Redwood Trees
Bruce Arp
Miles straight west of Omaha and was wondering if the climate here would be
to harsh for Redwoods outside. One place I was reading said they could
handle climate zones 7 to 10, another I saw said climate zones 5 to 9. I am
in zone 5. If my climate would be capable of supporting Redwoods, could
anyone recommend a good nursery where I might be able to purchase some,
either over the net or via mail order. I have never seen any in the
nurseries around here, although I have never asked(maybe an Earl May's could
order some?(hope Earl May's isn't a bad word here)) Thanks!
Bruce Arp
Teresa Hayes
general, but I have a recently (10-15 yrs.) discovered
descendant of one of the redwood species growing in my front
yard as we speak. It is commonly known as a "Dawn Redwood"
and is deciduous. I purchased it at a local nursery here in
Michigan, but I have seen them in several catalogs through
the last several years. It seems to be reliably hardy here
(Z5), but we haven't had a "normal" severe winter here since
I planted it. It has beautiful feathery medium-green
foliage that is soft to the touch. In ideal conditions,
this tree could grow to over 100', but it does experience a
small amount of winter-dieback. Also, it we are threatened
with a late hard frost, after it has budded out in late
spring, I have to go out and cover the darn thing! I don't
know what I'm going to do when it gets too big to do that!
If you are interested in more info you could email me and I
could try to find out the correct botanical name for you.
--
Teresa
Central Lower Michigan Z4/5
Bruce Arp
reading about it a couple months back, that it was thought to be extinct
until found in the wild in China around 1946. Could you pass along the
names of the catalogs you have seen them in, I don't recall ever seeing
them, but then again I just get the Burpee's and related catalogs. Below
are a couple links I found if you are interested in find out more about it.
It's correct name is Metasequoia glyptostroboides.
http://www.orst.edu/dept/ldplants/2plants.htm#megl226
http://gardenbed.com/m/2368.cfm
Please correct me if I am wrong (trying to remember back to school here),
but don't deciduous trees loose there leaves in the fall? Also, could you
tell me how long you have had it and approx what kind of growth you have
experienced with it? Thanks again for the reply and I will have to read up
some more on it!
Bruce Arp
Weston, Nebraska
Chuck Dunn
a small grove on top of a mountain in Nevada that is often shrouded in
clouds. The related sequoias live on the seaward side of the Sierras.
The deciduous dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), from the cold
foggy mountains of Manchuria, is widely advertised in nursery catalogs,
but is said not to be very tolerant of drought. Somehow, Nebraska
doesn't seem very much like the native habitat of any of these.
--
Chuck Dunn
Adjunct Professor
Biology Department
Rio Grande Campus
Austin Community College
1212Rio Grande
Austin TX 78701
(512)223-1795 box 22794
(512)223-3331 during office hours
http://lonestar.texas.net/~cddunn
Pam Sinclair
Teresa Hayes wrote:
> It is commonly known as a "Dawn Redwood"
> and is deciduous.
> If you are interested in more info you could email me and I
> could try to find out the correct botanical name for you.
Dawn redwood = Metasequoia glyptostroboides (what a mouthful!) a
beautiful tree, but not the same as a coast redwood (Sequoia
sempervirens) or giant redwood (Sequoiadendron gigantium) and each
requires slightly different conditions. Both the coast and the giant
redwood need a location that provides cool, damp summers and would
likely not thrive too far away from a coastal climate. The dawn redwood
will tolerate dryer and warmer conditions, but will likely not exceed 30
feet in these locations.
Pam - gardengal - PNW zone 8
Sean Phelan
Sean Phelan
Teresa Hayes
haven't seen it in any of the catalogs I got this winter so
Sean's suggestion sounds like a good place to start! I've
had mine for 6 years - it was a ball and burlap, 3-4' in
height. It is now about 6-7' high with an equal, if not
greater spread. In fact, it has put on much more lateral
growth than vertical, probably because it does not receive
full sun. Yes, it loses it's leaves in the fall, depending
on when we get our first couple hard freezes. We have had
exceptionally dry summers since I planted this tree, but
except for the first year it was planted, I've not given it
supplemental water. It is planted in very rich soil,
however. I've seen no signs of stress or insect problems.
Also, mine is a bit sheltered by a stone wall to the north.
I would definitely try to site it in a sheltered location
from your prevailing winter winds. BTW, there is a
specimen growing across town at the MSU Botanical Gardens
that is a daughter of the original "newly-discovered" parent
tree. It's got to be over 50' high! :)
Richard
>
>Please correct me if I am wrong (trying to remember back to school here),
>but don't deciduous trees loose there leaves in the fall? Also, could you
>tell me how long you have had it and approx what kind of growth you have
>experienced with it? Thanks again for the reply and I will have to read up
>some more on it!
>
>Bruce Arp
>Weston, Nebraska
Hi Bruce,
This isn't a direct response to your inquiry, but you might think of the bald
cypress (Taxodium distichum). It's not a redwood, but it is closely related
(it's the archetypical tree of the family Taxodiaceae to which redwoods
belong). I know that bald cypress will grow in zone 5, since I saw some in Ann
Arbor, Michigan, where I used to live. They are also surprisingly tolerant of
dry soil, though they thrive in completely wet conditions. They are deciduous,
like the metasequoia.
Richard, now in northern California, in true redwood country.
Bruce Arp
correct) last summer visiting a vendor and just loved all the Redwoods they
had there, especially a little mall they had built around the trees and
thought I would check into seeing if they would fit here since I am getting
ready to start work on the backyard. (Just moved here 2 years ago and put a
new house is, it was a pasture)
Richard, I will also look at the cypress that you mentioned and see what I
can find, thanks again!
Bruce
Richard Krape
grew very rapidly and thrived 75 ft from the shore on Deer Isle ME.
Howling snow storms, sub zero temps, drought, and heavy rains. It took
it all in stride and in 15 yrs it was a beautiful 35 foot tree. It only
died after squirrels found the bark was easy to strip for making a
winter home. It was such a beautiful tree that it was like loosing an
old friend. Snif, Berg :(
Teresa Hayes
Redwood will thrive and flourish as yours did. If they can
survive down east, should be okay here in Michigan!
Teresa
Albert Jeans
: Dawn Redwood "Meta Sequoia" is very hardy in the north. I had one which
redwood trees this year. These are regular redwoods, so I'm hoping that
they can put up with losing some of their bark, but how much of the
bark did your squirrels strip off?
Albert
Pam Sinclair
Albert Jeans wrote:
The difference is the amount of bark generated by a coast redwood versus that
of a dawn redwood. A coast redwood grows a *very* thick covering of bark - as
much as 9 inches thick. This evolved to give it protection against forest
fires. A coast redwood can stand to loose a lot of bark to harvesting
squirrels, which could severely damage or kill a more normally barked tree.
Zaphod & Trillian
some here.
Dennis R. Moore
wrote:
>Can we grow sequoia sempervirens in the PNW? Would love to see
>some here.
>
Bordeline, I'd say. I have seen them, in the central sound area,
fairly close to the water.
Dennis
Pam Sinclair
Zaphod & Trillian wrote:
> Can we grow sequoia sempervirens in the PNW? Would love to see
> some here.
Sure can - on the west side of the Cascades. We have the type of climate they (and
the giant redwood) require - mild and damp. You will need to provide adequate
summer irrigation until they are established, but once settled, they should be fine
on just natural rainfall. The nursery where I work has three enormous specimens of
giant redwood at the entrance - you will also find both genus in older gardens here
and there around the greater Seattle area, also at the Arboretum, the locks and
other public gardens. Not the easiest trees to find in local nurseries, though -
too big for most urban/suburban yards. There are a number of cultivars marketed,
but the weeping forms seem the most commonly available due to smaller size.
Wells-Medina in Bellevue should carry one or more cultivars.