Miniature Conifers in San Diego

14 years ago

I'm starting to build up a small collection of miniature/dwarf conifer collection , they are doing great , esp with the rain , cold nights with warm days . I was told that here in San Diego , dwarf/miniature conifers do not do very well . On occassions we can have heat up to 105F day with the nights tapering off about 75 in the summer . In order for me to prepare for the summer days ahead , how can I keep the little guys from frying ? They are in miniature bonsai pots so would I need to water them daily ? maybe even twice a day if they are in the full summer sun ? Any advice and pointers is greatly appreciated !

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

firefightergardener
14 years ago
I'd give them some shade and/or a microclimate that is a bit cooler then ambient air. I think the daytime high's are OK as long as they aren't types that hate warm temps(some Abies in particular). It's the nighttime low's that may be trouble. Conifers don't like warm evenings, though I would guess 75 is probably marginally OK, again, at least for some types. I think Cedrus, Pines and Picea pungens are some of your best options.

-Will
pineresin
14 years ago
Picea pungens will suffer badly from winter heat problems - it needs a cold winter (with winter minima below -8ÃÂ°C), particularly to kill off the various pests that plague it in milder areas.

Otherwise, agree pines and cedars are the ones to go for.

Resin
Related Discussions
Miniature Okra?
Q
Comments (4)
Bunky, I garden just across the lake from you in Wisconsin. Okra is a bit of a stretch for our climate... we just don't have the heat, or the long season, that it thrives in. I grew CS when I lived in San Diego, and it grew 6 feet tall. Here, it grew to just over a foot, before the leaves began to turn brown & the plants died one by one. I tried several other allegedly "short season" okras, with no better results. However, one that I tried last year finally lived up to its description. "Penta-green" (sold by Sand Hill Preservation) not only went all summer, but was able to mature seed. The plants were under 2 feet tall, and fairly well-branched in late Summer. The key to its success is that it seemed more resistant to the wilt than other varieties; it lost a few leaves, but continued to grow.
...See More
San Diego 82nd Annual Rose Show visit
Q
Comments (4)
allison, my husband and I visited the San Diego Rose Show, too. It was the first time ever that I went to a rose show and I found it very informative to see what roses other people grow well here in our area. I was also very impressed by some of the flower arrangements. Two HT roses that I found outstanding in the rose show that you didn't mentioned were the HT Brides' Dream and Stainless Steel. The miniatures 'Alisha' and 'Heather Sproul' were also very lovely. Somehow I don't grow miniatures yet, but that will change, soon :-)! It was interesting to see the David Austin Roses test garden and also the part were the Barona Casino and Resort has its own rose collection, but in both sections they grow exclusively roses, which are arranged in a very "orderly and ridged way", which is just not my thing. But it gives you a good idea which roses grow well in SoCa and it is always good to see a rose in person. In the gardens I found The Dark Lady (DA), Honor and again Brides' Dream very appealing.
...See More
San Diego Design Section
Q
Comments (7)
Hi Jo... Steve and I shared a rather unique relationship. For whatever reason, the first time I met him, he had been assigned to exhibit right next to all of my entries. He was such a gentleman and had such a wonderful sense of humor and was very supportive and helpful to everyone who asked a question. He was having difficulty walking and was using a large, bulky hotel luggage cart to bring his arrangements to the exhibit area. The aisles were very narrow and we were constantly tripping over each other as we put our arrangements on the table. By the time we were finished we both had the giggles. I noticed that he was using a syringe to add water as the final touch to some of his designs and asked him where he got them from. As a nurse, I knew that you needed a doctor's prescription in order to have syringes. It was then that he explained his medical problems and said that he had been using them for several years and promised to give me a couple of empty syringes so that I could add that little bit of extra water that tiny arrangements so often needed. The episode of the bulky luggage cart was a constant source of joking between us each time we met afterwards. At the Philadelphia show when I won a keeper trophy I found his name inside the box that contained the glass vase on the day that we got word that Steve had passed away. That trophy means more to me as a reminder of Steve than the winning of it imparted. Meg
...See More
Conifer for San Diego California?
Q
Comments (34)
concerning "double digit" low temps I was there in 1990 when I believe that the low was around 9!!! that said, the coastal land near-coastal area is mostly USDA 9a and fairly mild most of the time as far as winters go---but my place gets some white frost on the ground most every year so "zone 9" is not a magic charm against cold weather by any means. FWIW, the biggest cordyline australis in bandon that I'm aware of is probably about 25' tall (coos bay/north bend plants are about the same size). the big "champion" douglas fir your are referring to are actually several miles inland around coquille and myrtle point generally in protected ravines that are moister in the dry summers and protected to some degree from wind storms. no doubt there were also big trees closer to the coast once upon a time but they likely got cut down rather quickly when the logging business came in the latter part of the 19'th century. a great book about the various champion trees of many species is "forest giants of the pacific coast" by Robert Van Pelt (he also has a good book on the various champion trees of Washington state as well). the "giants' book is beautifully illustrated so it's great just to look at as well as read through.
...See More
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
hey

let me tell you something very important .... 99% of gardeners.. will drop everything to help teach new peeps their passion [ dont even get me started on the other 1% ...lol ...] ...

see the link ..

there is a bonsai club in SD .... join it ...

they are masters of growing things in pots ... and they are local ... even if you arent really interested in bonsai per se .... you will learn a lot about growing things in your city ....

us peeps on the WWW are willing to give you lots of help.. but when it comes down to the nitty gritty .. they are just opinions or theories about how it will all work in SD ...

and let us know after the next monthly meeting how it all goes ...

good luck

ken

PS: look like the next meeting is this sunday.. go figure on that ....

Here is a link that might be useful: link
bamboo_turtles
Original Author
14 years ago
THANKS so much for your help Ken , yes I think their meeting is this sunday along with the famous Cactus and Succulent Society show .... Gonna be an expensive weekend !

Miniature Conifers in San Diego

Comments (4)

firefightergardener

pineresin

Related Discussions

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

bamboo_turtles
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Miniature Conifers in San Diego

Comments (4)

firefightergardener

pineresin

Related Discussions

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

bamboo_turtlesOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

bamboo_turtles
Original Author