skip to main content

seedlings all planted.........hip hip hooray!

15 years ago

200 Norway spruce, 200 hybrid larch, and 100 ponderosa pine are now resting comfortably.......in the ground. One of my sons and I finished up the job Fri. and yesterday. The beauty part is, I took a gamble on "dry planting" them, and it payed off with heavy rain Fri. night and more rain since, such that we did not have to water in any of the last 300 or so. What a relief, as that is the hardest, most excruciating part of the whole operation. This last bunch, the 300 odd plants, have not been mulched yet either, but that will be a pleasure, esp. once I get my big-wheeled cart.

I would like to offer my enthusiastic pleasure in working with stock from www.itascagreenhouse.com. These trees were grown and delivered in a styro-tray, each little cell being roughly 1 inch by six inches deep. Seedlings are simply grasped at their bases, and pulled out to plant. I found this stock to be of very high quality, and very feasible to work with. The NS in particular, were of great quality. The roots, such as they are, are growing straight downward in these cells, which at this early stage of the game, is beneficial, as Spruceman has pointed out. Though inconsequential as far as their ultimate rooting habit, it is still desirable to have them go "deep" at this early stage, to stay in moister soil.

Anybody who has followed my posts before knows I love rain, and rain and more rain is what we're getting these last few days.

I still have some white cedar......Thuja occidentalis.....to dig out of the woods in a few locations and move up to the main planting area, but this too will be a pleasurable bit of work now that the main slug of plants are in.

+oM

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

greenlarry
15 years ago
Great stuff. But you do know we want to see pictures...;)
0
spruceman
15 years ago
Tom:

Great--that's a lot of trees. I planted 50 NS, 50 shortleaf pine, and about 95 other assorted things.

How did last year's NS come through the winter? I lost a bunch--about 12 or 15 of my NS because of the extremely harsh conditions last winter. Literally no snow, and very high winds with extremely low temps, for here. The ground froze very, very deeply--below the level of the deepest roots, and the seedlings just dried out.

Anyway, that is not so bad, because I needed some places to plant the Romanian seed source seedlings I got from the Virginia Forestry Dept. I know I will lose some more to critters, or whatever, but my screen is coming along. Many of the seedlings I planted last year are very strong and I look forward to this year's growth.

I wonder what Pam is doing this year. Are you there Pam??

--Spruce
0
Related Discussions
first pap cross to bloom!!!!!!
Q
Comments (80)
Ashley, nice to hear from you again..those seeds you sent me are still growing, maybe in a few years I'll be posting pictures of YOUR crosses!! Joe, But of course....!! Haven't used any yet, it's in the fridge and there wasn't really much pollen at all.. My original Exotic Star is sleeping and I had it planted outside in a barrel so it won't have any roots this season so..I bought another one a few days ago. When it blooms I might try the same cross again, but, I WON'T keep any of the seeds. I'll offer them up if anyone wants to give them a try. The only thing is that I notice that this year's Exotic Stars seem to be lighter in color than my original one was..less pink. And, on an unrooted bulb she may not set seeds so easily. But, I might give it a try anyway just to see if the same cross will take again. I've got a few Fairy Tale x Lemon Star (or the other way around) that look like they might big enough to bloom..I'm hoping before the winter is over one will send up a scape! Not really an exciting cross though but, you never know....Stay tuned..... Donna
...See More
went to a plant sale and this is what I got...
Q
Comments (20)
Every year our town has 2 big plant sales. First it is the Friendly Garden Club. Their sale is so big, they have to rent space at the fairgrounds for the sale. Last year I bought so much stuff I couldn't get it all in my car, I had to make a 2nd trip. It is all local stuff that grows well in our area. A week later the Historical group has a plant sale and I always buy a lot from them. The most I ever paid for a plant was $5 for a curly willow tree and another $5 for a Japanese maple. Most plants are just a dollar or two. I love those sales. I have 5 acres and I have lots of room. I will just have to start another bed or 2.
...See More
All Dayliles Planted Until Spring Orders! Whew!
Q
Comments (14)
Kay, I have a Wild Blue Yonder that I was very disappointed with........until this fall! It has really shown me why I wanted it so badly!! It has just gone nuts and has doubled in size and the blooms are just incredibly beautiful. That is also the case with my St. Patrick's Day rose right beside it and the John F. Kennedy Rose. They are all in a row along my driveway, along with an English rose and another Floribunda and they have all taken off finally like gangbusters and are turning into the roses I was hoping for. It seemed like it took those particular roses a while longer than usual to get established, and once they did, my, my, my how beautiful they are this fall! My big rose garden that I finally got the bermuda grass under control with Ornamec is just beautiful now, so I finally feel like all the effort putting in the 120+ roses in the last two years is paying off and is something I can be proud of like I wanted it to be to begin with. I found out that gardening in this part of Texas has brought tremendous challenges that I never had with my roses in New Mexico! I had lots of sun and DRY heat there, but not this darn humidity and I never knew what it was like to have to deal with blackspot until I started rose gardening here. Have I ever learned lots that I didn't know before here!! LOL Jan G.
...See More
Herb & Edible Flower Swap
Q
Comments (193)
yeah, got it =) and very happy with the seeds. i am so ready to plant some more seeds, got some freshy beds all made up and squared away...ready to go. so now i know what i am doing tommorow . and thanks everyone else who participated, you all rock =)
...See More
wisconsitom
Original Author
15 years ago
Last years planting of NS came through just fine. There is just the slightest amount of winter needle burn on a few, but nothing major. Funny how weather and climate works sometimes.........I am certain our lowest low temps far exceeded yours, Spruce, but we had continuous snowcover from early December right through the winter, and probably less frost depth than you experienced in ol Virginny.

Some slightly larger Abies nordmanniana did burn to a bright orange-brown after one of the late winter thaws exposed them to the air. But even these appear to be okay.......buds full and hard. Likewise the handful of Green Giants.....quite burnt looking, but here too, I think, okay in the long term.

I have a number of Thuja o's from the woods I still plan to transplant this spring. It actually got quite dry here through the first half of April, but after three or four days of rain, that's certainly no longer the case. BTW, Spruce, thanks so much for the email.

+oM
0
gardener365
15 years ago
That is so funny, Spruce.... excuse me Tom. I was thinking about Pam "Chesbay" just yesterday.

Tom, congratulations!

Daxs
0
barbaraincalif
15 years ago
Wow...quite an accomplishment Tom. How far did you have to pack the water...8.5# per gallon gets heavy really fast!

Barbara
0
barbaraincalif
15 years ago
I just looked through your long "happy happy joy joy" posting from last year. It was like a good short story...had to read the end to find out if Spruceman EVER got rain!

Wondering which of the spruces you found to be the most drought tolerant? I'm looking for an adaptable rootstock for our hot, dry California summers.

Thanks,
Barbara

Here is a link that might be useful: happy happy joy joy
0

Related Stories

DECORATING GUIDES Hemp, Hemp, Hooray! This Superplant May Be Legal Again in the USA

By Karen Peterson

Hemp products are durable, sustainable, antibacterial and much more. Will the plant finally get the status it’s due in the States?

MOST POPULAR My Houzz: Hip Midcentury Style for a Mom's Backyard Cottage

By Angela Flournoy

This 1-bedroom suite has everything a Texas mother and grandmother needs — including the best wake-up system money can't buy

DECORATING GUIDES 4 Hip Hues for 2013 and How to Use Them at Home

By Jennifer Ott Design

Strike a bluesy chord that's decidedly upbeat or make things greener on your side of the fence, with fresh paint colors for the new year

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Killy and Oliver's Hip Harlem Apartment

By Lily Gahagan

Color, Clever Storage and Editing Turns a Tiny Apartment Into a Gem

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: An Austin Architect's Hip, Modern Home

A Texas architect designs a midcentury-inspired, indoor-outdoor living space for ease, flow and utility

FUN HOUZZ 12 Hints You're Becoming a Hipster

By Nina Montenegro

Air plants overcrowding your trophy vase? Repurposed crate sagging under your vintage camera collection? Hipness may have hit your home

KITCHEN DESIGN New This Week: Moody Kitchens to Make You Rethink All-White

By Mitchell Parker

Not into the all-white fascination? Look to these kitchens for a glimpse of the dark side

NATIVE PLANTS Great Native Plant: Grow Wild Quinine for Its Unique Clusters of Blooms

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Get connoisseur cred and unique blooms with this uncommon plant. Bonus assets: It’s low maintenance and drought tolerant

DECORATING GUIDES Houzz Tour: Layered Look Adds a Fresh Sense of Style

By Mary Jo Bowling

Midcentury art, pottery and a mix of furnishings bring a hip edge to a traditional Los Angeles home

FUN HOUZZ Houzz Quiz: What Color Should Your Front Door Be?

By Jennifer Ott Design

Think you’re hip enough for orange? Or optimistic enough for yellow? Take our front-door personality quiz and find out

Sponsored

Hope Restoration & General Contracting

35 Reviews

Columbus Design-Build, Kitchen & Bath Remodeling, Historic Renovations

More Discussions

Dawn redwood at Longwood Gardens PA

9

Front of the house 24 years later

13

About 8 yrs ago...

16

Bought a beautiful Larix laricina today :)

5

My garden 2024 More later

2