The best I have seen for variety is Katsura Gardens - Plymouth, MA. The owner John is very knowledgeable and will walk the grounds with you if it's not too busy discussing conifers in depth. Unfortunately, the labeling of his plants leaves something to be desired. Even for a seasoned conifer collector, it can be very difficult to ID plants without labels. Lots of really nice mature specimens on site too.

Weston Nurseries - 2 MA Locations Pretty nice selection of unique conifers, but I only go there for viewing, their prices as insane.

Broken Arrow - CT. Probably right in the middle of the other two. Prices are on the high side, but their labeling is superb and the grounds are easy to navigate. It's 2+hrs for me, but well worth the trip. I picked up a conifer and japanese maple there this fall.

you should widen your request.. to include nearby arboretums.... in that seeing such... allows you to mail order ... like most of us do ... with mail order.. there are no limitations on whats available .... though i fully understand the good it can do.. to actually talk with a seller .....

welcome to GW conifers .... we need some new blood.. prepare to be enabled ... lol ...

so lets also give him some info on arb.s in his requisite area ...

ken

ps: the best thing about such.. is that you can see.. what grows in your area ... as compared to just comparing zones ... as z5 is so diverse ... in that just that number can mean little or nothing.. as to reality ...... to be more specific.. i can grow a whole host of things in my z5 MI ... that dave can not grow in his z5 KCity .... because of humidity.. night humidity ... go figure on that ... that darn little river nearby.. lol ...

call ahead an make an appointment ... if you really want to talk to someone ....

and never forget... conifers can be looked at .. all winter ... and a lot of these peeps get very lonely in winter.. lol ...

and third??? .... you can always TAG stock.. for purchase in spring .... should you be shopping in winter ...

you got rocks.. eh?? ... lol... [rock farmer is on your members page]

ken

hey, thanks for the tips! I haven't posted much but have been reading the forum off and on for a long time. I've been gardening my patch of ROCKY (thus the rock farmer comment lol) southern Maine coast for 20+ years and have probably one of everything that's very common in my mixed borders of perennials/shrubs/conifers. I garden with a pickax, if that tells you anything. But I really wanted to up the ante on my small evergreen patches and get some nice minis or dwarves that are not quite as common.

good point on the arboretums, and I love those. it seems like unless I go to a Japanese garden specifically, the specimens are all so big! I wanted to focus on smaller plants. Still love looking at those beautiful big majestic giants, though!

right now, specifically, I wanted to see (then hopefully buy) something small (~2-3 ft), yellow, and upright - either pyramid, globe, or columnar for a spot between a bobo hydrangea (small, white blooming) and my blue forest juniper. bright part shade.

yes, zone 5 covers so much doesn't it! I have long cold winters, but being close to the ocean, I have a bit of that coastal microclimate - warmer in winter, cooler in summer. plenty of rain, generally, but also great drainage (thanks to the ROCKS again).

thanks again for the local source (and arboretum) tips!

i kinda think of maine as covered in pine trees... rocks arent .. or shouldnt be.. an issue ... eh??? .. if you plant properly in it ....

what an arb can tell you ... as an example.. is say.. will Picea abies will grow in ME ... and if the big momma will grow there ... the species ....... then a dwarf or a mini picea abies will grow there ...

see how it works ...

in this world.. latin is king ... no skirting the issue ...

ken

ps: i THINK ... P abies is one that dave cant grow due to humidity ... hot sticky nights .... hence that line of questioning ... but he can correct me if i am mistaken ....

Arnold Arboretum - Boston. One of the oldest and best arboretum's in the country. They have cultivars 100+ years old and their research papers on this area date back to the early 1900's. Very useful information on what works in New England.

If your looking for an excuse to plan a trip to Martha's Vineyard, Polly Hill is something very special. z7 in Massachusetts! They have a large Monkey Puzzle tree and a lot of other conifers you would never expect to see this far north... Ocean Effect...but beyond that, they have a ton of other unique conifers that would work in Maine. I especially like this place, because they seem to have tested the boundaries of conifers in shade, which is always a problem for me...nice to let someone else do all the trial and error...

another trick for you .. presuming you live in the 21st century ... lol ...

train yourself... if you see something you like ... first take a pic of the tag/label ... then pix of the plants ...

and when you get home... you change the pix file names to the name of the plant plus date ...

then.. two things happen...

your can start a wish list on a spreadsheet ...

AND... you will have pix to scroll thru ... to look at what you like ...

go figure...

or.. go old school ... take a pencil and a notebook ... loose the notebook on the way home.. and get no where.. lol ...

just dont lose the camera ...

i have a plant ... Pinus parviflora 'Arnold Arborteum Dwarf' .. nice plant ... see link [though that dwarf part is probably not proper inside the quotes]

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Yes, my plants and gardens love the rocks and don't mind them at all....my back/knees/shoulders, not so much! :-)

Great tip on visiting Polly Hill, I will have to add that to my local wanderings some time!

I'll have to try taking more pix and I like the idea of an electronic wish list. I have a notebook for sure that I map out my raised veg/herb beds, and write down what I plant in ohter gardens. I tend to draw the plant or do a leaf rubbing. I need to get computerized!

I checked out the ones you mentioned, SC77 - katsura looks promising and i'll have to drive out there one afternoon.