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monkeytreeboy15

Winter Color Photo Gallery

monkeytreeboy15
12 years ago

Winter may seem drab to vegetable gardeners, but to conifer fanatics, it is when conifers show off the most!

Share some of your favorite conifers in the winter!

Here's a few of mine to get the thread started:

Pinus mugo 'Carstens' (note the correct nomenclature, Edwin) ;-)

{{gwi:651791}}

Pinus mugo 'Amber Gold' (has a more orange color than 'Carstens' in my opinion)

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Tsuga canadensis 'Moonfrost' (The white variegation from last year's growth turns a fabulous pink color!)

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Abies nebrodensis 'Sicilian Gold' (The gold seems more prominent in the winter.)

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And a non-conifer with fantastic winter bark striations:

Acer x conspicuum 'Phoenix' (A. davidii 'George Forrest' x A. pensylvanicum 'Erythrocladum')

{{gwi:651807}}

Please share some of your own; it will be an awesome thread!

-Sam

Comments (37)

  • Sara Malone Zone 9b
    12 years ago

    Great photos! We agree - if you have conifers you never have to have a dull winter day. I still haven't gotten the hang of posting photos on here but I will work on it. In the meantime, we just posted a bunch to our blog - see link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Form and Foliage

  • gardener365
    12 years ago

    Wow formandfoliage, tremendous.

    Right on Sam.

    Best Regards,

    Dax

  • Cher
    12 years ago

    Fabulous photos Sam. The JM is wonderful also. That color is something else.
    Cher

  • ladylotus
    12 years ago

    Sam, great color in your Carstens and Amber Gold. I would have though that Sicilian Gold would show more prominent gold, but it is lovely as well.

    I think most gardens would not have recognized that beautiful pink in Moonfrost. Nice job capturing the lovely pink.

    I'm sorry I don't have any conifers that are showing nice winter color other than my Pinus strobis 'Louie' and I've shown that picture too many times already. LOL But I love the photo idea and hope that more people will share their conifers with winter wear.

    F&F beautiful fall coloring. You've done a beautiful job with your gardens. Thank you for sharing.

  • Sara Malone Zone 9b
    12 years ago

    Here is some gold foliage to light up a winter day!
    {{gwi:651809}}

    {{gwi:651811}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: Form and Foliage

  • PRO
    David Olszyk, President, American Conifer Society
    12 years ago

    It's not possible to have a Winter color show without the biggest start of them all: Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph'
    {{gwi:651813}}

    One of my favorite combinations in the winter is this duo of Cryptomeria japonica, 'Elegans' and 'Elegans Aurea' side by side and from two different angles. The sun this morning made the effect even better
    {{gwi:651816}}

    {{gwi:651818}}

    ~Dave

  • gardener365
    12 years ago

    Picea omorika 'Aurea'
    {{gwi:651820}}

    Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Pine Grove Gold'
    {{gwi:651822}}

    Pinus contorta var. latifolia 'Chief Joseph'
    {{gwi:651824}}

    Pinus parviflora 'Tenysu-kazu'
    {{gwi:651826}}

    Picea omorika 'Peve Tijn'
    {{gwi:651828}}

    Pinus mugo 'Jalubi'
    {{gwi:651830}}

    Dax

  • botann
    12 years ago

    Cryptomeria japonica, 'Sekkan'.

    Trashed from the ice storm we had. I got hit pretty bad.
    Mike

    {{gwi:651832}}

    This picture was taken Dec. 16th, way before the ice storm.
    {{gwi:651834}}

  • sluice
    12 years ago

    Nice! I like the 'Jalubi'

    Pinus thunbergii 'Ogon'
    {{gwi:651835}}

    Pinus mugo 'Schweizer Tourist'
    {{gwi:651836}}

    Pinus mugo 'Golden Glow'
    {{gwi:651837}}

  • monkeytreeboy15
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Great pictures, everyone! I see a nice variety of pines here. Excellent contrast between your two Cryptomeria, Dave.

    Ah, yes, we must not forget about 'Chief Joseph'!
    {{gwi:651838}}

    Pinus sylvestris 'Gold Coin' has a nice winter golden color as well
    {{gwi:651840}}
    {{gwi:651842}}

    Keep 'em coming!

    -Sam

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    12 years ago

    Mike, so sorry to see your 'Sekkan' busted up like that.

    I think the best color 'round here is seen in my Cryptomerias.

    'Tansu,' 'Black Dragon,' 'Sekkan' -

    {{gwi:23518}}


    {{gwi:23526}}


    {{gwi:651845}}



    Josh

  • clement_2006
    12 years ago

    {{gwi:651847}}
    Calocedrus decurrens "Berrima Gold"

    Clement

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    12 years ago

    That's beautiful, Clement.
    fantastic color on the trunk, too.

    Josh

  • Sara Malone Zone 9b
    12 years ago

    Oh! That Calocedrus is stunning!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Form and Foliage

  • cryptomeria
    12 years ago

    Thanks for all these fantastic wintercolour pics.

    Berrima Gold is a real juwel. I hope I can plant one this year.

    Wolfgang

  • severnside
    12 years ago

    Pinus mugo 'Wintergold' about as gold as it's ever got, not a glower.

    {{gwi:651849}}

  • severnside
    12 years ago

    Pinus mugo 'Carstens' diminuative new growth but colour good.
    {{gwi:651851}}

  • severnside
    12 years ago

    Baby Joe

    Pinus contorta var.latifolia 'Chief Joseph'
    {{gwi:651854}}

  • botann
    12 years ago

    I thought I would add this one.....
    Mike

    {{gwi:53899}}

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    12 years ago

    I thank you for adding that one, Mike!
    Good grief...glory of heaven and earth....


    Josh

  • monkeytreeboy15
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Awesome picture, Mike. Is that a sunrise or a sunset?

    A couple purplish ones:
    Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Ericoides'
    {{gwi:651856}}

    Microbiota decussata
    {{gwi:651859}}

    Also, Pinus densiflora 'Oculus Draconis' shows more prominent variegation this time of year.
    {{gwi:651861}}
    Thanks for posting your awesome pictures: Keep them coming!

    -Sam

  • botann
    12 years ago

    Sunrise, Sam.
    Here's another taken about the same time, different view.
    That's smoke on the upper right. I just put a log on the fire in the cabin.
    Mike
    {{gwi:651863}}

  • cryptomeria
    12 years ago

    Great pics from your wonderful garden,Mike !

    In all parts - I have seen - I like your garden very much.

    Like in wild nature.

    Wolfgang

  • ladylotus
    12 years ago

    Nice photos everyone.

    Mike - do you have koi in that pond?

  • deltaohioz5
    12 years ago

    Awesome picture Mike.

    Frank

  • botann
    12 years ago

    No Koi Ladylotus. I buy feeder goldfish in the Spring. For $20 I get 200. When the pond gets low in the late summer I watch the Herons and Kingfishers catch them. Can't afford to buy Koi so I can see them being eaten. Some Goldfish don't get eaten the first year and they can get pretty big and make good eating for the birds the following summer.
    Once in awhile a friend will bring over a trout or two and release them. Sometimes a Perch or Sunfish. Once he brought me some Catfish. They lasted for years.
    In the 80's a friend stored his bulldozer here and said I could use it as much as I wanted as long as I kept it full of fluids. Diesel, oil, and grease. I went crazy and dug three large ponds and five small ones. I uprooted and burned a lot of stumps too. I was a big kid with a big Tonka toy. It was a fun time.
    Mike

  • clement_2006
    12 years ago

    {{gwi:651865}}
    Pinus sylvestris "Gold Coin" the best year.

    {{gwi:651867}}
    Pinus srobus "Hillside Wintergold"
    Not very fantastic (here ?)

    Clement

  • whaas_5a
    12 years ago

    Gold versions of Pinus strobus are somewhat strange to me. They appear to be selections of the most chlorotic specimenes out there.

    I have a Pinus storbus 'Wintergold' that just looks...chlorotic...I see no gold! What a cheat!

  • fotisr
    12 years ago

    I believe white counts as winter color...?

    {{gwi:651869}}

    {{gwi:651871}}

    {{gwi:651873}}

    {{gwi:651875}}

    {{gwi:651877}}

    Oh and Pinus mugo 'Wintergold' for some other than white color...

    {{gwi:651880}}

    As from this morning we had more than 50cm of snow (almost 2 feet) and it was just enough to bend down the branches of Cedrus libani... unfortunately no image of that... Here he is with almost one foot of snow yesterday.

    {{gwi:651883}}

    Best regards,
    Fotis

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    12 years ago

    Fantastic, Fotis!

    Josh

  • Sara Malone Zone 9b
    12 years ago

    Love the yellow peeking through the snow! Really beautiful.

  • botann
    12 years ago

    Here's a picture I took of some of the conifers in my garden back in Oct 2005.

    {{gwi:651886}}
    Mike

  • botann
    12 years ago

    Fotis, somehow I just never associated Greece with snow.
    Nice pictures.
    I hope the snow didn't damage your trees.
    Mike

  • monkeytreeboy15
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Excellent pictures!

    Fotis, I especially like that small, yellow conifer to the left in your third picture.
    Would you happen to know what it is?
    It really lights up underneath the snow!
    Thanks.

    -Sam

  • fotisr
    12 years ago

    Thank you Mike. Indeed it is hard to imagine Greece with snowfalls but we do get some. Extensive snowfall this year up to 5-6 feet in some nothern regions with higher elevations. For me, at 2800 feet altitude, 2 feet is a lot of snow, but I recall my grandparents telling me stories of 5-6 feet in the old days. Maybe true, I don't know. But it's strange seeing a lot of US gardens, even in zones down to 5, not completely covered in snow this time of year (Ken's for example), or do I see autumn images uploaded instead of fresh images?

    Sam, this is just a usual Cupressus macrocarpa 'Goldcrest' planted last, late winter and never irrigated. Just 5-6 waterings through july and August. I guess the combination of full sun, low temps (around -8C during night) and dry conditions through spring-summer brought up nice coloring. It is quite bright yellow-white all year round for me.

    Best regards,
    Fotis

  • whaas_5a
    12 years ago

    Fotis, you are right the snow just isn't falling this year for "most" of the US.

    The most I've seen on the ground at one point was only a few inches that quickly melted. The only good news is that the temperatures have been quite mild too...although that is bad news for some.

    Stellar pics by the way!

  • monkeytreeboy15
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Only a few more weeks of winter left..

    Abies nordmanniana 'Golden Spreader'
    {{gwi:651889}}

    -Sam