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Welcome to the Conifers Forum!

Pinus lumholtzii will almost certainly need a trip to Mexico to collect your own seed. The highest altitude origins from the northern end of its range might be hardy here, though I'd not rely on it with our low summer temperatures.

Whereabouts in Northumbs, and what do you have so far?

Resin

I'm in Herefordshire and am growing Montezuma,Patula, Palustris and a pine that I bought 3 years ago which was called Michoacana but I know understand should be called Devoniana (looks like Montezuma).Pinus Roxburghii and Pringlei also fit your description and might be available through Dutch nurserymen. It is my understanding that most of these exotic looking pines are regarded as borderline hardy, though the ones I grow have sailed through the winters so far. Good luck in your endeavours, as it is always rewarding to succeed with something that is considered 'temperamental'.

Thanks for your posts, I have to confess Pineresin I have often come across your posts whilst browsing long before it occured to me to become a member, and you seem to me the most knowledgeable source I have found.
I'm in a place called Haltwhistle, 16 miles from Hexham and 30 from Newcastle.

My list so far of all my trees;
Cedrus atlantica glauca
Cedrus atlantica aurea
Pinus tabuliformis
Cedrus libani 2
Cedrus deodora
Castanea sativa 2
Calocedrus decurrens
Quercus robur atropurpurea
Quercus robur 2
Sequoia sempervirens 3
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sequoiadendron giganteum glauca
Pinus patula
Pinus strobus
Pinus strobus himmelblau
Pinus x schwerenii
Pinus radiata
Pinus radiata aurea
Betula papyifera 7
Platanus x hispanica 5
Platanus orientalis var. digitata
Pseudolarix amabilis
Thuja plicata
Fitzroya cupressoides
Cunninghamia lanceolata
Pinus wallichiana
Pinus wallichiana Glauca
Pinus sylvestris aurea
Larix decidua 2
Larix kaempferi
Cryptomeria japonica
Quercus rubra 5
Pinus nigra subsp. Nigra
Liquidambar styraciflua
Pseudostuga menziesii 2
Paulownia tomentosa
Gingko biloba 2
Pinus pinea
Juglans regia
Taxodium distichum
Taxodium mucronatum
Picea pungens glauca
Quercus coccinea
Tsuga mertensiana
Sciadopitys verticillata
Podocarpus salignus
Torreya nucifera
Pinus palustris
Abies grandis
Abies procera glauca
Agathis australis(in greenhouse but will try outside in Spring)
Araucaria araucana
Araucaria heterophylla (again in greenhouse unfortunately though I'm tempted to risk it in a sheltered spot as it was cheap)
Eucalyptus regnans(seedlings)
Cupressus cashmeriana
Acer davidii
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Eucalyptus diversicolor(seedlings)
Taiwania cryptomerioides(cuttings)

On the way for my Christmas I've sourced and am hoping for;

pinus coulteri
pinus armandii
possibly pinus yunnanensis
pinus ayacahuite
pinus x holfordiana
taxodium ascendens
pinus lambertiana

Any notable omissions?

Not that the 'Aurea' Atlas cedar sold is often actually 'Aurea Robusta', a different cultivar. It amounts to a blue Atlas cedar with yellow on top, the most exposed parts of the foliage only having the yellow.

"Note" instead of "not".

Thanks! Nice list there, have to come and see them some time!

Haltwhistle can get very cold in winter though; it got down below -22°C in the 1981/82 winter. Comes of being mid-way between the two coasts! In the same winter, Newcastle was -13, and Tynemouth only -7. So it won't be easy with a lot of the more tender species. I fear you'll probably lose these next time there's a severe winter:
Pinus patula
Pinus radiata
Pinus radiata aurea
Pinus pinea
Podocarpus salignus
Agathis australis
Araucaria heterophylla
Eucalyptus regnans
Cupressus cashmeriana
Eucalyptus diversicolor
Taiwania cryptomerioides

Resin

I'd certainly like it if interested people popped by some time. Wherebouts are you Resin? I've actually sourced a lot of my trees from a nursery in north Northumberland which partially specifies in conifers and claims to be the best place in Northumberland for them, near Morpeth called Heighley Gate. They have pinus patula, cupressus cashmeriana planted there perhaps 6 metres tall now so I'm hopeful they'll survive. The Taiwania's were "acquired" cuttings from an arboretum near Alnwick called Howick Hall and they have seed raised trees of maybe 8 feet tall. My agathis australis and araucaria heterophylla I have to admit I am dubious of and the eucalypts I sourced seed from Australia because eucalyptus regnans is the tallest broad-leaved tree in the world, the talles tree in the world apparently before loggers took their toll if Thomas Pakenham's book is to be believed. I guess I just have to hope with the others though. What trees do you have?

Hi Raven - drop me an e-mail (click on 'my page' above)

Resin

eucalyptus regnans, tallest trees in the world... dubious, most old records not generally accepted.

Hi Reven

Your collection sounds interesting you must be close
to the Cumbrian borders what altitude are you at? im
300ft/100m here in Devon.Is your site exposed my collection
is in a valley.

How very strange that the British Conifer Society does not warrant a mention by my fellow British conifer enthuisiasts when trying to source information and plants, is it any wonder that conifers get such a bad press here in the UK. If none of you have joined or thought of joining the society, shame on you.

Bluespruce

I agree we need more members Resin and Raven should join
I also think there are other people out there who should
also join the society needs some ads.

I joined the society some weeks back but nothing seemed to be happening with it much. My collection is on a south facing hill, quite sheltered really with dry soil at the top and a stream at the bottom. Not sure about altitude but at the begininng of the Pennines, Cumbria is just over the top of the Pennines about 6 miles to the west. Going to plant some swamp cypress in the stream in the hope of pneumatophores developing.

I also have my 3 Taxodium mucronatum next to a stream
they are semi evergreen mine are still green however
my T distichum has lost its foliage.Are your T mucronatums
still green? I also have some metasequoias in boggy
ground they are fantastic trees.Do you have a glyptostrobus?

Torreya and Raven, glad to see you are both members.
Raven - the society is still in its early stages of development and has only existed for four years, there are probably around 150 current members, both species and cultivar interests. The society produces two very informative colour journals per year, also arranges at least four visits per year to other Arboreta, gardens, and private collections, plus at least one international trip every year, of which this years was an eight day visit to see the wonderful conifers in Ireland. The tour included about a dozen members of the Dutch Conifer Society (NCV).
However it's my view that the society needs to increase its membership base to at least 200+ for its long term viability, and encourage more members to get actively involved in running the society which has proved to be very problematic from the start.
I also have to say I'm very disappointed that Resin is not a member - I can't understand how someone with his expert knowledge, experience and passion for conifers does not feel able to at least support the society.
Bluespruce

My mucronatum is still green too despite a few frosts, I had assumed it was because it was in a sheltered place but obviously not as also my distichum has long lost its leaves. I haven't got a glyptostrobus as I've had difficulty in sourcing one and I'm also advised it wouldn't survive up here, certainly if the one at Kew isn't thriving. I recently sourced a taxodium ascendens too.

How big are your Taxodiums? I have a new cultivar called
Taxodium distichum 'little leaf'with very unusual foliage
got the plant from Lime cross nursery East Sussex also
got two interesting weeping metasequoias MG 'matthaeibroom'
and MG 'missgrace'with glaucous foliage.Do you have a
wollemi pine? It might be worth a try with some protection
mine is doing fine.

My taxodiums are babies, only really became pro-active with my love of trees this year so everything I've got has been planted since March. I generally steer clear of cultivars as I don't know enough about them and always want full size specimens. My pet hate is dwarf conifers. I have got a metasequoia glyptostroboides 'goldrush' as it seduced me. I've thought about a wollemi pine but I've only two acres to play with and wollemi looks very similar to cunninghamia lanceolata I thought and I'm trying to have wide variety.