Can-Do Conifers As Home Gardening Booms, These Unheralded Trees Shine As Wise, Low-Maintenance Investments
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Can-do conifers As home gardening booms, these unheralded trees shine as wise, low-maintenance investments BY KYM POKORNY N A NORTHWEST REGION sur- their gardens,” she said. “It is a comfortable conifer market is extremely strong. People rounded by forests of Doug fir, and safe option while quarantining. I’ve have more appreciation for the versatility Ponderosa pine, grand fir and hem- never seen gardens look better. People want of conifers.” Ilock, people could easily take conifers for staples, and conifers are good for that.” granted. However, many gardeners recog- Brent Markus, owner of Rare Tree Giving conifers their due nize the versatility and minimal care that Nursery and its retail branch, Conifer Some conifers are easy to fall in make them a staple in the landscape. Kingdom — both located in Silverton, love with. Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’, Even before COVID-19 and the Oregon — has seen a similar tendency. with brilliantly gilded needles in fall and explosive popularity of gardening, the It’s one that he says has been coming on winter and an interesting back story, is conifer market was respectable, but now for the last 20 years as new introductions one. It was found by Doug Will of Sandy, it’s flourishing, according to Amanda bring new fans to the world of conifers. Oregon, who was hunting in the Wallowa Staehely of Columbia Nursery LLC. She “It’s exciting. We’re able to compete Mountains of northeastern Oregon. co-owns the nursery with her husband with a lot of other new introductions, the The name Chief Joseph is a transla- Wayne in Canby, Oregon. hydrangeas and lilacs and such that have tion of Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, who “This year, people chose to work in such broad appeal,” Markus said. “The was a leader in the last half of the DIGGERMAGAZINE.COM SEPTEMBER 2020 19 Can-do conifers Previous page: Bizon Nursery relies on Picea pungens ‘Bizon Blue’ for good sales. This page: Pinus strobus ‘Stowe Pillar’ (bottom) is a unique option to replace industry standards like Pinus ‘Fastigiata’ (top). PHOTOS COURTESTY OF BIZON NURSERY 20th century of the Wal-lam-wat-kain fall, then he got it.” (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce, a Native Bizon sells loads of American tribe indigenous to the Wallowa conifers for screening and Valley. Seen in its golden glory, ‘Chief hedging, but would also like Joseph’ is not easily forgotten. to see some more unusual Sometimes, a new customer needs a plants catch the public eye. nudge to fall in love, but once they learn White pines are a favorite, the benefits of conifers, they see the value. and one of the best in his “I just had a neighbor who built a opinion is Pinus strobus million-dollar house,” Eric Bizon, owner ‘Stowe Pillar’, found in the of Bizon Nursery in Hubbard, Oregon, wild near Stowe, Vermont, said. “I was explaining what conifers are, which is the narrowest white and he didn’t know what I was talking pine on the market — nar- about. When I told him the value of coni- rower and tighter than fers after the flowers fade and the leaves Pinus ‘Fastigiata’. It holds up better under snow and cre- ates an attractive vertical element or specimen in a constricted space. The width doesn’t get any more than 3 feet on this 10-foot tall tree that’s disease-resistant, hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 3 and bypassed by deer and rabbits. ‘Stowe Pillar’ several years on a tree that grows to 10 feet is always a plant people notice tall and 8 to 10 feet wide in 25 years. It is when they go to the nursery, cold tolerant down to Zone 5. according to Bizon. Another pine deserving Low maintenance worth the cost of love is the dwarf white pine The price of conifers can be a deter- Pinus parviflora ‘Eiko nishiki’, rent to the people who don’t realize the a native of Japan that arrived time and labor it takes to grow them. in the U.S. in the 1970s. Dave “People want a beautiful plant they Grotz, owner of Peace of Mind don’t have to do anything to,” Bizon said. Nursery Inc. in Silverton, “Conifers fit the bill but the price can be off- Oregon, says this five-needle putting. Price is a factor. People don’t know pine is the coolest of the Pinus what goes into it. We have some plants that parviflora species. are 10 years old before we sell them.” With multi-colored foliage Jenni Burkhead, owner of J Farms of silver, green, and a little blue, LLC in Amity, Oregon, understands why ‘Eiko nishiki’ exhibits interesting conifers sell despite the cost. needles that twist and curve like “I think conifers above all are someone having a bad hair day. the lowest maintenance of all plants,” A large number of tripod cones Burkhead said. “In our landscapes, of green and brown linger for the first thing people will tell you is ‘I 20 SEPTEMBER 2020 DIGGERMAGAZINE.COM Horticultural Maz-O-Lite Custom Pumice Volcanic Ash Blends Fortified with organic activator Certified Organic • All Natural Soil re-mineralizer for plants. Premium growing medium and soil conditioner Benefits: mined and refined in Oregon. • Re-mineralizes soil for optimum growth • Reduce labor costs and the frequency • Improves root systems, yields and quality of watering • Natural air fall mineral deposit • Strong wicking ability • Putting trace minerals back into soil • Increases filtration • Over 70 minerals and trace elements • Reduces compaction • Allows the soil to absorb and hold water • Increases porosity by establishing air and water passageways Our products are perfect for indoor and outdoor plants, The positive way to: Available Products: including: flowers, trees, shrubs, • Prevent root shock • 3/4 x 3/8 houseplants, tropicals, vegetables, • Accelerate growth • 3/8 x 1/8 seedlings, containers and • Increase yield • 3/8 minus hanging baskets. • Save water • 3/16 x 1/8 Birdseye • Add Trace minerals • 1/8 minus Pumi Sand www.BEAVERPUMICE.com 541-646-7075 DIGGERMAGAZINE.COM SEPTEMBER 2020 21 Can-do conifers Top and bottom: Picea mariana ‘Aureovariegata’ offers some dramatic and colorful needles. PHOTOS BY DAVE GROTZ want low maintenance.’ Well, shade in moist, cool soil, why not fill it with conifers?” protected from wind and Grotz, for one, hot, dry conditions. If left to wouldn’t have a problem grow as a traditional ground with that. He can eas- cover, — which it does ily rattle off a long list of admirably — this conifer conifers he thinks should gets about a foot tall and get more attention. One 7 feet wide in 10 years. It’s of them is the variegated noted as a Zone 4 plant. black spruce (Picea mariana ‘Aureovariegata’), a choice The bones of a garden conifer with creamy yel- There’s so much to low variegation brushed on recommend about conifers. top of blue-green needles They give the garden struc- that grows 6 inches a year ture and year-round interest. to about 30 feet tall and Most can boast of disease- is hardy to Zone 3. Purple resistance and cold hardi- cones that ripen to red-brown are a bonus. as a ground cover, the Utterbacks chose to ness. They can be focal points, background “Anyone who sees it falls in love with stake it into a specimen with branches that buffers, hedges, vertical elements and used it,” Grotz said. “It has a nice, uniform droop down, giving it the look of hairy in mixed borders or rock gardens. shape similar to a Christmas tree and the Cousin Itt. Designers consider them part of the gold new growth over the blue foliage is “The staked tree is a unique, fun, multi- bones of the garden along with trees, most spectacular. It’s a hot plant. I don’t see headed weeping small tree,” Utterback said. of which are deciduous, making conifers how you could grow it and be sorry.” “It adds softness and texture to the garden. extra important in winter. At Bizon, two of the biggest sellers are ‘Cole’s Prostrate’ Canadian hem- “Conifers are essential to the gar- the blue Colorado spruces Picea pungens lock, found near Mount Madison, New den,” Staehely said. “There’s so much less ‘Bizon Blue’ and ‘Fastigata’, but they are Hampshire in 1929, is best grown in open maintenance if you find the right conifer having issues with needle for the right space. They do cast in high humidity. As a their work all year round replacement, Bizon is grow- because they’re evergreen ing Meyer’s spruce (Picea and have beautiful texture.” meyeri), which will take high When asked for an humidity with no problems. example of a tree she thinks It isn’t as brilliant blue is undervalued, Staehely as ‘The Blues’, but has a decided on a deciduous strong blue cast. It is an conifer, Metasequoia glyp- upright, conical, Christmas- tostroboides ‘North Light’ tree shaped tree that grows (aka ‘Northern Lights’ and to 12 feet in 10 years and ‘Schirrmann’s Nordlicht’), a is hardy to Zone 6. Picea dwarf dawn redwood that meyeri was found in a likes to be the star of the temple garden in China in garden. And why not? It 1908 by F.N. Meyer and has cheery variegation that sent to Arnold Arboretum changes with exposure — in Boston. white in shady areas, gold Chris Utterback, co- in the Sun — and a cute owner with her husband, globe-shape that makes it Tom, of Lone Elder Nursery perfect as a focal point in a in Canby, Oregon, wants to mixed bed.