Most of the mid-Atlantic, the water is too deep and salty. I've read that Sequoia sempervirens grows well on the Azores, though.

Resin

This subject came up a couple of months ago,go back to a thread called[A new giant sequoia site]
A very informative site by greyneddle

lp

S.giganteum endures down to -5 or -10C no problems. S.sempervirens is much more tender, but I think it will endure -5 without dying although it might be damaged.

Actually I think S.g. will survive down to -15 or -20c, while S.s. will probably survive down to -10c.

/Hans Olav

Davs Hans Olav,

Sequoiadendron giganteum will take temperatures down to -25°C with no damage, and a few degrees colder than that with only minor foliage damage. Sequoia sempervirens gets slight damage around -10 to -15°C, and killed below about -20°C.

Resin

Is this statement too good to be true?

"In general terms, it is believed that glaucous or blue conifer forms may be one USDA zone more hardy than green counterparts; for example Sequoia sempervirens is rated to USDA Zone 7, but the blue forms 'filoli' and 'albo spica' can survive in USDA Zone 6."

How about the 2 preceding sentences? Unfortunately, they don't give any references.

"Lab analysis shows glaucous or blue conifers have a larger density of stomata on leaf surfaces than green conifers, and exude resin is sufficient quantity and quality to reduce transpiration. Pitch chemistry contains more heptanes and terpenes, lowering the critical temperature at which vascular damaging ice crystals form."

I'd be very dubious about it. They might survive a few years in zone 6 given a run of average or above average winters, but as soon as there's a below average winter, bang.

Resin

do we have to keep having the same conversations over and over? Please people, use the search feature to locate old threads!
There has been a Sequoia semprevirens in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania for many, many years. Possibly going back to the 1930s. It is NOT glaucous. (thank god) It must have withstood somewhat lower than Resin's -20C figure. How much lower, I cannot be sure, Swarthmore is on the southern end of a highly urbanized area. I read a history of Philly gardens written in the 1940s that noted that 6 S.s. were tried in the area at various arboreta and prominent collector's gardens, all died bar what is/was probably the Swarthmore tree. Given the weather in the 30s, they probably died in summer droughts tho I cannot be sure of that. (30s were not known for cold winters as I understand it, though there might have been a couple)

This clone was held by Camellia Forest and they were about to market it, but they lost their source plant to last year's drought. Not enough water to keep it and the camellias alive. Fortunately the NCSU Arboretum has a nice large specimen in case something happens to the Swarthmore tree.

ALSO there is a tree in the northern suburbs of DC. ALSO there is a tree in Williamsburg, VA. These have both withstood right around -20C.

don't think I'm blaming you. Although, I think you should have bumped an old thread, the site should be prompting people before starting a thread to review old ones first and bump them if they want to add something.
I have to periodically correct well meaning people who think any non-maritime climate is like gardening in South Dakota and that nothing but dog roses, dandelions, and tumbleweeds grow here, so it annoys me when new threads get started on old topics.

I have what I think are 4 giant sequoia's in my yard. I bought the seeds online but now I'm wondering if I got sequoia's or arizona cypress seeds. Anyways, the seeds were planted in July of 2002 and now the trees are about 10 feet tall. They don't mind heat, drought, or cold. I'm in Virginia about an hour south of Washington. They are already starting to produce seed pods. Can anyone tell me how I can determine if I do indeed have sequoia's or if they are Arizona cypress?

Can you post a photo?

Otherwise, look at the leaves, or the scales on the cones ("pods") - are they arranged in pairs, or spirally?

Resin

jim
Arizona Cypress foliage will resemble that of Eastern Red Cedar only it will be thicker and the color is usually blue-gray-green or gray-green. Bark on younger trees is fairly smooth, tends to be gray and scaly, flakes off revealing reddish-brown color underneath. Seed is produced in round cones that sort of resembles a bald cypress cone.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CUAR&photoID=cuar_2v.jpg

Above link has picture of Arizona Cypress foliage.

Cones of:
Sequoiadendron giganteum      Cupressus glabra

Resin

The seed pods on my trees are almost perfectly round like the cypress. Too bad, I was hoping they were Sequoia trees. I do have some pictures that I can post later.

I live in Carroll County MD and have a small, 2 year old, ~3 foot tall Sequoiadendron giganteum. It was ~ 8 inches when I got it bare root from the arborday foundation. Its doing just fine so far...

As far as I know, all of the locales mentioned are in zone 7 or warmer, including Swarthmore, PA. It does not come of great shock to me that the trees survive in those places. I have heard that the area in the eastern US that is most suitable for Sequoia sempervirens cultivation is the area of the Blue Ridge Mountains in S. Carolina. Powerful thunderstorms and hurricanes are probably your biggest enemies in zone 7 and warmer eastern locales.

Dennis

Agree that Swarthmore probably is zn 7, but, in the time since the 1950s when there were trees both there and at Williamsburg, you can be sure Swarthmore has been below 0F more often than Williamsburg. Williamsburg is really zn 7b and last 0F in 1994.

But it doesn't come as shock to me either. Lowly (literally, low elevation!) Walnut Creek, CA, got down to 12F in the huge 1990 PNW/Cali. freeze. Hundreds of miles north up in the coast ranges at 2500' there had to be hallows that were down around 0F or lower. And that's just in recorded history.

I have been trying to grow them in MD since 1999. Probably have lost over a dozen. My last one is about 20 ft tall and it looks awful! It's not the cold, it's the fungus! Ask Resin or Greyneedle - they will explain. Unless you are willing to regularly spray fungicides on the trees, it's a tough road to go down - at least that's my experience.

The quote posted by coniferophytus is bogus, "lab analysis" or not. Resin is not exuded from stomates, nor does it coat the leaves to reduce transpiration, or give a blue coloration. All that is done by epicuticular waxes, not resins.

"The quote posted by coniferophytus is bogus, "lab analysis" or not"

Nice to know that I'm not exuded from stomates!

;-)

Resin

Simple answer:

sempervirens can be grown in the southeast and can take the heat.

giganteum does not like high humidity heat, and grows much slower in east coast summers than it does out west with dry summers. Can be grown, but will not thrive and the amount of maintenance required usually makes it more of a specimen tree for arboretums and botanic gardens than anything else.

Basically, you want to grow a tree in the redwood family requiring less maintenance and much more ease, and you live on the east coast, stick with cunninghamia, cryptomeria, taxodium or metasequoia (or go for the gold with glyptostrobus if you live in zones 8 and above).

not sure about athrotaxis or taiwania on the east coast, any experience?

go for the gold with glyptostrobus if you live in zones 8 and above

HUH?

There are mature Glyptostrobus at both the National Arboretum and at Brookside Gardens. The National Arboretum is a cold part of the city but might just be zone "7B". Brookside is in a valley and is definitely zn 7, and went well below 0F in 1994. I saw a tree in 1998 that was at least 25' high with a 4"-5" caliper trunk, and therefore must have survived

Taiwania: probably zone 8 but might make it in zone 7; tolerates hot steamy summers very well but won't like drought.

Athrotaxis: a non-starter in hot summers, needs oceanic climates with mild winters and cool summers, and plenty of rain. Grows very well in western Britain, less good but not too bad in the drier southeast of Britain.

Resin

The glyptostrobus in D.C. are about forty years old and probably twenty feet tall.

Not exactly thriving. D.C. climate in the winter is a far cry from their native habit, and though is not an accurate gauge in most cases, it seems to be in this one. Keep in mind that these glyptostrobus are probably very well-managed and looked after, and probably especially were in their first years in D.C., getting established. It's not a plant I would recommend as a no-frills lawn specimen to the average gardener.

In rating plants for hardiness, it's normal to go with what's safe, not what's possible. I know you like to argue about these things so I'm going to leave it at that and not respond any further on this topic.

davidrt, I see your reply. Maybe you just needed to refresh the page or something?