better, but because the females can go to seed and then you’ll have volunteers all over your garden, which might not be your cup of tea.

To plant asparagus plant them deep, like you would a bulb, spread their roots out in a cone, like you would a daylily, and cover with enriched soil and fluffy mulch.

To cook asparagus, my favorite way is to boil for 3 minutes (exactly, cooking it too long is a bad idea), drain, and then transfer to a hot skillet with a little olive oil (or butter) in it, add the asparagus, squeeze in some lemon juice, toss in some lemon zest, and a little garlic, and saute for a minute or so.

Endless Summer Hydrangea Diary

Administrator — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:34:44 +0000

I love my Endless Summer Hydrangeas, I’ve blogged about them before (See related posts below) and I’ve got… about 10 of them I guess. I’ve also given them as gifts.

I love the big bright blue, pink, and purple flowers of big mophead hydrangeas, they really brighten up shady spots, they’re some of my favorites. But here in zone 5, most varieties just do not bloom. They can’t make it through the winter and then don’t have any blooms on current year’s growth.

Endless Summer is different it can make it through the winter, and does bloom on both new and old wood. Excellent, I love it. Yet, some people do not. After reading posts such as this one I thought that I should do a diary to show just how well mine perform.

So I took pictures, every week or two, all year. Now, let me start out by saying, we had a very cold spring and some late frosts, so it got off to a slower start this year.

May 1st, the first picture. Later than normal with the cold weather.

May 12th, growing good.

May 26th, getting bigger, you can see the first of the flower buds.

June 1st, freak late frost, pushing things back again, flowers will be later this year.

June 17th, the smaller ones on the left are just about blooming, the bigger ones on the right still building on greenery.

June 22nd, the first bloom, pink, on the far left.

June 30th, now some blue blooms on the left, and the big one is about to bloom.

July 6, big one is blooming.

July 22nd, very bloomy.

August 17th, older blooms are fading, new wave starting (this year’s wood).

Sept 17th, notice the old blooms turning a dark red – this adds additional interest that I really like.

Oct 15th, still blooming, and check out the deep red spent blossoms.

Then it was killed last night, Oct 24th, in a hard freeze.

So, we had blooms from June 22nd to Oct 24th and this was a very late starting year. Usually it’ll be blooming by early June. I really like how even the old flowers still look like flowers because they redden. Some of my blossoms were blue, some pink. My soil naturally produces pink blooms but I try to change them every once in awhile (with obviously mixed results).

I do protect these during winter. I put a fence around them, like a coil, and then loose fill it with leaves, as much for the rabbits as the cold.

So there you go, big blooms for four months. I like it. I recommend it. To view all the pictures I took of it this year go here.

One Massive Sunflower

Administrator — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:10:15 +0000

On a whim I saw this packet of seeds at the store for “Massive” sunflowers and bought them. I put them in various spots in my landscape, here and there, and boy, are they massive.

The leaves are absolutely huge, the stalk is atleast 3 inches in diameter, and the flowers are massive as well. The one pictures is now 18 inches across and thick with seed, I kid you not. Huge flowers.

They also grew to about 10 feet tall, as shown by the other one in the picture below. I’ll try harvesting the seeds from them, but mostly I grew them as a curiousity and for a bit of height, and I am pleased. I’ll probably get more next year.

Turning a Garden Bed Down for Winter