“Red Pygmy” Japanese Maple

“Red Pygmy” Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum “Red Pygmy”)

I planted this tree as a small sapling no more than 3 feet tall in December of 2009.  I’ve been amazed at its continued good growth in its 9 growing seasons since then.  These days it puts on over a foot of growth all over itself each year, and it’s getting to be quite big for a “small” maple.  I think it likes the deep rich peaty soils we have here.  Its thin, lacy leaves open as a deep burgundy and gradually fade to this lighter shade of reddish green you see here.  In the fall it’s a blaze of bright yellow-orange you can see from across the yard.

If you look closely you may be able to see the winged samaras – the seeds it’s putting on now.  If I’m lucky I may have some little seedlings to grow next year!  It’s been given the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.  I have several other plants in the garden that have received this designation.  No big deal really, but it means authorities across the world, or at least in England, think it’s a cool plant.  So do I…  🙂

This is one of my real success stories here in the garden.  It’s just grown so well.  At one point it had lost a large portion of its bark on one side, for no apparent reason.  I was worried about it so I asked the nursery, but they had no idea what was wrong.  So I’ve just kept it clean and well watered and it’s been healing nicely ever since, tho there’s still a small area without bark.  It seems to be doing fine.  Projections are for this tree to grow 8 – 10′ x 6 – 8′ in 10 years, and it’s about 8′ tall and wide now so that seems about right.  I think it’ll get a bit bigger from now on…  Not bad for a little sapling!

Hope you’re having a great Summer!

Steve

Chamaecyparis obtusa

11/15/08

10/16/10

6/24/11

11/24/12

7/11/13

7/29/15

8/27/16

2/11/17

6/16/18

 

There are literally hundreds of cultivars of this tree, the Hinoki false cypress, but this is the original species from which all the others come.  It’s supposed to be a slow growing tree, but in looking at these pictures it seems to me it’s grown moderately fast.  Not like the ones that grow 3′ a year of course, but well over a foot, maybe a foot and 1/2 per year. That’s not bad.  It’s one of the first trees I planted in this garden, before I actually moved in to live with Louie.  I’m very pleased with how it’s grown.  It’s almost up to the roof line now, and it’s going to get bigger.

Projections for heights of this tree are difficult to ascertain because there are so many different opinions, but it probably will get to around 40′ tall and 15-20 feet wide here in our garden, in 20 or 25 more years that is.  The ones in the wild grow well over 100′ tall, with a trunk of over 3′ in diameter.  It has beautiful reddish brown bark that you can see in the next to last of these photos.  Its specific name is “obtusa” because the ends of the scale like leaves are blunt tipped (obtuse) which you can easily see when you look closely at them, especially on some of the cultivars.

It’s called the Fire Tree in Japan, where it’s native.  Its lemony scented, light brown wood is used to build temples, palaces, shrines and even table tennis blades!  It, along with Sugi (Cryptomeria), is a major cause of hay fever in Japan.  It’s routinely planted in parks and gardens there and elsewhere in temperate climates, including the US and Europe, though the cultivars are planted far more often than this species tree.  In fact I’ve seen very few of this one, tho I’ve seen dozens of the cultivars and have several here in our garden.  The cultivars, and even the species tree, are often chosen for Bonsai, and some beautiful specimens exist that are hundreds of years old.  I’m very fond of all of them that I’ve seen.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit about the tree that all the little ones come from,

Steve

 

4 Very Dwarf Conifers

Cryptomeria japonica “Ryokogu Coyokyu”

Cryptomeria japonica “Tansu”

Cryptomeria japonica “Pygmaea”

Chamaecyparis obtusa “Nana”

 

I have many dwarf conifers, but these are the smallest. None of these will get over 12-18″ tall and wide. They’re all getting to be near that size now and it’s taken them years to get this big. There are dwarf conifers smaller than these here, not by too much. I’m especially fond of little things in the garden. You have to really look for them to appreciate them. They don’t jump out at you like the bigger forms do.  The Cryptomerias I’ve shown you are but a small fraction of the many cultivars of this tree available, and some of the smallest selections, so far as I know, tho it’s not an exhaustive sampling by any means. These are just what I happen to have. The Chamaecyparis is a Hinoki and it’s supposed to be the smallest form around, but I doubt it. There are literary hundreds of cultivars of them as well as the Cryptomerias so I’m sure there are littler ones too. Both of these trees are revered in Japan  – Cryptomeria is the national tree and Hinoki is used to build temples. I’m so glad to have these little gems to provide a pixie’s eye view of the garden. It’s a small world after all…

Stop and look at the little things in your world – you’ll be delighted at what you see!

Steve

Kelly’s Prostrate Coast Redwood

This little treasure is a dwarf form of the tallest tree in the world – the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens “Kelly’s Prostrate”).  They grow along the coast of northern California and a ways up into Oregon.  They can grow up to 380 feet tall and live for 1,200 to 1,800 years or more.  This dwarf cultivar is only 2′ tall and measures about 8′ long and 7′ wide.  I bought it in a 10 gallon pot and it was 3-4′ across then, but only 8″ tall. That was in June, 2010 so it’s been in the garden for exactly 8 years, and My how it has grown!  It loves the moist peaty soils we have here, and I spray it often because the leaves are used to getting much of their moisture from fog in their native habitats.  I paid more for it than any other plant I’ve ever purchased –  over $200!!  And, yes, I am a bit crazy, at least for this plant! 🙂

I’ve loved redwoods since I was a kid and we don’t have the room for the huge species so this is the perfect choice for us.  It’s covered with fresh new growth right now and looks incredibly attractive.  It even smells like redwoods!  We’ve had friends think it was a giant fern because of its soft aspect.  It’s one of several unusual dwarf conifers we have in our little Nature Sanctuary.  But this one is the prize for me.  I hope you find it as beautiful as I do.

Save the Redwoods!

Steve