Beautiful garden. I really appreciate your intensity. You have created a paradise-a worthy goal. It looks alot like my nursery except yours is a couple of orders magnitude bigger. When your plants mature you can move some to your open space. I wish you were my neighbor so I could see all the plants in their real glory. That intensity is you and I tend to think we should cultivate the unique things we have.
Gary

I love checking out your garden. It is incredible. Keep up the great work!!!
Just wondering, I also have a bunch to trees in containers.. Do you re-pot yours every once in a while? Any root trimming?

Thanks in advance! : )

I have several hundred temporary pots, conifers, maples, hostas and others in 1-5 gallon pots. I do repot them into five gallon pots if they spend a full year in their 1 gallon pot. For my permanent pots, front and back I do plan on repotting things, but only the ones in the smaller pots. The conifers in the largest pots will be put into the ground sometime during the next 8-12 years or as they overgrow their spot. Watering the pots is one of the harder, more frequent tasks I have. I have to limit my Summer-time vacations to about 7-10 days or less.

Thanks for the compliments!

-Will

I admire your determination and enthusiasm. I like the woodland backdrop to your garden. I can imagine just how much enjoyment you get from all the plants in your collection. Looking very lush too - we currently need the rain believe it or not in the UK!
Richard

One of the things I like best about your garden Will is the "secret garden" feeling it has to it. The surrounding woods provide a terric backdrop and it appears that to be in it is to be transported to a different world where no matter which way you turn there is another rare and wonderful plant to greet you. The paths invite you in and make you wonder what's around the next corner. You've done a terrific job in a short period of time!

Dan

One thing I can add too is that plants only go up in value unless, that is, you don't water them. From your "70" hour work weeks, you could set aside one day every so often, possibly place an ad in a newspaper, and utilze that space under your mature conifers as a nursery. And the best part is you live in a climate that wouldn't require you to protect the pots...

That's some smart stuff Will...... imagine a cartoon character right now tapping the side of his head with a big cheesy grin, well, that's me right now.

Dax

Good call there Dax. I think that Don Howse trades scion from his collection with a grafter/wholesaler for upkeep and a share of the grafted plants.

Keith

You are indeed right Keith. R & R Nursery.

Dax

How do you overwinter the plants in the permanent pots?

Will,
I am always in awe when I look at your gardens. I get a really peaceful feeling from looking at all of the photos of your gardens. Simply stunning.

You are a man after my own heart - I plant the same way and wouldn't have it any other way.

I, too, want one of everything - we share the OCD thing - and right now I have a little less than 200 potted conifers. I am slowly getting them into the ground and I'm going to donate some of them to a local garden club for a sale that's coming up. A number of the potted conifers are just cuttings I've taken and started in past years. I had to quit rooting cuttings because it was becoming a big pain in the butt to protect them for the winter. I lost quite a few this winter to the bunnies, unfortunately.

Please keep the photos coming!

Out of all of the conifers you have, could you give us a list of your top ten favorites? (if that's possible?) I'd be interested in knowing which plants have really caught your eye and stand out as must-haves.
Thanks,
Mike

Sure thing Mike. Yesterday in the late evening after a lot of maintenance, work and watering, I realized I wasn't spending enough time enjoying my plants. This morning I took a leisurely stroll and a handful of pics. I've included 5 'indespensible conifers', 5 that I think all collectors should really own and then another ten that currently sit high on my own list. It will undoubtably change over time and as my plants acquire more character.

First, five conifers to plant instead of the dreaded 'Lowe's' conifers(arborvitae, picea pungens 'glauca', etc.):

Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns'. Hands down the most interesting, graceful, stately conifers for sale. Not readily available in larger sizes, hopefully this changes as few conifers create such a statement. Only gets better with age. This. particular specimen is growing quite irregularly at an early age.

Picea abies 'Gold Drift' and 'The Blues'. This is sort of cheating, two conifers in one. Both are strong weepers and grow about the same rate. The combination of colors simply demanded this sort of marriage.

Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph'. Wonderfully compact and of course, the brightest, best looking gold from about November to April.

Picea mariana 'Aureovarigata'. A simply beautiful, large conifer. Three colored effect.

Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace'. A phenominally beautiful, slightly weeping conifer simply makes most upright blue spruces obsolete.

And Ten that really caught my eye or already had my eye.

Abies procera 'Blaue Hexe'. A stunningly blue small dwarf. I love it.

Pice orientalis 'Iseli Seedling'. Super form and color, even in a lot of sun.

Picea sitchensis 'Thomas'. A tiny mound of great colors, especially with new growth.

Picea pungens 'Wisconsin Cream'. Great color contrast between old and new growth. Normal habit is of the medium dwarf upright type - a compact wide cone.

Picea orientalis 'Nutans'. Great character, this one should be fun to watch.

Abies vejari. A rare fir from Mexico, it has stunning new *and* old growth. The new growth borders on teal or aqua-marine. It's the most interesting color in a conifer I have seen. Apparently has great cones as well.

Cedrus libani 'Hedgehog'. A cool little hedgehog, small dwarf with huge needles and a very interesting mounding habit.

Cedrus libani 'Green Knight'. Very nice color and usually grows irregularly. Great small dwarf.

Picea omorika 'Peve Tijn' or 'Tijn'. Great golden/blue/green hues, handles full sun and forms a perfect upright form in great time.

Hope you enjoyed!

-Will

Looks great! It's fun to watch your garden grow and begin to mature.

OCD? Is that, Obsessive Conifer Disorder? Love it!

Great photos as always. And don't let anyone talk you out of continuing to grow that garden....because you're my cover.

Any time my wife tells me to quit spending so much time and money planting new trees, I say " Hey, I could have Will's garden "....lol

mark

Will, I only just had a chance to really look at the pictures of your beautiful garden! Just gorgeous. . . . All those conifers were just crying out for some hostas to keep them company!

I do have a question about the pea gravel (I think that's what it is) that you use in your pathways. Do you use it on a gentle slope, or are all of your trails pretty flat? Does it tend to wash out/scatter after rain?

Will,you have done asuperb job with your garden.It's a shame you don't have 5 or 10 acres you would have every confer and maple available. Good job, Joe

Thanks, Will! I've been busy and have not had a chance to check through the threads in the conifers forum until now.

Incredible photos and plants. I have a few of the conifers that you've mentioned, but, unfortunately, I can't grow any Cedrus - well, almost. I have some Cedrus libani var. Stenocoma seedlings that are still small enough to stay under the snow in the winter and survive. I may see if I can find the cultivar 'Hedgehog' and give it a try. Love the needles on that plant.

I have to say that the marriage of 'The Blues' and 'Gold Drift' is nothing short of stunning. You really have an artists eye when it comes to pairing plants. I have a small 'Gold Drift' but I think I need to get 'The Blues' and copy that pairing in my own garden. Luckily, both are hardy in zone 4a!

Stunning gardens and photos, Will. Thanks so much for taking the time to put those plants and photos together. It's very much appreciated.
Mike

I think things have been slow and steady. I've just worked on my gardens frequently, a little bit at a time and the work should pay off down the road. Plants will come and go, I'll try and add perennials, ground covers, hostas, etc. to fill the small places, maybe a few pieces of garden art. I'd also like to encourage nature as much as possible, everything but slugs I think!

razorbackfan, the gravel I used is just 1/4-minus. I put in about a 3" layer and smashed it down as well as I could. Generally we get pretty consistent light rains compared to the rest of the country and thus far at least(18 months) I haven't had a problem with erosion. Weeds are present but exceptionally rare and they pop out quickly. I like that the wind seems to clean it pretty well, despite several trees that drop a LOT of liter, I never rake or sweep and yet you see how it looks - pretty clean.

Mike, I first saw 'Gold Drift' and 'The Blues' together at Boyko Nursery. They had HUGE specimens, which I happen to shoot photos of. Nothing short of stunning - and unfortunately not for sale. But WOW are they amazing together.

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Glad you folks enjoyed looking at my chaos! Someday it will have real planning behind it!

-Will

Will, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your gardens. They are a marvel.