GFSD-Garden of winter interest!

High 80.o F
Low  56.3 F

Pinus strobus 'Soft Touch'

It was a morning of mist and cobwebs!  If I didn't already have this great little pine, I would have added it to the GFSD conifer garden.  This pine grows low and wide and has a very soft, touchable appearance.  There were webs all over it this morning.  Not the perfect symmetrical webs but the webs of some out of control spider with no organizational skills. Here they have spun their chaos on the cotoneaster and this garden stake which has a solar panel in the base and which turns on at night changing colors all night long.  I can see it from my bed and want to believe that it keeps the deer at bay.  Kids love it.

The first plant which was planted in this garden was the Thuja plicata on the right.  This arborvitae was a gift from my son to me for Mother's Days in 2005.  It has survived the deer as I have been spraying repellent which is what encouraged me to plant this garden.  I have fond memories of the globe arborvitaes as they were great to hide behind when my sisters and I played hide and seek as children.  They have a very distinctive aroma.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Coralliformis'

The cast continues with three evergreens which are a bit less well know than others.  Coral cypress is an interesting form of Hinoki cypress.  It has contorted, coral like branches and will stay pretty small.  A ten year old plant will be three by three feet.  I love the interesting shapes of the foliage.

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa Pygmaea'
This is a cypress with very blue, tight foliage with a compact form.  I don't have an estimated height on this plant so just stay tuned for the next twenty years and we will all watch it grow. 

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Filicoides'

The Fernspray cypress is dark green with very fern like foliage.  Go figure!  The plant will reach four feet in ten years and benefits from a bit of tip pruning to keep it looking neat.  Maybe I will, maybe I won't tip prune.  We shall see.

This next plant is probably familiar to many of you.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Allumii'
The  lawson cypress is native to southwestern Oregon but the 'Allumii' cultivar will tolerate dryer, colder conditions and has done well in this part of the country.  It is a fairly fast grower and will grow about a foot per year.  I can't wait.  It is a column of blue and will show up well from a distance.  So, the parade continues and there are a few more to highlight.