Larix D. ' Pendula ' Weeping Larch...small garden area

9 years ago

I keep on finding contradictory mature size of this tree online. When we were at the nursery...the tree guy was gone for the day, the staff didn't know much about it.

I am afraid of the mature size...I've seen anywhere from 8-15' wide...which is a huge difference...but even 8' wide seems unattainable for my yard. Yet one site even boasted this was great for small yards. ???

Anyone who could shed some light on the matter?

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Comments (9)

Embothrium
9 years ago
Weeping Japanese larch, the common one sold as European is actually Japanese. And the one in the picture looks to be this kind. You can prune to control size.
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
Bboy...thank you! I really loved this tree. Again...before getting hopeful I wanted to learn more.
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Was it B&B or potted? When you have decided you have seen enough dig it up. If B&B wash the root ball free of dirt. Chances are you will see why it didn't make it. I am assuming you knew what to do if potted...did you over do it. Some times to much surgery will cause sudden demise of an other wise healthy plant. Been there ...done that. In the World Checklist of Conifers by Welch and Haddow, lst Edition, 1993 they indicate that a pendulous form of this plant has arisen more than once, but still rare in cultivation. Not saying you don't have it but it's probably Larix kaempferi 'Pendula' which is quite common in the trade here in the states and marked incorrectly as decidua. Sorry about your loss. Sorry about your loss.
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Thanks "unprofessional" - I called Gee Farms in Mich. The L. 'Pendula' they buy from another grower for resale are staked to 3 ft.; although they have a couple in-house grafts which are 18" / #3 cont. - a good lead, thanks - I'm still shopping tho ..... Hi Ken - thanks for the note - My purpose is a rock garden wall location for it to sprawl over & about the large boulders and weep over the wall edge - I'd rather have it creeping horizontally in a low profile against the glacial rocks than standing up and weeping vertically. What do you mean by a "band pot" - something like a grafted liner ? The reason I was expressing a pref for a weeping european vs a japanese cv was just an intuitive hunch about their respective hardiness for my Wisconsin location. I may indeed end up with an " ipso presto" decapitation technique like you so aptly describe if I end up with something taller than I want - thanks for that suggestion. While I understand why growers may want to stake weepers to get more pots / area; I think providing them as horizontal sprawlers as well as vertical weepers would ring up sales as well !
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
i dont like how small the pot is for the tree size ...

this plant will never get taller.. unless you train it higher ... in terms of a leader .... though it will slowly heap upon itself ... to some extent ...

it can take very hard pruning.. to make it into any shape or form you want ....

i would not buy that plant ... you might find it hard to properly stake once planted with that small rot mass ... and the stake there is useless ..

i would guess.. w/o looking it up.. it will grow at least a foot a year ... if not more .. i really dont understand its current flush of growth at this time ... perhaps a shorter second flush?????

i would suggest something in the 3 foot range .... and train it higher if you want such ...

the name you give is: Larix Decidua ' Pendula ' .. see link

bboy suggest L. kaempferi Pendula ... change goggle search term .. and note there is little difference to most peeps ... except for some minor twig coloration and cone differences [yes resin.. i know thats heresy .. lol]

they are really cool deciduous conifers ... do get one.. perhaps skip this one ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
This photo was taken 6/21 does that make a difference with the flush? Back when I bought the spiral weeping cherry. I have been trying to just research it...curious if the top gets the width size or if it's the length that pools at the base they are measuring.

If I chose to find one say spring of next year...it won't be until mid June. With our plans to be out of the country for two weeks around the beginning of June. Is this bad planning...should fall be a better course of action to take?

Contemplating replacing the forsythia with something like this...your saying 3'...the reason that the root ball would be more appropriate for the canopy?

I had thought on having some goofy spectacles/glasses on a stake made for it. For quirkiness...I could maybe secure the tree if need be to said scrap art piece? (If I do decide to do such a thing)

I had thought to plant one back by our waterfall...but...I am not seeing where this is juglone tolerant. So that can't be done. The only other place would be where the forsythia is located.

Ken...the one you are telling me to do get is the one I posted about and is in the link you attached...not the one that bboy mentioned...correct?
plantkiller_il_5
9 years ago
ken, cadi referred to mature size.

cadi , I like goofy
guy down the road as one kinda old,,seems to be mounding on the top, with weepers getting longer,,,NICE
Ron
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Ron...I am starting to wonder...if the mature width isn't the weepers as you are call them,that are getting long and spreading out. The taller the tree the less wide it would be pooling at the base of the tree. Which would allow for such drastic differences in widths as I am finding online for information on this particular conifer.

If you get a chance...grab a photo of that old guy for me would you?

If it wasn't for the mature width...I would have had one planted in my yard earlier this year. But...I really do not wish to get one that won't work for the space long term. That I have read these make great for small areas. Makes me think...just pruning involved where it pools at the base is all one needs to do to keep them contained. Allowing it to stretch as far as you choose.
outback63 Dennison
9 years ago
Weeping European Larch ( Larix decudia 'Pendula')
will grow to be about 4 feet tall in 10 years with a spread of 4 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 feet from the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America and rarer then the species kaempferi.

See link.

I suspect.your plant is improperly labled and sold in the United States under the name: Larix decidua 'Pendula'.
I would change the species name to kaempferi.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: RE: Larix kaempferi Pendula vs L. decidua Pendula
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Dave! I will look into a Google search on the one you mentioned.
Embothrium
9 years ago
Tree shown has the foliage and habit of the common weeping Japanese larch sold widely as Larix decidua 'Pendula' by mistake.

While the common one is clearly a Japanese larch cultivar (based on twigs, foliage and cones) it does not necessarily belong to L. kaempferi 'Pendula' specifically.

This post was edited by bboy on Sun, Jul 27, 14 at 0:13

Larix D. ' Pendula ' Weeping Larch...small garden area

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Embothrium

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Larix D. ' Pendula ' Weeping Larch...small garden area

Comments (9)

Embothrium

cadillactasteOriginal Author

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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