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| Hello all!
We just purchased three. One is a tree. One is a bush...with yellow tips...and the last is an ornamental tree/bush (basically looks like the bush but with a short and small trunk). I live in zone 5. We live on almost 100% sand. I'm planting each of the three in mostly sunny but protected spots. None of them receive all day sun...but I would think an ample amount...over 1/2 the day. We haven't planted them yet. I have some peat and top soil from some previous plantings that I assume I should enrich our 'soil'(sand!) with.. Thanks for any tips! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 27, 12 at 15:12
| conifers are trees.. and they both LOVE SAND .. do NOT amend ... please review the link.. and then we can talk about how rootbound the roots are in the pots.. and what you will need to do with them... i would be thinking about holding them in the pots.. for a week or three ... insure the black pots are NOT in sun.. the plant itself is OK... and i would shoot for as much sun as you can get.. but for the hottest part of the day.. say 2 to 6 pm ... otherwise.. they are very forgivable ... and also think about winter wind.. and winter sun.. in regard to placement .... i ran thru about a dozen of them.. before i got 4 nice ones to thrive.. hope we can do better for you ... but i didnt know then.. what i know now ... ken ps: and for the rest of you.. in my z5.. its been 90 plus for a week.. and night have not been cool.. hence the suggestion to hold on for a week or two ... |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
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| I have some planted down here in full sun. They seem reasonably hardy and have a ragged somewhat open conical shape. They will establish down here, but must have additional water for 2-3 yrs to get there. There are apparently many cultivars with somewhat different growth characteristics. ken should be able to help you with growing them way up there! Good luck. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 10:25
| i was never able to figure out.. what killed them.. transplant.. winter.. summer.. etc ... and back then.. learning curve .. lol .. ken |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 15:54
| conifers are trees Some conifers are trees: others are shrubs ('bushes'), some are groundcovers :-) Hinokis dislike drying out at all.....I would think a predominately sandy soil not at all to their liking. They are perfectly happy in clay here. While the consensus is to NOT amend planting holes, sometimes that is simply not a great practice and specifically when it comes to sandy soils. Hinokis prefer an acidic and pretty rich soil, freely draining yet able to retain moisture. I'd amend your planting area (not just the planting hole - as large an area as possible) with whatever organic matter you have at hand - compost is ideal. And sandy soil "eats" organic matter.....you will need to replace on an annual basis but as a mulch or topdressing. Hinokis are also quite shade tolerant - 1/2 day sun is fine and in a hot, dry climate, often advisable. And with lots of water during the summer months. |
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- Posted by tsugajunkie z5 SE WI (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 16:00
| I'm in zone 5 and they do fine with 6 hours of sun, some smaller cultivars look fine in as little as 4 hours of sun. As mentioned, do not amend the soil. tj |
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| Wow, super helpful. I'm so excited about these additions to our landscape. It was an investment...so I hope to treat them correctly! So, most of you think sandy soil is ideal and to not amend (which means add much to the soil, right?). Forgive my ignorance...I had to look up what amending soil meant! Interesting, gardengal, that your experience has been the opposite. I read somewhere that adding Epsom salt (just a little) from spring to fall is great to do...adds magnesium to the soil...which they love? Anyway...I like the idea, Ken, to hold off a bit on planting...it has been sooo hot here. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 18:50
| Sandy soils offer very fast drainage, which these plants like. However, sandy soils lack moisture retention and tend to be nutrient poor. And these are conditions NOT preferred by Hinokis. And while I agree that amending individual planting holes is no longer an appropriate practice (in general), sometimes amending the soil over a larger area is very much appropriate. If the plant is simply not going to thrive under existing conditions and you won't or can't do anything to alter those conditions, then pick another plant! Read the link.....it will explain the conditions these trees like. And unless you have a magnesium deficiency - unusual outside of heavily cropped farmlands - skip the Epsom salts. It does nothing. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hinoki cypress in the midwest
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| We have the trees living down here in alkaline soil conditions and apparently doing ok. I would recommend backfilling with only what came out of the hole. The only addition would be to add a light layer of compost on top of the backfill and then cover with the layer of mulch. The idea here would be to mimic what happens in the forest under idea conditions. (my 2 c) |
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| Garden gal, thanks for the link...interesting. Scotjute...thanks for sharing your insight as well! I'll provide a link to the design forum where I've posted a picture of the front of our house. Scroll down to the first picture and imagine the landscaping bare if u can! I asked the question as to whether I should have gone with all three cypress being conical vs. going with two cypress shrubs ( 1 for the laundry area and 1 for the far right) and finally one conical shaped tree to the left by the garage. Any thoughts? I originally figured the height was needed by the garage...and the far right couldn't quite get away with an entire tree since it isn't quite as big of an area. But, those hinokis are skinny! Fill me in if you have an opinion. I might not get much more action in the design forum... |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hinoki trees or shrubs
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| Pardon me...the first picture shows the far right...the other two show the rest of the house. Hopefully that makes sense. Basically I'm trying to figure out shape for the left garage, center laundry and far right by the pillar. |
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| I have to know where you live to give any relevant advice. My garden is full of Hinokis. Click on the pictures to see more. Gardengal is right on....as always. ;-) Mike 
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| Mike, how gorgeous! Seriously! I hope we have great luck with ours...they r so pretty...! I loooove evergreens. What zone are you in? I planted one yesterday...the small one. I added peat and top soil. I'm a novice when it comes to planting...for a girl without big muscles I think I did pretty well;) I called the nursery a few times with some questions and they were super helpful. My fernspray gold has some sun scorch on the top. The guy I spoke to said to gently run my hands over the branch and the dead/damaged will fall off and the needles will regenerate just fine. Otherwise...all three tree look pretty hearty and healthy! |
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