Woodchips will only bind up nitrogen for a time if they are IN the soil, not on it. The small amout that may work it's way into the soil shouldn't be an issue. When the microbes that bind the nitrogen die, it gets released again.

Great pictures, as always, Bluespruce.

tj

bluespruce, thanks for the info. I like the look of 'Boulavard' in my garden but it gets too big after a few years. 'Curley Tops' would be an ideal replacement. You also mentioned that it may be even more compact if you planted it in an area with more moisture. Can you please elaborate a little more; do you mean a little 'wet feet' or gets more water? (Intuitively, my naive notion would be 'getting more moisture grows bigger'.) Does that appply to chamaecyparis in general?

tunilla - conifers beyond the boundary are Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Larix, probably decidua.

garcan - certainly not 'wet feet', ideally a soil that does not dry out completely, my 'Curley Tops' is planted in one of the dryer areas of the garden although we have had plenty of rain the last couple of years so it has not been a problem. 'Boulavard' and 'Curley Tops' would probably benefit from a bit of annual pruning to keep them more compact, in less than ideal conditions they tend to open up and show all the brown interior, and believe me nothing looks worse.

Pinus contorta 'Golden Striker' - a very young plant and originated as a seedling from 'Chief Joseph', gold all year but not as intense as 'Chief Joseph' in the winter . Raised by John Proudfoot, Methven, Scotland.
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Picea sitchensis 'Rayner's Rescue' - This plant I would guess is the smallest slowest sitchensis I am aware of, grows little more than half inch per year. very desirable and much sort after, another John Proudfoot introduction.

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Hi Blue.Magic! I suppose such rarities are only available from the original grower,or do collectors have the right (or do they need permission)to multiply them also?
By the way,any good adresses for conifers both in Britain and other E. countries ? Many thanks. T.

tunilla - Most serious collectors sooner or later end up exchanging either material and or plants with other collectors,
Are you asking for the addresses of dwarf & ornamental conifer collectors with a view to visit ?

Picea abies 'Cornell Broom' - another very nice mini of Norway spruce, from the US I would guess ?
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I like the 'Schwarzwald', but are you saying that it normally does not have a good appearance?

'Everton Broom' is very nice also. If it was sold in the states (or anywhere) I'd get it.

fledgeling - No, 'Schwarzwald' just seems to do better with a bit more moisture at the roots, for example my soil is very sandy and dries out very quickly in the summer, the last two summers have been pretty wet and the plant looks a lot better for it.
'Everton Broom' try Yellowwood Rare Plants.

Cryptomeria japonica 'Mushroom' - one of the best dwarf cryptomeria IMO.
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Yellowwood Rare Plants does have your 'Everton Broom'. I'm waiting to see if they can ship it to California....something to do with Sudden Oak Death.

Barbara

I was thinking of commercial nurseries,in the first instance,in order to have a look at their catalogues,if they have one.In France it looks as if we only have Laurains for unusual or rare conifers (please someone,tell me it's not true!).As I am still very much a beginning apprentice,I'm quite happy to plant 'easy' plants and see what they look like in a couple of years or so.Of course,easy doesn't necessarily mean 'cheap and nasty'!Thanks. T.

Not much in the way of commercial nurseries here in the UK for retail sales, here are four that might be useful

Limecross Nursery

Evergreen Conifer Centre

Larch Cottage Nursery

Choice Landscapes

Pinus sylvestris 'Vargguld' - good gold colour year round, slightly more so in winter. Incorrectly listed as 'Wolfgold', introduced by Brita Johansson, Vargon, Sweden.
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Platycladus (Thuja) orientalis 'Beacon Glow' - appeared as a seedling in my gravel drive about eight years ago, has the typical three colour changes throughout the seasons, plant is about 18 inches high and named for where I live, Beacon Hill.

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It's alright for some!!!You just sit there enjoying a nice cuppa and they pop up spontaneously-for free! Nice one.Are you propagating it? T.

Hi tunilla, I like to think that there is just a little more to it than spontaneity though, and yes 'Beacon Glow' has been propagated.

Here are three conifers I purchased from a local garden centre recently - clockwise, Taxus cuspidata 'Nana', Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold', and Podocarpus nivalis 'Kilworth Cream'
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Hi Blue.Wished our local garden center would sell some more unusual conifers!Other than Leylandi's,Juniperus X media 'assorted' and the odd pine or Yew,there's not much to choose from. T.

tunilla - most of the time garden centres here are not much different. mail order from other European nurseries would be the better option for you.

Taxus baccata 'Klitzklein' - nice mini Taxus, grows about 1 inch per year.
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I am absolutely drooling. Keep posting! It's like plant porn !

Hi Bindersbee - seems a long time, I'll keep posting 'plant porn' as long as interest is shown in this thread.

Abies balsamea 'Jamie' - one of the best balsamea minis, very compact and dense.
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Picea asperata 'Mongolei' - superb plant and very rare mini, my idea of mini is a conifer that grows about 1 inch or less per year.
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Pinus mugo 'Bonsai Kramer' - on a short stick, intoduced by Kurt Kramer, Germany, another good mini IMO.
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Hi bluespruce,
What is that soft blue plant to the left of your Pinus mugo 'Bonsai Kramer'? Also the one with the slender new growth on the upper left corner of your Cryptomeria japonica 'Mushroom'pic?

garcan - Abies pinsapo 'Horstmann', photo taken in early summer.
Larix laricina or gmelinii 'Tharandt' - seems to be some confusion as to the correct species, plant no longer in my collection.

Picea glauca 'Humpty Dumpty'
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bluespruce, I have been working at planting for about four years now and have gravitated toward conifers and Japanese Maples. My neophite efforts would be an embarassment to post next to your spectacular grounds.

I hope I don't offend anyone but the two words that I cannot shake when looking at your photos is "conifer porn".

You are an inspiration and the time and effort you go through to answer everyone's questions so thoroughly is great. Truly enjoy all your posts and if I am not careful, I will learn something.

Hi Jonnyb, thanks for your comments. This is the first post I have noticed from you , so welcome to the conifer forum, and I do hope we all here more from you in the future. Good choice in planting conifers and japanese maples, a classic combo IMO. Please don't worry about your 'neophyte efforts', we all had to start somewhere as I'm sure everyone here can testify, so please do post some pics of your plantings. I also think we need to thank bindersbee for coining the phrase 'conifer porn'.

This photo is really aimed at Ken, I noticed on one of his current threads a pic of Thuja occidentalis 'Teddy', looking a bit dishevelled and open, I doubt this plant is really suited to his harsher climate. This is my plant, completely natural without a hair out of place.

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Hah! Look at that 'Teddy'. It looks like golf green grass grown on a huge rock! Marveous! I have two 'teddys' in pots and seeing that picture makes me want to get mine into the ground. Mine are much darker green, which I am guessing is probably indicitive of less(or more?) sun light.

Fabulous specimen.

Hi Blue. Wow,that plant looks like giant moss...perfect.
I guess it's the high relative humidity wich you've got,combined with not too extreme T° variations that allow you to grow these plants to perfection ? T.

This 'Teddy' looks so perfect; must have. I have good luck with 'Rheingold' and 'Rosedalis Compacta' in my Zone 5b area. So I hope this one can survive here.
Keep the pictures coming.

yeah know... i knew teddy was a bit off... but what a bat-turd son ... lol ...

i may kill mine... just in sacrifice to what yours is.. or what mine should be... i doubt i will ever be able to look at mine again ...

here is mine for those who may have missed it ... ken
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firefighter - the photo of my Teddy was taken in early summer, so that would probably account for the colour difference.
tunilla - certainly the temperate climate here helps with a lot of conifers, but not all.
garcan - I'm sure 'Teddy' will survive in your climate, but as an ultra-dense very soft juvenile form it is likely to open up with either ice or snow loads, much like Ken's 'Teddy'
Ken - don't give up on your 'Teddy' there's a lot of easy propagating material to be had on your plant if you are so inclined.

Here's another Teddy in my collection

Hi Ken.Looks like it could become quite an original looking plant too.It is much darker though...is that really the same cv.? T

PS.I enjoyed your other posts too...just O.D. 'd a bit with all the super plant-pics coming in!

i am too lazy to go do the deed...

so i will have to rely on my old standard ....

THE WEIRDER THE BETTER .... lol

ken

Bluespruce -- your Garden is breathtaking! I've enjoyed your photos for some time and wanted to thank you for sharing them, and for the inspiration you give to me, and undoubtedly many others who strive to create some semblance of such beauty. You, along with several others who share here so generously, have a wonderful gift for combining color, texture and form to perfection. The grasses and heathers complement your conifers beautifully. I also love Adrian Bloom's Foggy Bottom (unfortunately only through photos), and you have certainly done a beautiful job creating your own version.

I am also struck by the perfect health of all of your conifers. As suggested above, your location is certainly a great advantage, but do you have other "secrets" you could share? Are your beds amended or topdressed periodically with compost? What kind of watering practices do you use? Being a relative beginner who is struggling to learn, mostly through trial and error, and of course from all of the knowledgeable people on this forum, any additional input on your practices would be most appreciated.

And yes, more pictures please!

Kim

bluespruce, my apologies to bindersbee for repeating the phrase conifer porn, I am guilty of plagiarism although not knowingly from bindersbee. My source was a comment from the Renegade Gardener from 2005.

http://www.renegadegardener.com/index.htm?content/131_Vancouver_groove.htm~mainFrame

Check out this column, it really appeals to my eclectic tastes.

http://www.renegadegardener.com/index.htm?content/131_Vancouver_groove.htm~mainFrame

I am new to the conifer post. I will dig up some pictures and offer them in the hopes of getting some suggestions. My area of concentration right now is an area 70 feet long and maybe 60 feet deep that is carved out of a hillside with 6 to 8 foot high steep banks. Completely shaded in the summer and there is no way I want to open it up (much anyway) as it is a great private space and a cool sanctuary in July and August, Southeastern Massachusetts. Soil is sandy, but natural trees (including white pines and oaks mostly) thrive. My question will I have success getting conifers to grow at a decent rate or should I consider thinning the trees to let some sun in to my inner sanctum. I would leave the outside perimeter of course.

I will post some pictures, waiting for some sun right now.

Jon

hey jonny .. i sure hope you start your own post.. with your questions about your garden ... the most important reason.. is so replies come to you ... instead of blue ...

blue ... out of curiosity ... wild guess ... how many conifers failed in the evolution of your garden ...

we all think .. wow.. he is good... he never has the problems i have ... etc ...

what in my garden... can you NOT grow .... when i post pix.... let me know.. so i can relish those.. lol ... as i am now admiring your teddy ....

and i would love to see a pic.. of the yard.. before you started .... any chance??? was it flat land ... or what was there prior ....

ken

Ken,

I will post a new thread and look forward to taking advantage of what I realize is a great source of knowledge in these posts.

I hope some may find my efforts to date interesting although not in the same league with the expertise I have noted. I am definitely the student here.

Jon

Kim - I have problems with some plants, the same as any other conifer collector, for example I am getting an ever increasing fungal problem on many of the small brooms like Douglas fir and concolor, perhaps the only difference with me is I don't tolerate poor looking plants, they get scraped. I have too many other plants waiting to take their place. And yes our climate allows us to grow virtually anything, but there are some conifers that do not do as well as as in the States, most Picea pungens cultivars comes to mind (probably not cold enough in winter) Also regards photography, for every picture I post I reject about ten, so perhaps the garden tends to look a lot better than it really is ?
jonny - No problem with the phrase 'plant porn' and I look forward to seeing your posts in the near future.
Ken - As I said to Kim, I have my problems with plants usually the newer grafts say within the first three years. Plants I can't grow in the ground here are Jap maples, probably a little to exposed and also the soil too dry in summer (sandy) and as I previously said I can't grow colorado spruce as well as you can in the States.
Which Teddy do you admire - the one on the chair ?
I can probably post pics of my place pre-planting so you can see what it was like when we first moved here, but they will not be digital - might take a while to sort them out though.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Nymph'
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Pinus mugo 'Dachstein 2'
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you mean to say.. if i actually read all the posts/replies ... you already answered kim .. lol.. guilty as charged ... will reread the whole thread ...

pungens are weeds for me ... so there.. lol .. and what is it.. bob's your uncle.. whatever that is supposed to mean ....

as a stay at home dad of an 11 and 6 year olds.. who do not believe in picking up toys... the toy teddy does NOTHING for me ... but perhaps raise my hackles.. lol .. WHO KEEPS PUTTING TOYS ON THE COMPUTER CHAIR.. IS NOTHING SACRED TO DADDY ... but i wildly digress ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: where do they come up with these things ...

Ken, no need to read all the posts, It was just a reference to a similar query from Kim within that same post.
Kids teddy! - no chance, long since flown the nest.
Picea omorika 'Trebec'
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Hi Blue.Surprised to hear that the Picea pungens cv's don't do well where you are. Am I right in thinking that they are mostly grafted onto P. abies? I was thinking of seeking out some more of these lovely blue spruces,as over here they seem to do quite well;same with P. abies cv's IF I water them generously when it gets dry.
That Picea omorika 'Trebec' is radiating something I can't describe.Looks like it puts 'Pimoko' a bit in the shade! T.

Bluespruce, thanks for posting all of the wonderful pictures. Besides all of pictures of your fantasic garden which I can never get enough of and look forward to, I especially appreciate the pictures of the less commonly seen minis and slower growing dwarf cultivars. Though a lot of them are not available here in the U.S., some are and it really helps when perusing availability lists with no cultivar descriptions. I purchased Pinus parviflora 'Richard Lee' and 'Iona' this past year based on your pictures and have a mental list of dozens more that if I can find, will certainly make their way into my garden. Thanks for all of your efforts, they are much appreciated. Dan

tunilla - I would think our climate is too mild in the winter - spider mite and aphid problems especially with the larger growing varieties, certainly need a lot more TLC here in the UK.

Dan - Nice to hear from you again, glad I can be of some use for your plant choices, and 'Richard Lee' is a corker of a plant, purchased from Dennis Dodge I guess ?
Here are a couple more pics.
Pinus uncinata 'Karel'
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Picea engelmannii 'Ceinaga'
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Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Gnome'
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boy that Platycladus (Thuja) orientalis 'Beacon Glow' sure looks like the plant of mine which say say is not named properly .... T o breckmans ...

someone noted you posted a pic of holly turner... i have searched everywhere... cant find it... can you help???

did you ever find a pre-garden pic?? .. and more importantly... is the scanner workable??

thx

ken

What kind of options(option?) are there for us drooling over these picks?

Wait ten years for the US to catch up?

Online ordering from Europe?

Any US sources?

I'm sure I'm like many others pondering over these nearly magical picks wondering how to get some of them planted into our soil. I'm sure they'd just love our Pacific Northwest weather! :)

Awesome pics Bluespruce.

Ken,

If you're not finding Bluespruce's Holly Turner pic here on GW, I may actually have seen it in his Growsonyou.com photo blog. If you haven't checked that out yet, it's chock full of beautiful pics!

Or maybe Bluespruce will post another pic of his Holly Turner here???

Kim

Ken - my 'Beacon Glow' is about as close to your plant as Platycladus orientalis is to Thuja occidentalis :0)
No pre garden pics yet, and no scanner! will try and put something together over the Xmas hols.
Here is 'Holy Turner' - don't think I ever posted it on this site before.
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firefightergardener - importation of plant material into the US is prohibited, so not a lot of joy there. Dennis Dodge, Bob Fincham, Don Howse, and Larry Stanley, spring to mind as excellent sources for rare conifer material, if you haven't already tried them. Apart from that you need to do a bit more digging, I'm sure something will turn up.

DID YOU HAVE TO GUIDE HOLLY UP...

OR DOES SHE JUST TEND TO HEAP UPON HERSELF AND ATTAIN HEIGHT on her own ... LETS SAY .... HOW A LEMONTHREAD MIGHT ...

carp .. sorry about the caps
ken

You know, I cannot tell you how many times I have been told there are no interesting conifers in England. Yet somehow I spent almost 2 full weeks looking at them and I know I didn't see them all. Looking at these photos makes me want to do it all over again.

Bill

Bill - next time you come over bring Darren with you, with the value of the pound sinking without trace it's good value right now.

Ken - 'Holly Turner' needs a bit of help to get going.

Picea sitchensis 'Peve Wiesje'
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BSpruce
Thank you again for your inspirational pictures. Every picture is just GREAT; my list of plants I must have is growing exponentially with each one of your postings. I love all the pictures especially the ones that show your gardens. Not only do you have exquisite taste in plants but also you really know how to put it all together. Do you do this for a living? If not, you should.I would love to know more about the Ginko broom. I have so many questions and so much to learn, how exciting! Lynn

Lynn, thanks for your comments, not sure you will able to obtain every cultivar posted as many are of European origin and probably not available in the states. certainly don't do it for a living, just a hobby. What do you want to know about the Ginkgo broom ?

yes I am painfully aware of some of my limitations here in the steamy hot mid atlantic U.S.of A.. I am sure I wont be able to find certain cultivars and I fear some of the conifers I love the most (Abies and C. lawsoniana) will not be happy in our heat. I am a Northern girl and I know how I wilt and suffer here in Virginia during the summer and I can go indoors to the AC. Now to that broom. First, how are brooms created? Second, once you find a broom how do you remove it from its host/parent plant? Thanks Blue Spruce, oh one more question do you have a blog about your gardens? Lynn

Lynn, don't have a blog about the garden but I do have a website, there is a blog about brooms I recently posted.

Here is a link that might be useful: witches' broom blog