Mine was planted as a 1 gallon about the size of yours in Spring '07. It has grown like a weed since then. (It's between 10-12 ft. right now) Here's a photo taken 6/2/10

Dan

One thing I'll mention is that it may burn some in full sun early in it's life. I've had several specimens over the last two years, some in half-sun, some in full-sun and some in late-afternoon sun and all but the half-sun had brownish edges on the upper portions of the foliage.

Dan, Where did you purchase your plant? I have had Gold Rush for at least 5 years and it will not produce a leader. I am thinking of taking a cutting and seeing if that will help.

My plant is grafted and it wants to remain the side branch it was on the original tree. Beautiful plant, but not performing like it should.
Mike

Hi Mike, I actually got it at Eastfork Nursery which is a Japanese Maple nursery. She gets all of her stuff from Bucholtz & Bucholtz and at the time had a bunch of them and it was a last minute add on for $15. I had similar results as you with my first one, which kind of went sideways for a year or two and then got munched up by rabbits. This one is planted on the Northeast corner of my house in a raised bed in rich moist soil. It pretty much immediately took off. It really gets a lot of late season growth and will no doubt be another 3 feet tall by the end of the season. It pretty much shot by my opportunity to move it at a managable size, so it's staying here. I've seen quite a few nice ones at local nurseries out of Bizon nursery recently. They're 4-5 ft. tall and dense with a nice stong leader. They're going for around $199 retail if you don't mind spending the money. Good luck with yours.

Dan

I planted mine about 5 years ago. Has doubled in size. The first year it burned so bad I thought I lost it. It came back the 2nd year and burned again to a lesser degree. Since then absolutely no issues and growing like a weed.

Dave
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Gorgeous specimen Dave!!!

Dan

Now that you mention the branch look, that is what mine is growing like! Its a grafted fella from ForestFarm.

Hopefully it figures out its a tree now and straightens up.

Dan, Dave, both of you have excellent upright looking trees. Is mine a bit lighter or that just an effect from being able to get right up on it still with the camera?

The biggest one I ever saw was in a new botanical garden just east of KC. Looked mostly like Dave's.

Here is my wife standing next to it, and I THINK a regular dawn redwood (maybe bald cypress now I'm looking at it, who knows). Figured it was in full sun in late June and looking pretty well so I'd be ok. Not to mention KC is just a little cooler than me over the winter. I'm worried now about my zone 6 summers.

FWIW, I have a 10' tall specimen I brought down from Minnesota when I moved here 3 years ago (it was probably 7' tall then). I have only minor burn late in summer here. Mine gets only a few hours of direct sun in the mid-morning and I keep it watered very well. I am on sandy soil and Metasequoia really only do well here if they get enough water. 'Ogon' (the correct cultivar name for this) grows much more slowly for me than the species. In Minnesota, it seemed to grow just as fast.

I've got 8-10' specimens on sale at our local nursery for $99! :p

I have several specimens in my yard, I simply love the golden hues that get stronger by about mid-July here.

Mine as well grow like a weed, easy 2-3' a year growth and they are just now getting established.

Spring 2008

-Will

I have a Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Goldrush the
best gold conifer around. Are they all one clone?

Mike you have to stake one sidebranch and cut all the others off.
Watch it for a while and you'll see that a leader will appaer...

Here's mine.
A normal Metasequoia is in the background in front of a friend's truck and chipper.

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Botann, that is a neat set up you have! Bet the truck and chipper comes in handy also. How long have you had each of yours in the ground?

firefightergardener, you have a bit of a collection going on. Looks like the goldrush (ahem, 'Ogon'), is outgrowing the rest. Nice to see. With any luck mine will put on similar growth. That's an unreal amount of growth in two years!

Ogon is the correct name? I can use that from now on.

'Ogon' was the name of this cultivar when it was exported to Europe, then the U.S. out of Japan. It was given the name 'Gold Rush' once it made it here. That is what I have read about it anyway.

Toronado, the 'Ogon' was planted in 2006. The normal green Metasequoia is about 22 yrs old. I have another that is 30 years old. It has grown the fastest.

It was Larry Stanley who renamed the 'Ogon' into 'Goldrush'.
He bought a specimen from Japan under the name 'Ogon' which is the original name that must be used.
I have to change this also at my website... ;0)

coniferjoy, what do you think about putting both names up there. Especially if you sell them.

Reason why is ppl like me. When I went searching for Goldrush I searched by that name because I didn't know any better. If you just had Ogon I might have made the connection by a picture, maybe not.

If you have "Ogon (aka informally as Goldrush)" as the plant's name both novices like myself would be sure to recognize it, and folks who know what they're talking about would give a knowing wink.

Hi toronado,
I always put both names at my website assortment list. Since today it's Metasequioa glyptostroboides 'Ogon' ('Goldrush')
Yesterday it was Metasequioa glyptostroboides 'Goldrush' ('Ogon')
I do the same with other conifers if I do have the information like Abies koreana 'Kohout's Icebreaker' ('Ice Breaker, Silberlocke W.B.') or Abies alba 'Schwarzwald' ('Badenweiler').
This info is very important when ppl like you try to find conifers by Google.
I'm aware of this but most conifer selling websites are not so much informative...

Edwin, I gotta ask. How many different cultivars do you sell? How long have you been collecting and in the nursery business? You seem young??

-Will

Will, at the moment I sell 1.351 differend conifers.
You can see this number at the top of my website assortment list.
I started collecting conifers when I was learning at school for this proffesion back in 1988 when I was 18 years, a quick counting tells us that I'm collecting conifers and in the nursery business now for 22 years ;0)

This one doubled in size the first year I had it. Here's a picture taken just before I planted it.

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I don't see why everyone who has the room and climate doesn't have at least one. I'd like a grove.

botann, next move I make I might be tempted to plant a few. Especially if I end up with highway frontage. Folks WILL notice.

great pictures guys, thanks
this is great inspiration for my little ones

do any of you DR owners have Japanese Beetle problems with yours?

these pests were in the garden last year. this year, they are still there, but now they've decided to branch out to the dawn redwoods.

so far, the homemade pepper spray made by stewing last years hot peppers is helping (strained, put in spray bottle) but it's hard to keep up.....

any tips?

All of yours look good compared to mine. I have Metasequoia glyptostroboides ÂLittle Giant and 'Ogon'/'Goldrush'. Both from Greer Gardens.
Both arrived as bare root plants in plastic bags
in spring 2009 and didn't do anything the first summer
except survive (barely).

Now in 2010 ... the Ogon was appearing dead to me, so I moved it in desparation after my basement worked trashed a couple branches on it moving drywall into the basement.

I moved it into a wet swale (thinking it needed more light and moisture)... in the front yard ... and it has since shown life again ... put is currently 95% twig and 5% bright yellow new growth. Similarly, the Little Giant also appeared dead, but is now putting on the first growth since emerging from a long winter of looking like a dead twig.

It'll be interesting to see if these live at 6500' in Colorado or not. So far, mine look so pathethic I haven't posted any pictures.

bunkers, I'd still love to see a picture even if it isn't the "best" You know them bristle cone pines are kind of gnarly trees themselves and we all love them.

hogmanay, I see japanese beetles on my regular dawn redwood often enough. I almost never see 1/2 eaten needles though. Sometimes mine gets brown spots on the needles. Maybe its the damage from the beetles, who knows.

And winner of the most pathetic Goldrush Metasequoia is ...

And my 'little giant' isn't much better.

Bunkers, this tree appears like it will come back just fine. By the looks of it there is a bunch of new buds.. It looks like it had a rough winter, but I think it will survive.

J

Thanks ... I hope your right. Most of the buds are from last summer ... I think it got nailed by a late snow in 2009 after being planted.

This thing is still BRIGHT! I'll have to try harder to get better pics. I thought it would be slower growing and have more of a yellow over green effect. Perhaps after it gets larger and isn't just a grafted branch which is just starting to look like a tree.

hi, bunkers, could you update the growth of your little giant (assuming it made it)? is it growing as advertised or (slower, smaller) or the same as the species?

Since Webshots, my former picture hosting site, shot itself in the foot, I thought I'd update my 'Ogon's" growth. The species is on the left. Looking west.
Mike