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While that may be true where you live, mad gallica, I am not sure that is consistent with everyone's experience. They are not commonly called Christmas Rose for nothing! In an article written by Margret Delves-Broughton, she states: "the best thing about my beloved Helleborus niger – it blooms in December. In fact, it’s loaded with buds in my northwest Connecticut garden right now (article was written on November 16th). It has blossomed every year that I’ve had it at this time, though I must add that some years we’ve had snow cover by this point so technically, I can’t verify that it bloomed during those winters. Any new gardener will laugh when they hear that the first few times it bloomed in December, I asked other gardeners what they thought was going on. Most of them looked at me funny and said that the plant must be “confused.” It turns out that it’s not confused – it’s supposed to do this! According to the Missouri Botanic Garden, “Helleborus niger, commonly called Christmas rose, is a winter-blooming evergreen perennial which blooms around Christmas time in warm winter regions, but later in the cold northern parts of the growing range…. Flowers sometimes bloom in the snow and bloom can survive spurts of sub-zero temperatures.”
So this must be different definitions of 'later', 'Christmas', and 'November'.
I planted a Southgate 'Radiance' here in Baton Rouge in 2016 and it's currently blooming. I was a bit surprised that it made it through the scorching summer we had in 2023 (32 days of 100 degrees F or above!!). I planted a Southgate 'Breezy' at the same time, but it lasted only two or three years.
And get a bark based potting media. Regular potting mix will kill them from too much water retention. You want that so there's good/fast drainage. Have drain holes in the bottom of the container (you could put them all in a larger container). White Pines don't like wet feet so don't over water them. Wait until the media is dry enough before watering each time.
Yes, thanks david and never use water from a water softener. Same sodium build up problems.
I notice they're sitting on the windowsill. Do they have a grow light?
They've been seeing problems with this tree for a hundred years in the native range of this tree.
Davidrt, Nootka cypress is one of the parents of Leyland cypress, and those have become rather disease-ridden in alot of their eastern US plantings. That might be an issue.....
Yeah, when you use the 'Link' button, you can put anything you want in the top line for people to see.
I know people here that don't like to click on links they can't identify. The https: is generally a secure site.
David, I am in the immediate NYC/NJ megalopolis (so decent, heat island), but north easternmost NJ, they are also on the south side of the house and I get TONS of winter sun, which can bronze them if really cold, but this winter was not. I just bought another Camellia from a big chain supermarket. Picked up a 5 gallon, semi-double flowering, mid-pink Camellia. My biggest issue here is not the cold, it is DEER! Urban heat island can add a zone, and a lot of spring trees are showing color now. David, how far inland are you from the Atlantic?
Davidrt, you're correct about hillsides -- that's why orchards are located on hillside and not bottomlands. When/where I was in VA at 2700 ft on a ridge-slope, although high-temps were cool of course, I had rather remarkably long frost-free periods compared to the nearby areas (often well over 200 days), often not having an autumn frost until early Nov or even later.
David, I have an old Sunset gardening book which has maps for Sunset zones of the entire country, it did seem to include, heat zone information as well, think I was zone 34 back in the day. Any links to these Sunset zones that included the rest of the country (other than the West).?
I found it, here are Sunset zone for the Middle Atlantic into New England.Sunset in the East
P.S., Interesting about the Cryptomeria, I recall reading in an old gardening book, they tend prefer areas within 50 miles or so from the coast, so somewhat maritime conditions seem important for its success longterm.
Certainly far from its native range.
I wonder how commonly they are planted in the Midwest. Looks much better than that one at an arboretum in SE PA I ragged on!
It surely looks like it, was there any cones to rule out some possible pitch pine ancestry?
P and P, that's all the info I have on that tree, but I have to say, my pitch x loblolly pine does not have as good a form or as trouble-free as my straight loblolly or my pond pine. The hybrid is constantly attacked by shoot-borers at the top giving it a disheveled look of multiple sprouts.
Well, in the PNW where I garden, and this may be true for much of the USA, it isn't simply warming, though on average, it is. The problem is, we're getting general warming briefly interrupted by Arctic Blasts that are dramatically colder than average. And that one Arctic Blast is all it takes to whack your Z9, Z8 or even Z7 woody plant back to bare stubs. I think the technical reason for this is that our jet-stream , now with added anthropogenic energy, has become very erratic, allowing bubbles of arctic air to dip waaay below the arctic...all the way to Texas and the Gulf. The effect on plants is that they start growing sooner, and stop growing later, meaning less hardening off and more susceptibility to freezing temps. My Hydrangea macrophyllas all have a tremendous amount of new growth, and we're supposed to be getting lows of 29F, 27F, 29F, and 30F the next four mornings...and its only March 4, we could get much colder in the coming weeks.
"Record-breaking rhododendron blooms a month early"
For sure @davidrt28 (zone 7) "your" picture is way better as the inclusion of the "little people" gives one a the proper perspective of the sheer size of the grove. Incredible.
Hi, I'm from DeKalb Junction, was just in Massena on Wednesday, checking out the roses at the Wal-Mart!
Wow, this must be the oldest thread still active on Gardenweb/Houzz!
Henry, how long have you been growing the Sequoiadendron? Was it planted prior to winter of 2015?
FWIW the old one at Longwood Gardens has died. According to their database, they are trying other younger ones accessioned starting in 2012.
Unfortunately they are prone to severely damaging foliar diseases in hot, humid climates...not just root rots! I have a normally finicky Rhododendron 'Nancy Evans' that is growing like a champ in these clammy parts - growing just fine because it's grafted onto a super rot resistant hyperythrum hybrid. The foliage always looks flawless. Although it's fascinating that there's a recent report of grafting Sequoia onto Metasequoia, I can't think that grafting Sequoiadendron onto Metasequoia would make a damn bit of difference in the eastern US. Summers are either going to be pleasant enough (e.g., lower dewpoints) that they don't suffer from Cercospora, or they aren't!
Spraying for mosquitos (or other flying insects) must be done at a neighborhood level or it's pointless - more just fly in. Eliminate standing water, keep shrubs trimmed and keep the grass mowed.
I have had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, recently, and Encephalitis several decades ago.. With the Encephalitis I was in the the hospital for over a week. With the Spotted Fever, they caught it early, so here was no hospitalization. While I have not had it yet Lime Disease is also carried by insects.
The controlled use of pesticide, ie per the manufactures instruction, is far better than running the risk of getting these types of diseases.
Yes, there are plenty. Our local parks have several.
I posted the item a few days ago in the Trees Forum. Houzz is messing about again so I can't post the link. It's one post below this one at the moment.
"Something called Forestry England"... they are a national organisation, sponsored by the Forestry Commission, a government agency, which looks after our woodlands. https://www.forestryengland.uk/about-us
Lopping them off only looks good when it is done like this:
For a #1 container, I was impressed when they sent a box that was 3ft. high and once the box was removed, the plant was 4ft. high.
The weeping form allowed them to let the top bend back into the box.
Very nicely wrapped and packed in corrugated carboard, nice moist pot media.
///
Wilson bros is sold out on these.
Welcome to the dark side, there's no going back!
Thanks david!
The winds are low 20's mph here this morning and colder temperatures arriving in the days ahead. Thankfully they will be staying in the low teens or above for lows and 30-40d for highs.
But the roots are in the ground, and I don't have to babysit plants for the next month.
The concolor should enjoy the high, sandy location I've given it although it could get moved sometime in the future.
Enjoy your trip to the NA.
bill
"Do you wash the microfiber cloths with anything cotton?"
Never. They will pick up every last bit of lint. Always wash them in a separate load.
"Do you use ever fabric softener dryer sheets? If yes, perhaos the residue in the dryer drum has transferred to the microfiber cloths? "
I do use dryer sheets, but not in the microfiber load. I never thought there could be residue, maybe that's what the problem is.
"...but I don't put them in the dryer, just lay them over a coat hanger to air dry"
I guess I could start doing this, I have a drying rack in the basement, but I have about 10 mop heads I do at once and I'm kinda lazy to trudge it all down there. If I buy new ones I might have to resort to that, though.
I wash mine by themselves in the sanitize cycle at 170F with Tide powder and then tumble dry on low.
I wash with regular towels in the washer, and cold water. I put the towels in the dryer on high heat, but, all microfiber cloths, I hang on a drying rack. I did just replace two of the floor pads for my mop, but, old ones actually had holes in them, because, of age.
Consider Podocarpus elongatus 'Monmal'
I had to laugh at the title!! 😁 Blue spruce, Picea pungens, has a huge reputation for decline and ultimately failure just about anywhere that doesn't mirror its native habitat. That means cold winters, reasonably cool summers (largely due to elevation) and very low humidity. I can't think of many areas of the country that can offer these conditions and most certainly NOT Florida!!
Blue spruce even struggle in my climate. Oh, they can live here but inevitably get needlecast that will affect their aesthetic appeal, if not their overall health. 20 years is a long time in the landscape for them here.
I'd be willing to bet good money that the OP's 2 bargain spruces are now toast some 9 years later.
And probably no one is going to come back just to say, yeah you were right, they all failed. :-))
That would be more likely if they had succeeded.
It looks like P wallachiana to me, or the hybrid w/P strobus. There was a labeled such hybrid on the Hagerstown Junior college campus. The needles did weep some.
Here's what I think is a pure P wallachiana.
Of course it's a broad category - a broad leaved category.
Beautiful tree david.
Thanks for posting this.
One would wonder if the characteristic of the foliage itself is a climate issue, or if it is really the origins of the selection?
david, is it only the cultivar 'Elegans' (or the Elegans Group) you are asking about? I know there have been various discussions about Cryptomerias in general, with 'Black Dragon' featuring in many.
Cryps are very popular here, with most better nurseries selling a variety of cultivars - the dwarfs with their wide range of foliage textures are very popular, as is 'Sekkan'. I also pass by a number of larger established Elegans in local gardens, now sporting their reddish-maroon winter coloration. They are very striking!
It is not so much the heat that may be the limiting factor but a lack of a consistently moist root run. In their native range, these are rain forest trees or where there is a nearby water source.
In their fact sheet on this plant, NCSU states this: "Western redcedar will suffer in hot, humid climates but may be able to grow in the North Carolina mountains. This species grows in full sun, partial shade, or dappled sunlight and prefers consistently moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter and an acidic to neutral pH. It does not tolerate drought or dry winds."
And that last issue is even becoming a concern here in their native habitat. Increasing incidents of what's known as cedar dieback have been documented throughout Washington, Oregon and southern BC and officially attributed to climate change - a series of hotter and much drier summers.
If it is struggling here - and it is - it hasn't got much hope in hotter and drier parts of the country. Any growing in OH should be regarded as very temporary visitors.
Tell me Henry, what sort of horticultural background do you have to support these pronouncements? How long have you been growing Thuja plicata in OH? Got any photos to share? What does "for a while" mean with a tree that has the potential for a lifespan of 1000 years?
Ever heard of the concept of "right plant, right place"?
" I wonder how one would do in pure muck soil where taxodium grow, if inland enough where saltwater flooding isn't a problem."
Not well! It would last about a week in summer before the root rots would take it out! In the rest of the southeast where they do grow, they definitely only grow on well drained soils. I have had one die from root rot. In spite of being hexaploid, they are not invincible.
FWIW, there's a 'trick' about the PNW - coastal CA climate. I saw rhododendrons almost in the bottom of swales at the old Greer Gardens in Eugene, OR.* You would NEVER see them growing somewhere like that in PA, NJ, or MD. But...the time plants like rhodies and redwood are most susceptible to root rot organisms is in the summer. That's when most of those disease organisms grow best...at temps >= 15C. I see redwoods in the native environs growing in soil that appears year round damp, but guess what? It's only going to be inundated with water, during California's wet winters! Likewise with the rhodies that would experience wet (but not underwater, mind you) soil conditions at Greer...only in winter! There's just NO WAY for Eugene to have 3" of hot wet rain in late July, on a single day, as we can have! (or, now that I think about it, at Sonoma Horticultural Nursery, which is called something else these days, the same is true. Although Polo did put some rhodies on the lowest plains of his property in impromptu little raised beds. That might be necessary because he was so mild in winter, root rot organisms could still grow well during the wet season.)
Now that a nursery has supposedly grafted Sequoia onto Metasequoia, maybe people in the southeast can plant them in poorly drained soils with abandon. We'll see.
* - although, TBH, it wasn't much to see and not even as nice as the peak of NJ Rarefind around the time Hank died in 2009, I'm glad I got to see it in 2011 and meet the famous Mr. Greer. Greer might have had rarer, more tender cultivars in zone 8a, but Rarefind had just more plants, and better displayed, period, in their 6b garden.
"plants cannot just "adapt" to a radically different climate from their native one."
Radically no, but quite different, yes. That S. sempervirens have grown to large size roughly 100' ...anywhere in the east coast is a testament to just how amazingly adaptable they are. Yet they have, from Abbeville, SC, up to Philly...and over to east Texas. But always on well drained soil, btw. Being hexaploid probably helps.