When you say that your conifers can be maintained at the 10 year size, I’m not sure exactly how that pruning looks. Are you cutting the leader off after that? I would like to see how to actually size maintain some of these. I watch some bonsai videos to get clues. I have some trees in containers that I want to size maintain too. I appreciate any help with this.
I have two questions about conifers (I’m in N. Atlanta, 7b): 1) I have lost 1 of 2 globosa Nana about 20 feet apart at foundation…not sure why; one gets afternoon sun doing well; the other morning sun only and then shade. Is sun/shade the problem, or just coincidence? Waiting to replace until I know for sure. 2) And in the same area, I have 10 arborvitae ferns around/under a star magnolia where all do well in Spr, & most of Summer, Fall, but 4 that get more afternoon sun need plenty of water and turn brown for winter. Others tend to stay evergreen. Thanks so much for this video!!!
I appreciate this video so much as I also have several dwarf conifers in my landscape. What I am intimidated by, and would love if you did a video on, is pruning these conifers to control their size without reducing them to round balls or making them ugly with bare brown branches sticking out. For example, I have a glorious 6 foot tall Gold Mop cyprus that I need to start pruning to keep it at this size - what are the do's and don'ts?
Now I need to add to my Japanese Maple collection. At my age I can only make small holes for my trees and these are ideal. Now I have to convince the wife I need more trees. When I am 100 hundred they will be perfect in height.
One of the best (of MANY) pieces of advice you have taught me is the importance of shopping garden centers during ALL the seasons. I have matured as a gardener to understand the importance of garden interest in ALL seasons. You don’t realize how important conifers are to your winter garden until the deciduous trees are naked and suddenly you have an unpleasant view until Spring. I have layered in some amazing plants and shrubs that I use to consider boring. Thank you from a big fan.
I knew you had a few conifers in your landscape but that’s an understatement. Thanks for the inspiration - I gotta find some spots in our landscape now.
Thanks for showing us what’s available out there in the dwarf varieties! Yours are just wonderful and now that winter is on its way, they can be the stars of the show! 🌲🌲🌲🌲😃
I’ve been following this project from the beginning, and I was still surprised by how many you have! I love the idea of tiny slow growers in pots, and I keep meaning to add some. 👍
I love my conifers so much. I have been fixing up my landscape since I retired 28 months ago and I've added quite a few conifers that get tall but not too wide.
Hi Jim...great video on conifers. We have a Black Dragon Cryptomeria that constantly has cob webs all over it. I remove the webs every day and the next day they are back. What do I need to do? Thanks!
I have a Bird's Nest Spruce and I would love to add a Night Light to our garden. I'm finally coming around to loving chartreuse. I think Night Light would be smashing with Chartreuse on the Loose Catmint with Wolly Thyme.
Wow lots of conifers. Great information. Thanks for explaining the browning And thanks for putting the names and zones up. Will definitely watch again so I can add more to my area as zone 5 get lots of dull winter days
I just received a Dragon Prince from Home Depot in the mail and it is AWESOME! Tag says FULL SUN but I want to put it in a West facing bed between a Mule Palm and my pool deck. Do you think it will cook?
I love conifers, and they are easy maintenance when well established. By growing them as smaller (younger) plants, you are saying it is acceptable to allow them to mature into your home, as opposed to being root bound and unhappy. Patience is a virtue in gardening as in life.
Wow! I have selected and now planted dwarfs conifers in my border garden this past weekend. You have provided a good overview of several varieties. I don't need too much encouragement to buy more. Zone 8a
You need to keep that Lawson cypress in the pot, otherwise you'll lose it...I've lost6 or 8,,,,and your chirimen obtusa chain will not stay small,, i have 2 that are 8 to 10 ft. and they grow pretty fast...
I have a Roman Candle podacarpus which is a replacement for another one which died. It’s in part sun/part shade and it’s been watered consistently since being planted. It’s not doing well-brown leaves appearing/die back etc. Any thoughts on what I’m doing wrong? Love your channel-gardening here in East central Mississippi is a little different than N. Carolina, but many similarities. I’ve learned so much about conifers from you and plan to plant many more.
Ditto, ditto, ditto to what everyone else said! You must have been influencing me somehow.. for my winter planters this year, I just bought mini conifers & pansies. Added in a couple of hellebores and heuchera from elsewhere and job done! 😊
show idea: visit Keith Arboretum in Chapel Hill. One of the largest conifer species collections in the world. Over 5000 different woody plants and all the species of fir and spruce hardy in USDA 7. Amazing junipers, cypress, and pines too - taxa you'll not see even if at Raulston, Duke, Coker, etc. This amazing collection is privately held and the 35 year labor of love of Dr. Charlie Keith, a renowned Duke psychologist who put his small fortune into developing a superb conifer collection.
For your Q&A Sunday please let me know if I can transplant a Carolina blue sapphire in zone 8b/9 in Pensacola fl,, it’s getting quite big now over 9’ and happy but I can see it will take up too much landscape and interested in moving to a large corner spot.. thanks Jim !!!
Jim, I’m just north of you in the top of 7B, central Virginia. I’ve seen several of what I “think” is a Hinoki cypress. It gets quite large, has yellow new growth, and, this is what I love about it, it has a pagoda like shape with lots of layers that tip up on the ends like pagoda roofs. Can you help me with a variety name and perhaps a source? I’m willing to travel to NC if needed. Thanks
Have you already been in this house for 2 years??! Wow! Time has flown by. At least my time has sort of flown by working through the pandemic. Found your channel at the 2 story house when you had about 30 k subscribers. Thank you for all of your knowledge on the different varieties in your yards and those you visit.
I'm curious the degree of how root bound that Arizona cypress is because I remember how much smaller it was when you put it in that container. Like dam its grown that much in a container cant imagine what it would grow in the ground. Like 4-5 ft a year or somethin
Here in the Mediterranean coast of Spain conifers are difficult to grow in containers because of phitophtora, which kills the plant from the inside out. This year I’ll try chamaecyparis in the ground 🤞🏻
Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge Jim! My Anna’s magic ball arb is browning out a bit in the middle and I was hoping that’s normal. Now I know it is! This is the 1st one I’ve grown so this info is right on time. Thanks from Stella NC!
You made my day, all these conifers! I have to add other stuff to my landscape to give more summer spring interest. Otherwise, I’ll have all conifers! Yay twinkle toes, got it
perfect timing ... I'm just now to the point I'm wanting to add some conifers to my garden and any of these would make great additions, although I'm thinking I'm gonna need the bigger varieties as I'm gardening on one acre !!! I've always heard that the term dwarf doesn't necessarily mean small, just slower growing - haha!!!! I've seen "dwarf" conifers that were 10 feet tall - yikes !!! Thanks, as always, for sharing your collection with us - your knowledge and inspiration are encouraging to me as I build my new garden.
Our Caroline Sapphire have definitely outpaced our Green Giant Arborvitae. It is amazing how fast they have grown in one season. We planted them when they were just above my knees in height and now they are nearly 10 feet tall...it's CRAZY how fast they grew in one year. They got one shot of slow release fertilizer in early spring and watered in good. They did get the occasional handful of spent coffee grounds. Wish we had done our entire screen with these simply for the growth rate on them BUT I know from watching this channel that I needed to have a variety of plants for a screen which we did.
Jim, I found an amazing photo on the internet. Look for 'African Blue Basil topiary'. I'd love to try to make one of these. It looks like the 'trunk' is braided.
Jim, can a Japanese umbrella pine be maintained to a smaller size? I know it is slow growing, but would pruning it ruin the beauty of the tree? It is a new plant for me.
I’ve been wanting to add more conifers so this was very helpful. You have quite a few smaller ones, I don’t think I’ve seen any for sale that small. I lost one, well it’s hanging on but looks horrible. And I need to replace it and make sure it’s kept better watered. Its on a slope and I think it dried out too much.
Almost all of them prefer full sun, except the yews which are good for shade. Full sun in south means not including hottest part of the day however, to avoid heat stress.
Great Video. I am a novice conifer lover and was wondering when I should fertilize mine. I have planted several in my new construction landscape over the past 6 week. Should I fertilize now or wait until spring?
I just bought an itty bitty dwarf Alberta Spruce.. Picea glauca 'Conica' according to the tag.. oh and I should add that I have also seen them growing as beautiful large shrubs in my area 7b, Asheville.
You mentionned male dogs and conifers. I have an area along the front of my property (no sidewalks). I would like to plant it with a row of slow growing evergreens, but I have hesitated because all the neighbors walk their dogs and (especially in summer), let their male dogs pee on my property. Right now about the only thing they hurt is the grass. I have one area close to the road that is planted in Rosemary and they seem to avoid that, but again, that may because they have grass. If I fill that in with plants, I'm afraid it will be a futile exercise. Any suggestions? Do they harm evergreen shrubs as badly as they harm conifers? anyone with thoughts would be appreciated.
@@JimPutnam Hmmm. I've heard of deer and rabbit tolerant, but never seen a label for Salt Tolerant. I live just North of Atlanta, like you, Zone 7B. Thanks. I'll see if my local garden center can point me in the right direction :)
@@JimPutnam Quick search leads me to believe a dwarf holly is the best option. I currently use them in place of boxwoods, so am a little bored with them, but they are generally tough and adaptable???
Thanks so much for this video….1 question…will any of these tolerant shade? I have 2 pots on each side of my front door that I would love to plant one of these dwarf conifers…They would be under a roof that keeps any sun from them at that spot.
Jim can have the final say, but i think cryptomeria will also tolerate less light, without getting stretched out. I’m talking part sun, not full shade. I also have a couple dwarf deodar in morning sun that’s are a little stretched as they grow along the ground, but not too bad. I think growth is probably slower. Oh, podocarpus also can grow in darker places, and if it gets leggy, you can cut them back, as Jim said, to refill. An idea for your pots: I have a bonsai Juniper procumbens nana growing in a pot with morning sun. You don’t have to bonsai- they look so sculptural just trailing down the pot sides.
Do you intentionally avoid pinus strobus? I have 2 blue shag that have so far done well. I suspect I’ll lose them eventually. They are tough here with our heat and humidity. I also have a dwarf Japanese red pine “low glow” that has done really well for 4 years in Chapel Hill 7b.
