Zone pushers for Coast Redwoods

18 years ago

I saw some coast redwoods for sale in a nursery in Sedona AZ, they said they brough then in as live Christmas trees a few years ago, and said they do good in Sedona....

Sedona has a mild climate at about 4000 to 5000 plus feet..it rarely drops to zero... but I want to try one at my mts garden that at 7,000 and it drops to below zero every winter, it not a deep cold and most days in Jan are in the upper 30 to mid 40's... I have a deodar cedar that been growing for a few winters, the needles die off in winter, but are replace in spring..

I so much want to try one of these redwoods so bad...but I read that they don't like temperatures that drop below zero...

so any gardeners out there that a pushing they luck by trying to grow a coast redwood where they shouldn't???? PS the sierra redwood, Sequoia does great at my 7,000 elevation and they are a few nice 30+ tree around...

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Comments (11)

greyneedle
18 years ago
Your climate sound fine for sequoias, but not so good for CR, which don't like cold winters or hot dry summers. Try a blue variety of CR. Are you really z9b? That implies a min temp of 25 F in the winter. This seems off based on your microclimate numbers. You sound like z6b. Might work at a lower elevation, but I'd worry about the dry heat of the summer.
chris32599
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi Grayneedle

I have two gardens one in zone 9 almost zone 10 in the low desert but I also have a mts garden at 7,000 feet, zone 6...in the mts summers are cool and semi moist highs in the day 75F to 85F nights in the 50's.... its the cold in winter that has me worried which can drop below zero a few times, but not for long and its warms up in the day into the 40's on ave... will CR tolerate this, do you grow any in NJ?

PS I grew up in NJ at the school I went too they had a sequoia planted it was about 8-9 feet tall back in the late 70's.......
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greyneedle
18 years ago
Hi Chris...

Interesting about your school. I could check it out if you tell me where it is (I go around and photograph exotics to prove where they can grow).

I have not been tempted to try CR since others have tried and failed in the area. Try them in your z9 garden first and look for others growing in your area. May need watering in the summer. Thanks and good luck!
chris32599
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi Grayneedle

The school is St Benedict's Prep. in Newark, it was planted in there inner courtyard, over the years the school has had lots of construction. I know the monks who ran the school prizes the tree greatly, so it should be still there....call up and ask someone there should know...

As for growing CR in the low desert, I don't think it would make it, too hot and dry...I seen them in zone 9 in the LA area, but LA does not get that hot and gets quite a bit of summer fog....I think I would have a better chance with them in the mts, I got a deodar cedar up there and they are not really hardy....I don't think my deodar cedar will stand the test of time, but so far its ok....

They are atlas cedars in the Flagstaff area that done well over the years.... I was thinking of just planting a dawn redwood, but wanted something evergreen....I read about a cv od dawn redwood call SHERIDAN SPIRE how do they do?? I remember a street in Maplewood, NJ that had dawn redwoods planted along the main st (Springfield Ave) I did love the look of these trees as a kid........
greyneedle
18 years ago
I've driven past the DR in Maplewood! I think a few were cut down for road widening. There are about a half-dozen along Burnett Ave too. All DR lose their leaves in the fall. Thanks for the tip.
midnight_jasmine
18 years ago
I would not plant COastal Redwood but I would plant Giant Sequoia Redwoods. The Sequoia are native to high elevation and can take any cold that is thrown at them. The coast redwood would suffer from that elevation and temperature flucuations. But you could always try it out.
vancleaveterry
17 years ago
I tried a dozen seedlings of giant sequoia a few years ago here on the Mississippi coast. During their first fall and winter they did great, almost growing six inches. But they were all dead by the end of the summer. Is this typical?

I'm thinking of trying coastal redwoods this time.

Anyone know of any success stories for growing GS or coastal redwoods in the deep deep south?
pineresin
17 years ago
"Is this typical?"

Seems to be, yes.

"Anyone know of any success stories for growing GS or coastal redwoods in the deep deep south?"

Coast Redwood has been reported very successful in the region, so that's certainly worth your trying.

Resin
arauquoia
17 years ago
Coastal redwoods are doing well enough on the state university campus in Silver City, New Mexico, a mile-high city.

Coastal redwoods do well in Atlanta and farther south in Milledgeville, Georgia at an arboretum there.

Giant Sequoia just barely hangs on in summer here in Atlanta -- some pathogen causes the foliage to die back. In winter, the pathogen is gone, and the tree re-sprouts a little foliage.
vancleaveterry
17 years ago
Thank you Pineresin and Arauquoia... I will buy some coastal redwoods this season or next. Any suggestions on cultivars and sources?
pineresin
17 years ago
Best to get a diverse mix of seedlings, rather than a cultivar. That way, if some disease arises in the future, there is a better chance of some being resistant.

Resin

Zone pushers for Coast Redwoods

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Zone pushers for Coast Redwoods

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