Tag: gardener

The conehead’s big adventure

Published on by edremsrolaLeave a comment

The rain had stopped. I opened the door out to the back patio so that I could hear the birds sing their joyful morning songs. The sun (yes, the sun!) was just beginning to move past the grove of large Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) delivering its warming rays of life to my garden. It was a beautiful morning.

Then I saw the weeds.

Back in February, we had a dry stretch and I was able to weed the entire garden. It looked great. The rains returned and like guests overstaying their welcome, it settled in for weeks and weeks. Weeds love a constant supply of moisture and mild temperatures so new seeds germinated and now I have quite a job ahead of me.

I sat, drinking my morning tea, admiring my wife’s ability to make a delightful bran muffin, trying to come up with a way to enjoy this very positive change in the weather without crawling around on the ground pulling weeds. I thought about hiring a young helper, but the budget is still a little tight and youngsters seem to have much more expensive goals these days than they did when I was a kid. Stalling as long as I could, I finally got out of the chair, put on my boots, my vest and my hat when my phone rang.

“Ed here”

“Ed, I’m heading out to the fields today to see if I can get some new shots – wanna ride along?”

It was my photographer friend at Iseli Nursery – and he was asking me to join him on a photo shoot? Sounds better than weeding!

“I’ll be there in 30 minutes.” I said while calculating in my head that I was sure I could get there in at least 20. I kissed my wife and was off.

Mr. Smith met me at the door of the office and out we went.

“I’m looking for cones today, Ed. With all this rain, it’s been a couple weeks since I’ve been out there. I’m sure we’ll find some new developments.” He said with a big grin.

Pinus leucodermis 'Indigo Eyes'
A cluster of three tiny, indigo colored cones begin to develop surrounding an apical bud of this years new growth. These cones could be found on nearly every new shoot of Pinus leucodermis ‘Indigo Eyes’.

Over the next three or four hours we found dozens of treasures. We both got excited every time we spotted something we hadn’t seen before. 2010 appears to be a fantastic year for cones in the Pacific Northwest. We found cones so tiny that their details could only be seen with a magnifying lens (or my friend’s macro lens on his camera). Some cones were large and fat and were easy to spot from some distance. Others were camouflaged with nearly the same colors as their surrounding foliage. Some were green or pink or purple or combinations of all three. Some appeared like fat swollen nodules stacked one upon the other. Others had many long wings protruding from their textured outer skin. Some had openings as if to allow the pollen to enter, others were tight and solid looking making me wonder how the pollen entered at all.

Pinus leucodermis 'Indigo Eyes'
The larger purplish blue cones were last years tiny new cones. They will open to drop their seeds later this year. Next year at this time, they will be brown and wide open – some will have fallen from the tree.

It was an exhilarating experience and I was almost giddy. Near the end of our journey, we came across a small crop of Pinus leucodermis ‘Indigo Eyes’. These wonderful small trees were covered with cones. Old, dry, brown cones were the lowest on these three to four foot trees. Large, dark purplish blue cones adorned the whorls where this year’s new growth had emerged and tiny, indigo colored cones sat in clusters of two or three or even as many as seven surrounding the developing apical buds. This was a cone lover’s tree if I had ever seen one.

Pinus leucodermis 'Indigo Eyes'
Looking carefully, you should be able to see three generations of cones, from the tiny cones at the tips of each apical shoot, the maturing larger purple cones and a faded light brown older cone or two hidden in the foliage.

I told my host that I thought I was about to have cone-gasm. My friend glanced over at me with a combination of question and surprise on his face and then we both burst out laughing. It was one of those rare laughs that seems uncontrollable and goes on and on. I haven’t had an experience like that in quite a number of years. Finally the laughter subsided; we wiped the tears from our eyes and swapped Jean Iseli stories as we drove back to my car.

I didn’t get any weeding done in my garden, but I’ve got memories of a great cone hunting adventure in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Ps, I’ll ask Mr. Smith to post some of the other cone shots at our Facebook group – join us there to see more pictures from our great cone-hunting adventure (click the link in the right side menu).

Conifer diversity

Published on by edremsrola5 Comments

Since my last post, the rain slowed to a drizzle, became intermittent showers and finally stopped altogether. We then had nearly 48 hours of partially sunny, warmer and dry weather. As I write this, I can hear the wind pounding the pouring rain against the nearby window. As promised last time, I have a great list of conifers that will tolerate both very wet and very dry conditions.

I called one of my mid-west friends the other day and we had a long conversation on the topic. Then, much to my surprise, this morning I received the following email. My good friend has put such a great list together that I see no reason to change a thing. He has listed some excellent conifers for any garden and has grouped them by their tolerance for various levels of soil moisture. I think you’ll find this information extremely valuable.

“Although almost all conifers prefer the ‘perfect’ soil – moist well-drained loam – many will tolerate wet or dry soils.  Most Abies and Tsuga are not very tolerant of extremes in wet or dry soils.

“A few conifers can tolerate very wet, almost bog-like soils.  Probably the most tolerant of wet soils are Taxodium varieties such as ‘Cascade Falls’ and ‘Peve Yellow’.  Also, Thuja occidentalis varieties such as ‘Degroots Spire’, ‘Hetz Wintergreen’, ‘Holmstrup’, ‘Rushmore’, and ‘Smaragd’ will tolerate wet soils.  Thuja plicata varieties like ‘Canadian Gold’ and ‘Virescens’ are also tolerant of very wet soils.  Taxodium and Thuja are frequently found in boggy or swampy locations in their native habitats.  Although these conifers may actually prefer well-drained soils, they can survive in swampy areas where they can out compete other species.

Conifer Garden
No matter what your gardening challenge, there is very likely a conifer that will at least tolerate, if not thrive in, your gardening situation.

“Other conifers will tolerate moderately wet soils, such as those found in a swale that dries out, or in a low area through which rain runoff flows but does drain.  In other words, areas that can be wet, but that do eventually drain and don’t hold standing water or hold water just below the surface of the soil.  Some of the best conifers for this kind of situation are various spruces.  Some examples are Picea abies ‘Pendula Major’, Picea glauca ‘Pendula’, Picea mariana ‘Golden’, Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’, Picea pungens ‘Hoopsii’, and Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’.  In nature, Picea glauca and Picea pungens are frequently found at the edge of streams or on lake shores.  Surprisingly, Picea glauca and Picea pungens will also tolerate fairly dry locations.  Most Larix species prefer ample moisture, and would also be a good choice for these moist, but not boggy situations.  Examples are Larix decidua ‘Horstmann’s Recurva’ and Larix sibirica ‘Conica’.  Larix laricina is frequently found in swampy locations, but most Larix species don’t like a swamp.

“To the other extreme, some conifers will perform well in very dry situations.  Again, most of these plants would prefer a moderately moist, but well-drained soil if given a choice, but will tolerate dryness.  Some Junipers are excellent choices for dry, sandy or rocky soils.  Examples are Juniperus communis ‘Effusa’ and ‘Green Carpet’, and ‘Kalebab’.  Juniperus horizontalis is also very tolerant of dry soils.  Juniperus horizontalis ‘Blue Pygmy’, and ‘Limeglow’™ are possible choices.  Many pines are also good choices for sandy, very well-drained, and dry soils, especially two and three needle pines.  Some good choices for dry soils are Pinus banksiana ‘Uncle Fogy’, Pinus leucodermis ‘Emerald Arrow’, and Pinus leucodermis ‘Mint Truffle’, Pinus mugo ‘Big Tuna’, ‘Slowmound’, and Pinus mugo ‘Tannenbaum’ and ‘Sherwood Compact’, as well as Pinus nigra ‘Helga’ and Pinus sylvestris ‘Glauca Nana’.

“Keep in mind that most of these conifers that are tolerant of dry situations should be kept adequately moist until they are well established.  They should also be given supplemental water in times of extreme drought.  Many five needle pines such as Pinus strobus, although they prefer very well-drained and even sandy soils, actually are not as tolerant of extremely dry areas.  Most plants that are tolerant of very dry soils are also tolerant of alkaline soils.”

Until next time, I’ll be hoping for sunshine, in my garden and yours.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Wet, wetter, wettest.

Published on by edremsrola4 Comments

The funny thing about northwest Oregon is that you can be sure the seasons are changing based on the temperature of the rain. Today, for example, the rain is coming down heavy, steady and thick (and it has been since last night – we had nearly an inch in the rain gauge since 5:00pm yesterday). I noticed as I dashed to my little greenhouse this morning that the rain was not only effectively soaking everything outdoors, but it was considerably warmer than the rain of just a week ago – it must be June!

One of the challenges we face in my part of the world is that sometimes it rains a little too much, keeping the soil and the plants themselves too wet. Where many of my friends around the country are limited to conifers that will survive their extremely cold winters or hot and humid summers, I need to be aware of plants that prefer not have their “feet” sitting in cold, wet soil most of the year.

Iseli Display Garden
Sometimes it stops raining in Oregon

Good drainage is beneficial to most any plant, though some actually thrive in bogs and swamps, most require a little oxygen around their toes. Well drained soil is important, but so is water retention. The soil in my garden is quite good. I have over a foot of good crumbly loam. If I dig deeper, I’ll eventually hit a layer of light clay, but it doesn’t seem to present a problem where drainage is concerned. When I build a new garden bed, I plan pathways at the same time. Since I don’t like to cover over good garden soil with rock or pavers, I’ll dig a few inches down in my pathway and toss that soil into the new bed. Sometimes I’ll move soil from other locations on the property as well. The point is that I try to build up the new bed location to help provide improved drainage for the new plants.

I have an existing bed that I will be totally reworking this year. It was the first area I planted when we moved to this place over ten years ago and for a number of reasons, I didn’t build this bed up as described above. Fortunately, drainage really isn’t a problem on this property, but I do want to raise the elevation in this space as part of its rejuvenation. It will be quite a lot of work, but I believe it will be worth it, both for the health of the plants and for its aesthetic quality.

Next time I’ll put a list together of some great conifers grouped by their tolerance of, and/or need for, various levels of soil moisture, from the very wet to the very dry.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Hidden garden treasures

Published on by edremsrola4 Comments

I don’t know about where you live, but here in my little corner of the Pacific Northwest, I’ve been finding tiny treasures all over my garden. With warmer temperatures and far less rain the past week or so, I’ve been able to spend a tremendous amount of time in my garden. My wife points out that her Iris buds are beginning to burst forth in their explosion of color and delicate gracefulness. I see a few rose buds opening. The poppies have added an intensity of red and orange that I don’t think can be found anywhere else. My wife loves her flowers.

Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst'
Just over one centimeter in length, this tiny treasure is a delight to discover amidst the yellow needles of ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’

On the other hand, I sometimes overlook some of her favorites as my attention is held captive in my exploration for hidden treasure. Conifers also offer quite an explosion of color this time of year. Unlike some of their exhibitionist neighbors, the conifers can be a little more discrete in displaying their colorful treasures. Frequently, conifers will have two “flowering” sessions. First the male pollen cones will emerge in an assortment of colors from pale yellow, to orange, intense scarlet, or even dark purplish blue. Shortly thereafter, the female cones will begin to develop. Again, they will range in color depending on their genus and species. The fun begins when I stroll through my garden, gazing among both last year’s growth and the newly emerging foliage this spring.

What a joy it is to discover tiny scarlet cones beginning to develop between the bright yellow newly emerging needles of Pinus contorta ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ or the purple cones encircling the apical buds on the tips of Pinus mugo ‘Big Tuna’. At this stage they are from one to two centimeters in length and remind me of a sea urchin with tiny pointed tips reaching out to absorb nutrition from the surrounding sea water. In this case they are awaiting pollen to land and become absorbed beginning the fertilization process and the creation of viable seed.

Pinus mugo 'Big Tuna'
Near the bottom of the frame, two female cones of Pinus mugo ‘Big Tuna’ are maturing to produce seed this season. At the tip of the new foliage is a cluster of new female cones, likely fertilized by pollen dispersed by the male cones in the background to the right.

As the fertilized cones continue to grow and develop, they will change in color and eventually turn brown as they dry and begin to crack open to release their seed. But for now, I’m keeping an eye out for these fascinating tiny treasures in my garden, as I continue to be amazed by the world of conifers.

Ed
Conifer Lover

Sun break: a brief respite from horizontal rain

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Ahhh, May. In Northwest Oregon we call it April: Part Two – where April rain brings May showers, and today the showers have been amazing. We also have something rather unique here called Sun Breaks – a strange phenomenon that proceeds or (depending on your perspective) follows a shower.

Today, the sun breaks have lasted anywhere from almost 30 seconds to well over three minutes. Good thing my wife insisted I slather on the sun screen before I took my brief walk around a small section of the garden. I suspect that the horizontal flow of raindrops that caught me as I was midway around the loop washed it off in no time. I scurried back into the house just in time to avoid the pounding of tiny hail pellets. By the time I took off my boots, spread my coat out near the woodstove to dry and sat in my favorite chair, the wind blew the clouds away exposing the sun for another sun break. I had to laugh.

Pinus parviflora 'Bergmani' pollen cones
Pinus parviflora 'Bergmani' pollen cones

I did see quite a lot of new growth while I was outside. Almost all the conifers were showing at least some sign of their spring push. The Japanese maples have leafed out and are so full of color that I almost missed the tiny reddish purple cones beginning to develop on my Pinus banksiana ‘Schoodic’. My pines are all extending their candles – some silvery, some golden, others near white, but most are rich shades of green and many have distinctive red or orange cones adorning the new candles like little gems protruding out of long fingers.

Pinus banksiana 'Schoodic'
Pinus banksiana 'Schoodic'

As I type, I notice that a sun break is beginning even as the current shower pounds hard on the roof making it difficult to hear the mellow sound of A Love Supreme by John Coltrane on my stereo. All this rain is what makes western Oregon so lush and green throughout the year, so I can wait patiently knowing the warmer days (and fewer showers) of June are just around the corner.

Ed-
Conifer Lover