70 Dig Gardens
November 18, 2022
72 Damn Deer
December 22, 2022
Conifer Crazy Again
I hope after reading my blog post #25 you went “Conifer Crazy” and ran out and bought some conifers for your yard.
This happened to me a few weeks ago when I texted AP to say I needed a day away at some nurseries. She was up for it of course because she and I are like that. So we took off and headed to Berkeley, then to San Raphael, Petaluma, Cotati, and then Sonoma. We did all this in one day of course because…she and I are like that!
In Petaluma we picked out a few shopping baskets of goodies at Cottage Gardens (see #32 ). After checking out we turned to leave, and what do my eyes see staring right back at me? A yellow-tip conifer I heard say, “You must, you must, YOU MUST have me!!”
Pinus mugo ‘Laarheide’
I am a sucker for unusual conifers especially any tinged with yellow so I didn’t argue and took a closer look.
It was new to the nursery so the salesperson didn’t know much about it yet. But the tag showed it came from Iseli Nursery in Boring, Oregon (yes, that’s the town’s name). Iseli is an excellent wholesale nursery and grows The Gods of All Conifers like this rare ‘Laarheide’ mugo.
I did a quick check on Iseli’s website which told me my Zone 7 was adequate for the plant. I got so excited about buying it that AP bought one too—with the condition that I tell her where to put it in her yard. She didn’t trust herself to know the perfect spot for planting so much excitement.
Before leaving, the salesperson said, “Have you been up the road to Pond and Garden? They have a large selection of dwarf conifers.” I asked how far up the road, and when she said “not far” we decided to fit it into our schedule.
Turned out Pond & Garden was just 11 minutes up Hwy 101 (I gave it my usual lead-foot) in a town called Cotati. And no, AP and I had never been there—which was odd because I thought we had covered that whole area during 2 previous trips.
We could tell what sort of nursery it was as we drove in and by the time we parked I had already made up my mind. I said to AP, “This is going to be a costly visit.”
It was.
Their selection of conifers was AMAZING, though some had no price tag, because—you know—if you have to ask, etc. But I went along collecting some regardless!
Here’s one (also grown at Iseli) that did have a price…
Pinus strobus ‘Mini Twists’ (Mini Twists Eastern White Pine)
But (ha!) I saved myself $110 bucks because I already have Mini Twists in my garden.
It’s named Mini Twists due to its curvy needles. I bought mine in Oregon back in 2016 but have no clue how much I spent on it.
But I can tell you it’s a compact conifer and grows to only 6 feet high and 4 feet wide. I prune its candles annually to keep it small so I could shove it in a cobalt blue container along with its neighbors Ligularia and Lomandra.
Here’s one I purchased that’s very similar to my Pinus mugo ‘Wintersonne’ except it is less rounded in shape…
Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’
Also, it has longer needles but still reaches the same growth of 6 feet high and 4 feet wide. It too turns brilliant yellow in the fall and then back to green in spring. So, so pretty!
And this very rare one that I also didn’t try to argue with…
Pinus parviflora ‘Goldilocks’
It has a more sweeping habit than my other uptight and upright conifers. It is green and—like me—has soft blonde highlights. It prefers part sun, so I put it where it gets morning sun only.
It grows up to 8 feet high and 6 feet wide with a growth rate of 6 to 8 inches per year. Since it is only one and a-half feet tall now, see me in 14 years when it’s at full maturity. (Patience, Readers!)
This gorgeous yew with its yellow tips keeps its color all year long…
Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Gold Splash’ (Japanese Plum Yew)
When I got it home, I placed it next to the Cotinus coggygria ‘Lilla’ and Yucca desmetiana ‘Blue Boy’ for the contrast of burgundy and yellow. It will grow to only 2 feet high and 4 feet wide.
This final Pond & Garden conifer, I have yet to plant…
Pinus wallichiana ‘Frosty’ (Frosty Himalayan Pine)
I am looking for a beautiful turquoise(ish) container for it that needs to be at least 3 by 3 feet to accommodate the 8 by 5-foot pine at maturity.
It has to be turquoise(ish) because it will go near the pool garden where I have 4 other turquoise(ish) containers. You can see all them as you glance across the area, so it’s a “theme color.” Otherwise I wouldn’t be so picky.
‘Frosty’ grows upright with a broad canopy and long needles with cream-yellow banding. It will be beautiful in the spot I have picked out.
After choosing my Pond & Garden conifers, I hauled them to the checkout. The nice man scanned them in then asked for my credit card without telling me the total. I laughed and said, “What…that bad?!”
He just laughed back. It was a great day.
I spent $500 on 4 conifers. But who’s counting? It IS that conifer time of year!
Sonoma Mission Gardens was our final nursery and afterwards, because we had crammed so much in the day, AP and I were starving. We drove just 2 blocks and stopped for a late lunch at a joint called Picazo Café. Fabulous food!
! ! ! ! ! TOOL ALERT ! ! ! ! !
OMG, this is fabulous.
In post #49, I featured this Mama of All Trimmers.
Now I got The Baby!
It is so lightweight! Too bad it does not take the same size battery as Mama, but this helps make it light and easy to maneuver around the plants.
Trimmer, battery and battery charger together cost me around $220. However, Mike taught me that if there’s a power tool that makes life easier, money is not an issue. And I’m a good student!!!
Now I zip along with this baby through the yard, trimming this and trimming that. I have to be careful though. The job is so much easier now, if I’m not careful, Baby could get carried away and give a plant too much trimming. Oooops!!!
