Sciadopitys verticillata

Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'

Cryptomeria japonica 'Black Dragon'

Don't think I've ever seen a 'Jervis' upright like that. Foliage looks right but the habit seems wrong, more like a 'Lewis' or something.

Thanks for the pix.

tj

Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Viridis'

Larix kaempferi 'Pendula' at a McDonalds =^)

tj, your probably right about it being 'Lewis'. They weren't labeled. I was just using my best guess.

It is known as the garden state!

Not that there aren't knowledgeable horticulturalists and worthwhile arboreta elsewhere in the country; but the northeast corridor from DC to Boston was the country's hotbed of cutting edge horticulture before it transferred to the west coast in the early & mid 20th century. The is evidenced by, among other things, the # of rare cultivars or species whose record specimen is somewhere in the northeast and are documented in Jacobson's exhaustively researched Landscape Trees of North America. I'd guess about 1/4 of the non-subtropical record holders are somewhere in the Philadelphia area; that doesn't just mean rare trees grow taller in Philly, it means they were first planted in Philly. And that institutional memory trickles down when you have landscape architects who are either train at or at least exposed to places like Longwood or the now defunct Princeton Nurseries. The notion being rare=desirable which many of us take for granted here but is not the norm in commercial landscape architecture. I was just thinking along these lines as I was in Hackettstown, NJ a couple days ago and saw some cryptomerias at a downtown church that were the brownest cryptos I've ever seen. As brown as a 1970s shag carpet! But, they will green up in spring, and someone knows they are "rare" so keeping them is a nod to the gardenesque style.

I always thought New Jersey was called 'The Garden State' because of all the truck gardens serving New York City. Not to take anything away from the ornamental side.
Mike

You are correct Mike and I was aware of that. I was being sarcastic!

I'm a little slow at times. At least that's what my wife keeps telling me.
"You never listen", is another one.
Yes, dear". I've been saying that to her for 40 years.
Mike

Swarthmore College near Philly also has old, wonderful plantings. Biggest N catalpa & American elm I've seen for ex.

ya know ... they are everywhere ...

but we know you got it big time.. fully enabled.. when you start noticing them everywhere ... lol ...

it will be interesting to see what the micky D's grass cutters do to that larix... to open the sign better ... lol

i recall once.. driving thru one time.. watching them use hedge shears on a blue pungens ... i was horrified ... and didnt even know proper pruning back them ... perfect little 4 foot mushrooms ... at just about every MD's in MI ...

when i started dabbling in mail order.. probably late 80's or so.. all my orders went east ... wayside ... and that place that did azalea/shrubs ... am blanking now .. OF COURSE ... family name out of NJ i think ... [i can see the handscripted name.. but none of the letters...] .. i am sure it will come to me.. AFTER i hit send ...

ken

crikey

i flip to the hosta forum.. first post i open.. shows a national convention in Roslyn NY ...

ipso presto.. i ordered from roslyn nuresery ...

ken

"Maintenance shearing" (PlantAmnesty) has taken over here, at least in commercial landscapes. The way I look at it, why just come back to mow the lawn over and over when you can also be mowing the trees and shrubs as well? Sometimes the perennials and grasses (in particular) get mowed too.

The company servicing the private landscape across the street from me is mowing their trees and shrubs also. I've discussed it with one of the homeowners and she has related that she actually doesn't like it! I see the company's truck(s) over there more than one time per week.

Another activity area where unintelligent approaches are dominating. Many maintenance operators here don't maintain, as in keeping the plantings attractive and healthy with mulching, effective fertilization and irrigation, they attack them with scorched earth policy raking and blowing - and topping and shearing.

Bboy, don't forget the indiscriminate broadcasting of Casaron on top of the mulch where it gets tracked all over, including the lawn. People, pets and bikes spread it all over. The Casoron burns the lower part of existing plants when it's not covered.
That's a true scorched earth scenario!
Mike