i have the following down in adrian:

being a collector.. i have no use for two of anything ... get the one i have two of .... if no other ...

popeleski is a way cool mini .... if you can find it in the trade ..

ken

hi seagreen_turtle

OTOH I probably could not find SE Michigan on a map if my life depended on it. OTOH a very casual search tells me that not only is Canadian Hemlock native but commonly found throughout your state.Michigan flora fact sheet

I planted a total of 5 during the past 5 to 8 years, and they look great--I love them! I'm on the border of zones 5b-6a in SE Michigan.

Thanks for all your responses. I appreciate them. Now I just have to find somewhere to buy one next spring. I've read that they don't require a lot of sun. If that's true I'll buy more than one. i have a shady backyard.

take a trip to gee tree farm in stockbridge ....

ken

btw ... conifers is where i was forced to learn.. AND USE.. latin names ... i didnt know i had any eastern hemlock ... go figure ...

i suggest you do so also.. especially when searching online.. for sources ....

ken

Seagreen, some of the suggestions offered are, while good ones, not necessarily what you are seeking. If it's the actual tree-not a garden mini-that you seek, then you want straight-species eastern hemlock-Tsuga canadensis. And if that is the case-that your main appreciation is for the native tree itself, well then let me tell you that is just as valid a quest as that of the collectors that participate on this board. I really like some of the conifer gardens I've seen. It really is, IMO, one of the pinnacles of skilled horticulture. But that in no way compares-for me-to the wonders of growing, watching grow, cutting down, burning, hehe, let's just say a range of activities, with the woods and tree farm that has been my project since 08. Or of seeing the same processes at work in the relatively less-disturbed areas in my travels.

Anyway...the main issue with eastern hemlock these days is an imported (by accident) very destructive insect know as the hemlock woolly adelgid, which is in fact decimating this tree to the east. Michigan has recorded at least a find of tis pest, but I'm not sure of the present status without doing some quick research. But in any case, check that issue out-it sounds like you can still grow hemlock in SE Michigan-but arm yourself with knowledge, should you ever have to treat your plant(s), which is doable, BTW, or if that's just not a go with you. Here in Wisconsin, so far so good. But it has tended to be the case that whatever shows up to our E, it does end up here eventually. Cold winters, blah blah. They said that about gypsy moth-we got gypsy moth. Then two winters ago, when they said it would kill all the emerald ash borers, it didn't kill all of the emerald ash borers. And so on. Would really suck-right around where my land is, it is hemlock that I see coming up as regeneration in many areas. And there is a patch of old growth on the high bans of a lake nearby-this actually has state designation as a legacy stand-so much to lose around there if adelgid comes in.

+oM

I can second Gee Farms in Stockbridge for unusual conifers in general, although they only had a couple of Canadian hemlocks one of the years we got ours. We bought our 2 favorite evergreens there--the only Tanyosho Japanese red pine and only Low Glow Japanese red pine they had at the time. They were of considerable size (and therefore price) and now are set back on each side of our driveway.

Don't know where you are in MI, but Milarch Nursery on Haas Rd in New Hudson, MI usually has quite a few gorgeous balled and burlapped Canadian hemlocks of various (large) sizes. You can go on their web site and see a list of all that they sell, and check for availability, then call to verify. They mainly sell wholesale, but welcome retail buyers as long as you know what you want--they won't explain the ins and outs of the various plants to you, but they'll help you locate the trees and shrubs you want on their 25 acres, and help you load them.

I've enjoyed dealing with Milarch's when buying my limited number of shrubs (mostly various viburnums) and trees (serviceberries, dogwoods, oaks, river birches, firs, as well as the CN hemlocks) for several years, and they've always been pleasant. I make sure to go at a time when there usually aren't a lot of landscape contractors around--not early in the morning.

For any DIYer who is planning on buying several shrubs and/or trees larger than Bordine's, English Gardens, etc. sizes, both Gee's and Milarch's have a lot to look at and think about. I thought their quality was excellent, and the pricing at Milarch's was reasonable.

Anne

As others have said, Tsuga canadensis/hemlock is native to all counties in MI. You'd do best to find a source that's local or at least northern. Since this is a tree that grows over quite a span of climates, you want one with genetics that favor cold winters rather than one with its genetics adapted to the southern US.

You said, "If that's true I'll buy more than one. I have a shady backyard." Be aware that the native form is quite large, so to grow more than one or at most two you should have a lot larger than the average suburban yard. They do grow well in shade (we have quite a number growing as seedlings in the woods as well as a bunch of full grown ones), but this far north they are also fine in sun. They are fairly commonly used in this area as a wind-break at the edge of fields to keep the snow from drifting too badly.

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate all the advice. I will buy one. Maybe my local nursery will order one for me but there is also a place in Free Soil, MI (near Manistee) named Cold Stream Farm (they may only sell to the trade, I'll have to see or ask my nursery if they can get it for me) that I found on the web that may sell them in the spring. I will come back and address each of you kind people who answered me soon but I've been swamped with work and life with no end in sight for a week. I've really received so many detailed and wonderful responses. Thanks so much!

Glad to hear there's "no end in sight"....to life, I mean, hehe.

In the northern and eastern Wisconsin hemlock range, it is quite a bit more likely that you will see young plants coming up in a gap of some type-trees were blown over, trees burned/trees were logged....than to find young hemlock in full-bore shade. They have shade tolerance, not shade liking.

+oM

if you ever get out to gee's .. call ahead.. and ask for a tour of the 10 acre arboteum .... it is freely given.. on golf carts ... great way.. to see what grows in stockbridge MI ... and probably where you are ... [though it pisses me off.. they get away with some z6 stuff.. that i cant grow in adrian ... 25 miles away .... whats that all about.. lol]

ken

conspiracy ken

Agree^... since it is Ken's property, I'm thinking it's "the government", one of his favorite targets, whatever that's supposed to mean! But I'm sticking with it.

+om