I got the bug!!

13 years ago

I moved from an apartment in Brazil to a house close to the woods in Denmark only 2 years ago and had to learn about gardening.

I'm just so glad I found this forum and discovered the magic world of conifers thanks to all of you here!! :-D

And I just received my first book 'gardening with conifers' !!!

I'm going to read it all and start new plans to next year. wooo hoooo

I already changed my garden so much in just one year,

I'm only 33 years and my friends think I'm weird because all the gardening talks kkkkk

Then, I'm weird and I'm happy!!!

Thank you

Dave... you garden is to die for

Edwin... always so helpful

Ken... you mister, are as sharp as a knife :-D

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Comments (24)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
WELCOME ....

you 'cut' me up .. lol ..

boy that is a big move .. brazil to denmark ...

how big will your garden be???

i think the first place to start.. would be to ask our friends from the continent... who the local suppliers are ...

there is no use dreaming about plants which are not available to you ...

once you get inventory lists from the suppliers... then you can begin to start a list of what might fit where ...

right now.. you might simply want to kill grass .. and cover with 3 to 4 inches of mulch.. so that by spring.. you will have some beds to plant in .. i am not sure what a denmark winter is .. but if it is temperate at any level ... you could get ready for spring ... if your ground freezes ... [i am being lazy this morn about researching it] .... then all you can do is make plans ...

there are 3 things that are important ... beyond picking the right plant ...

1-- PROPER planting
2-- PROPER mulching
3-- PROPER watering

with the emphasis on PROPER ...

we are here to enable.. so let us get to it .. lol

good luck!!!!

ken
coniferjoy
13 years ago
amaia, thanks for your compliment ;0)

Denmark is quite close to The Netherlands.
Maybe some day you'll find some time to visit my nursery, I think I've some nice conifers for your garden.
Till then I wish you a lot of joy to prepare your garden like Ken told you.
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amaia
Original Author
13 years ago
When we bought the house

And the changes I made so far. Please tell me if you notice something wrong!

Because the entire garden was covered with ground elder, impossible to remove, I decided to cover this area with that black garden fabric and then, on top of that, put the gray rocks. Hope it is not too much for the small conifers.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
what do you imagine that big steel beam is over the patio for??

what is the tall blue conifer IN the patio ... you might want to utilize that space with a better plant.. if it what i think it is

IF those are all MINI's .... perhaps just one or two too many ..

if they are dwarf's .. you are probably overplanted ... but then you will learn about moving conifers in the future ...

black plastic is an anathema to me .. i will bet a shiny dollar.. that you will regret that in the long run ... live and learn .. do NOT use it again ...

YOU MUST take up joy's invite.. and report back ... i think he is a wood gnome .. and if you can actually glimpse him in person ... you can report back ... lol ...

oh... you added the deck.. and everything since the first pic, which was at purchase.. i didnt get that at first ... what are the grates under the windows in the first pic ...

how far does the property go out ... is a pic from the windows back available???

as far as i am concerned.. so far.. SOOOO GOOD !!!!

ken
dansgrdn
13 years ago
Amaia, I started gardening at a similar age and I still get a similar response from people when I try to explain my hobby :) ;). Congratulations on your newfound passion and space. I think your garden is looking great!

Dan
amaia
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi Ken!
As i said...sharp!! :-D

The steal over the patio is to hold an acrylic roof. But it will not block the sun.
The blue conifer in the patio is very old and healthy. it was there when we build the terrace. We just made a square and I was very careful to don't leave dirt close to the trunk.
There are minis and dwarfs under the window.
A Pinus Mugo Carsten
Criptomeria jap. Little Champion
Juniperus Squam. Blue Star
Chamaec. Obt. Kosteri
Picea Glauca Daisy White
Ilex Crenata Dwarf pagoda

It is not black plastic. It is fabric. I just put this fabric in this area because we want this area very neat and the medium and bigger conifers will be in the back garden. I'll post a pic .
The grates under the window is for light to the basement. Thats why can't have big plants in that area...

A different view.

This is the back yard. One I have big plans for this ugly area.

And I'll love to attend to joy's call!! For sure!!

Thanks for your help.

Agnes.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
here is my Pinus mugo 'Winter Gold' [sold as] .. someone suggested the correct name is probably carsten's winter gold .. joy might be able to help there ...

it was the same size as yours a few years back ...

if in fact they are the same plant... you can see it has the potential to swallow up your area ... the label at the bottom is about 4 inches.. for scale .. [lets see 1/3 of a foot and a foot is about 1/3 of a yard.. so about 1/9 of a meter?????] .. so whats that.. about 4 inches????? lol ....

ken
{{gwi:855959}}
{{gwi:855960}}

ps: how about this.. its about a meter and a half wide ...
dcsteg
13 years ago
Hi Agnes,

Your comment: "Dave... you garden is to die for". A lot of work for sure and I felt several times I almost died for it.

Thanks for your kind comment.

You have a nice start with great cultivars already in place. Keep us posted on new additions and always feel free to chime in on what the rest of us are doing.

Welcome to the forum.

Dave
amaia
Original Author
13 years ago
Ken

I think it is the same plant, yes.
And this one I always knew that one day will have to be removed.

By the way, what do you think it is the bluish big conifer inside my terrace?
What will you put it in that place?
just asking..... you know...
The last picture, the multi trunked apple tree, the apples are really small and covered with scab. The birds love but no use to me, so I'm sad for the birds but I'm thinking about replace it with a Picea Skylands ! or if i just could find a Pinus Chief Joseph or another gold one.
What do you think?

Edwin
How far from Amsterdan are you? Because I'm really planing to go there next year, maybe I could make a trip to your nursery ;-)

Agnes
coniferjoy
13 years ago
'Winter Gold' and 'Carstens' (formerly 'Carstens Wintergold') are 2 differend plants.
'Wintergold' grows faster and wider then 'Carstens'.
Also 'Carstens' does have shorter needles and does have an extra pair of small needles around each bud.

My nursery is in the south of The Netherlands, just between Eindhoven and Nijmegen.
You're more then welcome!
It's about 90 minutes drive from Amsterdam.
firefightergardener
13 years ago
Hi, this is great to read and the similarities here with my own bug is striking. I too started young(31-now 34), similarly used some of the landscape fabrics that are so railed-on here and also probably put my plants similarly 'snug' with potential issues in 5-10 years. You'll find all the help you need here and then some and we're all welcome to have another active garden posting here.

-Will
amaia
Original Author
13 years ago
Will,
Thanks ! Did you have problems with the landscape fabric?

Edwin,
Mine is Carstens Winter Gold.
Do you have Chief joseph at your nursery? Or Gold Coin?
90 min is ok to drive!!!!!!! Hummmm.... very good!

Agnes
Can
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
as the blues brothers yelled in the movie animal house... ROAD TRIP!!!!!!! .... lol

my point was.. why wait.. incorporate it into the new area to be worked ... and that way you will open up some more space in the bed ... INSURE that they are all mini's in that area close to the deck/house ....

joy.. can you tell which i have in the pics???

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: dax and ken on a conifer trip ... getting an early start
firefightergardener
13 years ago
Agnes, I've only recently started gardening and similarly to you I had laid down landscape fabric in garden beds before I found this forum(and learned of the discontent with it here). Basically what people say and what I've learned is:

1. It prevents(or slows) the soil and plants from breathing like normal and receiving proper water/nutrients from bark and other organic breakdown.

2. It doesn't stop future air-borne weeds as they can simply germinate above the fabric in the mulch.

3. It's obviously MUCH harder to lay down at planting time since you have to dig holes for each plant. I've done both methods(fabric and none) over large planting areas and it's many times less consuming and easier to not use it.

4. If you are going to use it, make sure you use the kind that breathes and allows water through it easily. It's more expensive but worth it - and I'd say never used plastic(I'd pull this up if you could, it will starve the plants even worse).

5. It DOES stop existing weeds/grass/etc if used properly. I've used it in trouble areas where existing plants(underground shoots/grass types) represented a long-term headache. It's worked well here as it turns the existing pain-in-the-ass plants into composted material under the fabric.

6. It works well on paths or other areas you plan on keeping plant/weed free.

7. Regardless of whether you use it, weeds ALWAYS make it back, it just may be a bit easier to manage with weedblock. The key is just staying ahead of the weeds and preventing them from seeding/propogating.

I still have landscape fabric over about 1/2 my garden beds and while the plants are fine, I'd probably only use it in the future for areas of exceptional plant trouble or walkways.

Hope that helps!

-Will
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
hey will .... you want the back seat on the road trip with me and dax???

did you miss the link???

ken
amaia
Original Author
13 years ago
Ken
Sorry to tell you, but I'll drive !!!

Agnes
in ny zone5
13 years ago
The large blue juniper on the deck seems to be Juniperus chinensis 'Blue Point', I have one looking the same, about 15 ft tall.
Bernd
gardenofeden777
13 years ago
Hi Agnes your garden is so pretty! I am 36 and get rolling eyes from my family when I start talking about conifers (my most recent plant addiction as my husband says). My friends find it odd that I don't go to the nail salon or even like to go shopping unless it's for plants! I much rather prefer to stay home and dig in the dirt! I just got that book as well!

And my neighbors I am sure they think that I am certifiable! I tilled and planted a cactus garden 8 feet by 30 feet in July. Temps. were 100-106F, so what's a girl to do? I took a big spotlight outside at night and tilled til' about midnight for a week! Lol like you said, I say as well at least I'm happy!
coniferjoy
13 years ago
Agnes, some extra help:
Your's isn't 'Carstens Wintergold' but just 'Carstens'.
Is this one situated on the left of the 'Blue Star'?

Something about conifer names:
Criptomeria must be written as Cryptomeria.

Juniperus Squamata Blue Star
Must be written as:
Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'
The second name must not be written with a capital mark.

Unfortunately I don't have a Pinus cont. 'Taylor's Sunburst' left but I do have a very good alternative which is Pinus nigra 'Aurea'

P. nigra 'Aurea'(left), P. cont. 'Taylor's Sunburst' (right)

'Gold Coin' is also out of stock, but very good alternatives for this one are 'Gold Medal'or the "old fashion" 'Aurea'.

Can you make a closer pic og the tall blue one on the deck, I don't think it's a 'Blue Point' as Bernd suggested.
To me it looks like a Chamaecyparis laws. 'Ellwoodii' with on the left the juvenile foliage and at it's righ the adult foliage...

Ken, your's is a Pinus mugo 'Wintergold'.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
agnes.. its going to be hard for you to drive.. with that whole Atlantic ocean problem between us .. lol ... in the alternative... 3 in the front will be a bit cozy ... lol ... since will doesnt appear Will wants to join.. perhaps i will nap in the back ...

thx joy ...

ken
amaia
Original Author
13 years ago
Edwin

Thanks for all your help.
Winter in Denmark is really hard for me. Everything is so dark... And that's the reason I'm choosing plants that will give me some color when everything looks dead.
Can you see a big apple tree in the corner of one of my pictures? That tree will be put it down and because I have a good view to that corner from my living room I'll love to have a splash of color there. I like P. orientalis 'Skylands' very much but a gold Pinus could also look great.
Your suggestions (beautiful) looks like the gold foliage is spring growth to me. Is that right??
I just saw a Pinus cembra (aureovariegata??) at my local nursery that is showing a dull gold foliage but I'll like to have some more glowing :-)
And definitely I need to buy a tree already with a good size for that spot!

Any suggestion?

I'm trying to post a picture I took from the tree in the terrace but photobucket is not working well for me today, but I think you are right (again) !!! :-)

Agnes
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
in my garden ... based on the plants i have.. i would recommend you hold out for gold coin .... though i am not sure i have seen gold medal ...

though aurea is a great plant in and of it self... it is sub par compared to gold coin ...

perhaps joy can graft a gold coin this winter for you ... for future sale ...

sometimes you have to 'save a spot' for an extraordinary plant.. rather than settle for something else ...

be aware though.. first year grafts can be a bit tricky ... if you go that route.. then another post ..

ken

Pinus sylvestris Aurea
{{gwi:855961}}
{{gwi:855962}}
{{gwi:855963}}

Pinus sylvestris Gold Coin
{{gwi:855965}}
{{gwi:855966}}
{{gwi:855967}}
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{{gwi:855969}}
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amaia
Original Author
13 years ago
Ken

boy, you're fast! Thanks!
Beautiful
Definitely Gold Coin!!! uau... an amazing color!
But this is the kind of conifer that I'll like to buy in a good size...
like yours... around 1 and 1 1/2 metro??
Am I dreaming too much??

By the way... I could take an airplane to US and THEN drive!!! But now YOU are "cutting" me of... :-P
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
do you know how to count whorls on pine and spruce ....

mine was a one gal pot [what is the Eu equivalent???] ... mail order in spring of 2005 ...

you should be able to count back the whorls and guess that ...

SOMETIMES ... its better to get the BETTER one small.. than to go for a bigger LESSER one ...

what fascinates me.. i am doing this at the crack of dawn.. after delivering the kids to school ..

i imagine you are settling into some web browsing after dinner.. just weird ...

have a good night ..

ken

PS: yes, you could come over here and drive.. but then there would be all those nasty international shipping issues ...

I got the bug!!

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