Conifers for Whidbey Island Gardens

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Gardening on Whidbey Island can sometimes be tricky! We are not without our host of challenges: wind, deer, rabbits, and poor soil are just a few of the obstacles many gardeners face. Tough conditions require tough plants, and frequently a Conifer is the answer!

Conifers are cone-bearing plants. They are typically (but not always!) evergreen. Their foliage offers great texture, and many offer excellent color as well as year-round interest for the garden. Many of us are familiar with Firs, Hemlock, and Cedar. Since they are native to our area, they are common and well adapted to many Island gardens. But there are many other types of Conifers that offer interesting and alternative choices. From low-growing groundcovers to shrubs to towering trees, here are a few of my favorites.

Pine (Pinus)

These plants offer great choices for a beachside garden. If you garden with wind, strong sun, and droughty sandy soils, you might want to consider a Pine. They are also deer- and rabbit-resistant. (A clear bonus!) A Mugo Pine is a great choice for a shrubby shape. A striking and strong Japanese Black Pine is great if you’d like a real centerpiece – maybe P. thunbergiana ‘Thunderhead’.  If blue is a color you love in your garden, you might like a ‘Vanderwolf’s Pyramid’ Limber Pine for a soft blue backdrop, with a Pinus parviflora glauca as a specimen. Of course, there are lots of others to choose from, but these are my favorite Pines.

Juniper (Juniperus)

As a young city gardener, I discounted Junipers. I thought of them just as scratchy things that smelled like the cat box. After over 14 years gardening on Whidbey, I have come to appreciate this genus. Deer and rabbits leave them alone. They take wind, drought, and terrible soil without missing a beat – they actually seem to thrive on neglect! I have several Juniper varieties in my garden. I use Wichita Blue and Moonglow for their strong columnar structure, and I love my ‘Grey Owl’ for its horizontal shape and excellent steely blue color. ‘Daub’s Frosted’ is the next one I will plant – the two-toned gold and blue foliage makes it a stunning low groundcover.

Cypress & False Cypress (Chamaecyparis) & Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria)

If you have a hard time loving Conifers because you think they are scratchy and needle-y, then take a look at the plants in this genus. There are many “pet-able” plant pals to meet! This is also a great group for foliage color! From Cryptomeria japonica ‘Spiralis’, a rounded shrub also known as “Granny’s Ringlets” for its lime-green, curly lock-like foliage, to Chamaecyparis ‘Blue Feathers’ or ‘Heatherbun’ with their soft bluish foliage. For a pop of yellow, look to Chamaecyparis p. ‘Filifera Mops’, the Golden Threadleaf Cypress. For a rich deep green with creamy tips, consider Cham. ‘Mariesii’. Note that while the Cryptomeria genus is still drought-tolerant, some prefer a bit more water, especially to get established, than the Pines and Junipers do. For example, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’ loves moist soil. This is a gorgeous, quick-growing tree that works well as either a specimen or in the back of a border.

Hemlock (Tsuga)

Since Hemlocks are native to the Northwest, they grow well in Whidbey Island gardens. One of my favorites is ‘Gentsch White’, whose new growth offers white tips. This plant can be sheared into a shrub-like shape or left to grow into a tree form. My other favorite Hemlock is ‘Jeddeloh’, with its low-growing, mounding shape.

For those of you who are looking for a quick-growing screen, consider Thuja ‘Green Giant’. This is a great alternative to our much wider-growing Western Red Cedar. ‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae grows quickly to 50’ but only gets 12’ wide. 

The most important things to keep in mind when working with Conifers are these:

  • Even if they are drought-tolerant, they will need water to get established. Do hand water deeply for the first 3 years.
  • While deer may not like to eat these plants, they may still want to rub their antlers on them to remove the velvet and leave their scent to attract mates. It is wise to protect your trees with wire mesh, plastic netting, or some sort of wire or monofilament surround to deter them from doing this until your trees are strong enough not to fall over, and they are thick enough that a few missing branches or scarred bark won’t be an issue.
  • Do consider the ultimate size of these plants when you are placing them. Remember that a giant just might be lurking in that little pot. Give them the room they need to flourish and become beautiful specimens in your garden.

Want a fun piece of plant-dork trivia? A Ginkgo is a Conifer! Now isn’t that a surprise?

Remember, if you need help choosing a conifer for your garden or siting one, our Venture Out garden coaching and design service is just a phone call (360-321-9931) or email (contact@ventureoutnursery.com) away!

Caring for your fresh cut and living Christmas Trees

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Caring for your freshly cut Christmas Tree

Follow these tips to keep your real Christmas tree as fresh as possible. If you are unable to set up your tree when you get home, store it in a cool sheltered area like the North side house, away from the wind and sun. With proper care, your Christmas tree will bring warmth and pleasure throughout the holiday season!       

1. Make a fresh cut.

If you didn’t have us make a fresh cut at the Nursery, before you bring the tree into your home and place it in a stand, re-cut the trunk at least one inch from the bottom just before putting it in the stand. Even if you just cut it on a choose and cut farm, this re-opens the tree stem so it can drink water.

2. Choose a spot away from heat sources.

Heat sources like heat registers, space heaters, fireplaces, wood stove, televisions, computer monitors, etc. speed up evaporation and moisture loss of the tree.

3. Water immediately.

After making the fresh cut, place the tree in a large capacity stand with warm water. The stand you use should hold at least one gallon of fresh water.

4. Don’t add anything to the water.

Research has shown that plain tap water is the best. Some commercial additives and home concoctions can actually decrease a tree’s moisture retention and increase needle loss.

5. Check water level daily.

Do not allow the water level to drop below the fresh cut or the stem will reseal and be unable to drink. Christmas trees are very thirsty! It is not unusual for a tree to drink 2 gallons of water the first day it is the stand.

Living Christmas Trees

A Holiday Memory to Enjoy Year after Year!

Tired of investing in a beautiful conifer every December, only to throw it out in January? Consider purchasing a living Christmas tree to plant in your landscape after the holidays!

Tips for Success

1. Only keep living Christmas trees inside your home for a maximum of 7-10 days. We recommend moving the potted tree into your garage or other protected area for a week before moving it indoors. Likewise, after the holiday it’s a good idea to move it back to the garage for a week before planting. This allows the tree to adjust to the sudden change in temperature!

2. Living Christmas trees need water every day, but not too much! Once inside your home, an eight-foot conifer will enjoy about a quart of water per day, broken up into smaller doses. One way to do this is to sprinkle ice cubes over the root ball: they will melt slowly and water the tree a little at a time.

3. Use low-heat electric lights, and position the tree away from heaters to avoid drying out.

4. Choose an appropriate location to plant your tree: plenty of sunlight and well-draining soil are the two primary needs of most conifers.

5. Don’t fertilize until spring. Fertilizing during transplanting can stress the tree.

6. Water your transplanted tree. Keep an eye on your new tree for the first couple summers, and water it during periods of heat and drought. As the root system becomes more established, conifers become more independent and drought-tolerant.

Happy Holidays!

Heat and Sun Damaged Plant Care

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Is my sunburned plant dead?

The recent heat wave fried a lot of gardeners and a lot of plants too!  Just because a plant’s leaves are scorched does not mean the plant is dead. 

There are two ways plants can be damaged by the intense heat and strong sun.  To understand what happens to plants in extreme sunlight and heat, consider what happens to humans.  Strong sun makes us thirsty and we get sunburned.  It is the same with plants! 

CAUSES OF SUN STRESS ON PLANTS

Plants need water to live.  Roots take water from the soil, and it is drawn up through the plant to the foliage.  If the hot sun dries out the soil, and there is no water for the plant to take up, the leaves will wilt.  If the situation persists the leaf tissue, and then the stem tissue, will be damaged.  It will eventually turn a crunchy brown. 

Just like strong sunshine fries your skin tissues with the UV rays, plant leaf cells can be damaged by UV light – especially when there is a sudden change in the intensity of light (like because of a massive heat wave, or when you move a plant from shade to sun).  This damage doesn’t necessarily correlate to moisture availability; even plants with adequate water can have scalded leaves.  Intense UV can even scald the bark (and along with it the vascular tissue that lies just underneath) of thin-skinned trees such as Japanese Maples.  This can result in more extensive damage: whole stems and branches supported by that scalded section of bark can die, due to disruption of the water supply due to the damage to the vascular tissue.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SUN DAMAGED PLANTS

Is it dead or will it revive? 

If a plant was drought-stressed and has a few crunchy leaves, it may enough to cut back the damaged tissue and give it a deep drink.  If the damage is extensive – lots of dead stems with crunchy tips – you may need to cut the plant back to the ground and hope it regrows.  If you aren’t sure whether to cut or not, try bending the tips.  If they are flexible, then leave them alone – they aren’t dead!  If they snap off, they are dead and you can cut back until you reach flexible tissue.  You can also try the scratch test: scrape the bark in a small area with your fingernail or a knife.  If it is green, there is life.  If it is brown, it is dead.

If you kept your plant well-watered during the heat but nonetheless its foliage is turning white, or brown and crunchy, the best solution is to remove the damaged leaves.  If the burn is not from this heat wave, but because you recently moved your plant from shade to sun, you may want to leave the damaged foliage in place until the plant has had a chance to acclimatize.  A gradual introduction to more intense sunlight is preferred; that gives the plant time to “toughen up” the cells to tolerate more sunshine.

In either case, make sure the soil is moist.  Consider applying a dilute solution of an organic liquid fertilizer that is high in Nitrogen (like a 4-0-1 or 3-2-3 fish emulsion).  Maintain even soil moisture and you should see signs of life returning in 2 – 4 weeks. 

If after 6 weeks there is no sign of life, it could mean mean that the root system was damaged by desiccation and got too dry to regrow, or that damage to the plant tissues was too extensive to recover from.  Then it is time to visit the nursery for a replacement!

CONIFERS ARE A SPECIAL CASE

The above treatment works for perennials, grasses, and deciduous woody shrubs.  Conifers require different treatment.  Most conifers will not back-bud.  This means they will not make new growth on bare branches or the trunk.  If you cut them back, you may be removing their growing tips, and can cause permanent damage.  If your conifer has brown crunchy foliage, simply remove the dead foliage without cutting back any branches.  Give the plant a steady supply of water and see if new needles appear in the next several weeks.  If after 6 weeks, there is no sign of life, it may mean you need to visit your local nursery for a replacement plant.