volume 12 southeastern...

Mid-January finally brought beautiful

snow to Knoxville; the likes we have

not seen for a few years. The snow

accentuated the beauty and form of the

conifers in our mid-South landscape

and provided an opportunity for us to

enjoy them in a rare way. It also al-

lowed me to see a few gaps in my gar-

den that could use another conifer or

two. Now through March is a great

time to plant any conifers you have

been wanting to add to your landscape,

unless the ground is frozen. Early

planting will give your plants a head

start in getting established once spring

arrives and they break their dormancy.

Finally, don’t forget to regularly check

our regional website at http://

www.southeasternconifers.com/ for

information. Until next time.

Sue

Susan L. Hamilton, Ed.D. Associate Professor, UT Garden Director

Knoxville, TN

Phone: 865-974-7972

e-mail: [email protected]

Inside This Issue

From The SE President by Sue Hamilton, TN

SE Reference Gardens Page 2

Northern Conifers in the SE Page 2

Gardens of the Big Bend by Gary W. Knox, FL Pages 3,4,5

Conifer Colors in Winter by Sue Hamilton, TN Pages 6,7

GATOP Rendezvous by Alan Solomon, TN Pages 8,9

Take A Look …... by Flo Chaffin, GA Pages 10,11

Arizona Cypress by Bradley Roberts, GA Page 12

t

Southeastern Conifer

American Conifer Society - Southeastern Region __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana. Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Volume 12 February 2013

Events 2013

Conifer Rendezvous GATOP- Alan Solomon, MD Knoxville, TN April 7, 2013 –2.00 PM

ACS National Meeting Mt. Kisko, NY August 8 - 10, 2013 ACS SE Region Meeting Memphis, TN October 11-12, 2013

From The President

Greetings and a belated Happy New

Year!

Mark your calendar and make plans

now to attend our annual regional

conifer conference this October 11-

12 in Memphis, TN. Plans are under-

way to make this an exciting meet-

ing! We will visit the Dixon Gallery

and Gardens, the Memphis Botanic

Garden and several private gardens.

Memphis is a fun city and the Na-

tional Geographic Traveler editors

have selected Memphis as one of 20

must-see places in the new year!

They write “there’s something newly

electric in the air” and credits are

given for the Stax Museum of

American Soul Music, Shelby Farms

Park and Central BBQ for their inno-

vative and DIY spirit in making

Memphis great. We will announce

the host hotel and further conference

details in the next newsletter. Save

the date for now; between public and

private gardens, renowned speakers,

nurseries and garden centers, this is

sure to be a great meeting.

Southeastern Conifer February 2013

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The ACS SE Region Conifer Reference Gardens

Florida Gardens of the Big Bend, Quincy, FL.

Georgia Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA Lockerly Arboretum, Milledgeville, GA

Smith Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw, GA

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, GA

North Carolina JC Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC

South Carolina South Carolina Botanical Gardens, Clemson, SC

Tennessee - East Tennessee State University Arboretum, Johnson City, TN University of TN –Jackson West TN Research &

Ed Center Gardens, Jackson, TN

University of Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville, TN

Virginia Al Gardner Memorial Garden –J. Sargeant Reynolds

Community College, Goochland, VA

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, VA Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, VA

State Arboretum of Virginia, Boyce, VA

All of these gardens have websites with addresses,

directions and events

About Northern Conifers in the Southeast

Some conifers perform well in the Southeastern U.S.

while others struggle. For the more northerly climate

conifers such as Spruce and Fir, hot summers and

heavy clay soils that we have a lot in the Southeast,

particularly wet soils, are the biggest enemy. High

nighttime air temperatures, along with increased soil

temperatures lead to increased respiration rates.

When clay soils are wet, air pockets are filled with

water. Therefore, the soil does not provide the oxy-

gen level that the root system demands, due to the

plants’ increased respiration rate. The end result is

root death, and an undesirable or dead tree. When

planting conifers in the South, these conditions must

be taken into consideration. Proper siting combined

with proper planting becomes critical. This applies to

the areas outside of the Appalachian Mountains and

below 2500 feet elevation. Growing conditions of

hot/humid summers and mild winters found in such

areas as the Coastal Plain, is not conducive to the

cooler season conifers. In general except for Momi

Fir and Nikko Fir, the success of the majority of fir in

the southeast region is non existent……

The essence of this text and a list of conifers can be found

at the website of the University of Alabama

in Huntsville, AL

American Conifer Society - SE Region

www.conifersociety.org

www.southeasternconifers.com

SE President: Sue Hamilton Ph. [email protected]

SE Vice President: Tom Neff, [email protected]

SE Treasurer: John Quackenbush, [email protected]

Regional Director on ACS Board: Tom Neff-see above

Reference Gardens: Barbie Colvin, GA

[email protected]

SE Webmaster: Ben Ford, TN [email protected]

SE Newsletter Editor: Maud Henne, VA - [email protected]

SE News Techn.Advisor: Tom Cox, GA - [email protected]


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Gardens of The Big Bend, Florida ACS’ Southernmost Conifer Reference Garden

By Dr. Gary W. Knox, Quincy, FL (SE Reference Garden #14)

Southern members of the American Conifer Society have proved for years that ornamental conifers can be successfully cultivated in southern States. Now, as the newest and southernmost Conifer Reference Garden, ‘Gardens of the Big Bend’ is set to extend this success even further to the Deep South and Florida, USDA Har-diness Zone 8b along the Gulf Coast. What we may lack in firs, spruce and hemlock, Gardens of the Big Bend more than makes up for with 19 other conifer genera, including 29 species and 42 cultivars or selec-tions totaling more than 100 specimens.

The address of Gardens of the Big Bend is in Florida, but our location is just 10 miles south of the Georgia-Florida border in the so-called ‘Big Bend’, where the Florida panhandle meets the peninsula. This results in the Gardens being more closely affiliated with South-ern culture and continental climate and soils than with the theme parks and tropical beaches of peninsular Florida. The Gardens are easily accessible to Gulf Coast residents of the Florida panhandle, lower Alabama, lower Mississippi and Louisiana thanks to our location on Interstate 10, the primary east-west expressway for the Gulf Coast.

As a new member of the Conifer Reference Garden program, Gardens of the Big Bend hopes to excite visi-tors by displaying exotic conifer species adapted to the Gulf Coast as well as presenting ornamental selections of native conifers. Most specimens in our plantings are not dwarf forms as beloved by many conifer growers; instead our conifers aim to be shrub and tree compo-nents of Gulf Coast landscapes providing unique tex-tures and forms as well as evergreen foliage. As a young garden, our modest conifer collection has been inspired by the breadth and depth of the collection amassed by Dr. John Ruter (University of Georgia) in Tifton, Georgia, about 90 miles northeast.

Gardens of the Big Bend formally began in 2008 thanks to the happy marriage of a new volunteer or-ganization coupled with facilities and plant collections at a University of Florida research facility. I have devel-oped collections of conifers and other landscape

plants as part of research projects at the North Florida Re-search and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy. The volun-teer organization, Gardening Friends of the Big Bend, Inc., formed in 2007 to support horticulture research and edu-cation. This group quickly seized on the idea of transform-ing and transplanting NFREC's existing plant collections into a series of gardens. The goals of these gardens are to evaluate new plants, promote garden plants adapted to the region, demonstrate environmentally sound principles of landscaping and provide a beautiful and educational environment for students, visitors, gardeners and Green Industry professionals. In addition to being named a Coni-fer Reference Garden, the Magnolia Garden has recently been recognized as part of the National Collection of Mag-nolia as overseen by the North American Plant Collections Consortium. Other major collections include crapemyrtle, hydrangea and rose.

Gardens of the Big Bend currently occupies about 8 acres plus the 3-acre Magnolia Garden. Additional land is available as the Gardens grow. Conifers are planted throughout the Gardens and elsewhere on the NFREC campus, and a new garden will focus on conifers.

Gardens of the Big Bend are free and open to the public during daylight hours year-round; staff is available during normal business hours. The Gardens are located just 1/8 mile north of Florida Exit 181 on Interstate 10.

Please visit us and see just how far south many differ-ent conifers can grow!

On the following two pages you will find photos of what we grow in the Gardens of the Big Bend.

Professor Gary W. Knox is affiliated with the University of

Florida, North Florida Research and Education Center

155 Research Rd, Quincy, FL 32351



_________________________________________________________________________________________

Conifers in the Gardens of the Big Bend, Florida

Left:

Abies firma: Japanese native

Momi fir, the only fir suited for

the hot and humid Gulf Coast.

Right:

Keteleeria evelyniana—one of

the most impressive conifers on

the NFREC campus.

Below:

Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans Aurea’ is a

mature specimen and was also relocated.

Above and Left:

Funding from our volunteer support

group allowed us to relocate some

conifers including this Araucaria

angustifolia

Tree spading did not slow the

growth. It is now the largest and

most distinctive plant in the Gardens

of Big Bend.


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Left:

Pinus pseudostrobus:

Mexican pine providing fabulous

texture.

Right:

Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Variegata’, an unusual variegated form. The green

form is more commonly grown in

North Florida landscapes.

Below:

Taxodium ‘Cave Hill’ is a dwarf form of Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) originally found as a witch’s broom at

Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, and propagated by

nurseryman Ben Cecil.

Center and Below Right:

Nageia nagi with broad glossy leaves, 2 or more inches long, grows well in

Northern Florida and along the

Gulf Coast

Conifers in the Gardens of the Big Bend, Florida


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Evergreen Doesn’t Have To Be Green Only:

Enliven Your Winter Landscape With Conifers Of Many Hues By Dr. Sue Hamilton, TN

Do you think of evergreen trees and shrubs as dull green pyra-

mids? I did, until I saw the steely blue foliage and graceful sil-

houette of a weeping blue Atlas cedar. Since then, I've discovered

that evergreens, specifically conifers, come in a wide array of

hues, shapes, and textures. I’ve also learned that they are some of

the best plants to enliven the winter garden. You can have such

colors as plum, blue, copper and yellow brightening up your

green winter landscape. Best of all, many newer cultivars are

bred to grow slowly, or to mature at heights that stay in propor-

tion to the average house and surrounding plants. Actually, coni-

fers have become my new favorite group of plants because of

their colorful beauty, their many foliage textures and low mainte-

nance. My two dozen conifers are the backbone of my 1-acre

garden. No matter how big or small your yard is, you'll find many

beautiful, colorful evergreens to fit.

Yellow:

One of my favorites for its bright lime-yellow foliage is

‘Morgan’ Oriental Arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis ‘Morgan’).

It is one of the most durable and tolerant conifers to use in the

garden. It can tolerate a range of soil conditions from extremely

dry to boggy wet. It forms an upright column of soft, flat sprays

and the tips of the foliage turn coppery-orange in the winter! It

can grow to 6' tall over time. (See also Jared Barnes’ description

of this plant in our August 2012 Southeastern Conifer Newslet-

ter). ‘Verdon’ Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Verdon’)

is a loose, broadly conical form that features golden foliage for

great year-round interest. It is slow-growing, typically reaching

3-5’ tall in 10 years. There are quite a few yellow Hinoki cypress,

for instance ‘Crippsii‘, ‘Confucius’, ‘Fernspray Gold’,’Golden

Ceramic’, ’Golden Fairy’, ’Golden Grape’ and ’Golden Nymph’.

One of the golden selection, Cham. obtusa: ‘Elmwood Gold’,

Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Gold Mop’

looks quite cute when young but can grow to be a medium sized trees, unless

it is trimmed to shape which it tolerates very well. Same with Cham. pisifera

’Gold Mop’. ‘Sekkan Sugi’, a Japanese Cedar, (Cryptomeria japonica

‘Sekkan Sugi’) has a columnar form with foliage tipped creamy yellow

which turns a coppery-bronze in winter. It grows to about 12 –15 ft high, 6ft

wide in ten years and thrives in sun.

Maud Henne tells me that her Picea orientalis’ Skylands’ (see

above) has many admirers. There are also several outstanding yellow

-gold Junipers in a variety of different forms. A great vertical and

slender Juniper for the hot sun is Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone'. It

has striking bright golden yellow foliage and grows to just 3'-4' tall x

12" wide in 10 years. J. horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’ has a prostrate,

creeping habit but is vibrant in the landscape with its bright gold

foliage growing only 4" high x 4' wide in 10 years. Juniperus

chinensis ‘Gold Lace’ is among the best of the semi-prostrate selections. It

has bright gold foliage and grows 3' tall x 5' wide in 10 years. Golden Deo-

dar Cedar ( Cedrus deodara ‘Aurea’ ) has a graceful and elegant look with

its noteworthy bright yellow-gold foliage. With a pyramidal form with arch-

ing branches, it grows to 25 feet tall and 15 feet wide.


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Plum:

The Atlantic white cypress (Chamaecyparis thyoides) is a conifer

that prefers a damp, boggy site but will tolerate drained soil.

‘Rubicon’ is an upright dense form with blue-green, star- like

foliage which turns a beautiful soft plum color in winter. Grows

to just 6' tall and 2' wide. ‘Heatherbun’ is a compact, globe

shaped form also with plum winter color. It matures to 6-8' tall.

Juniperus communis ‘Berkshire’ is a true miniature growing to

just 8" tall x 12" wide in 10 years. It forms a dense bun-shaped

mound growing green in the summer and turning plum and

bronze in the winter. See below.

Blue:

For outstanding blue color, the Colorado Blue Spruce is hard to

beat. An outstanding selection with a conical shape is Picea pun-

gens ‘Fat Albert’ which grows 10-15' tall x 7-10' wide in 10

years. I like ‘Hoopsii’ too which is a little shorter and more slen-

der growing to 8' tall x 3' wide in 10 years. ‘Globosa’ is a great

round, dwarf form growing 3' x 3' in 10 years. ‘Blue Ice’ cypress

(Cupressus glabra) is touted as being one of the most blue coni-

fers available. This striking vertical plant can reach 16' tall x 5'

wide and is fast growing. Another standout choice which is toler-

ant of a range of soils is Cedar (Cedrus; Zones 6-9). A variety of

colors, forms, and sizes provide lots of choices. One of my favor-

ites for form and blue color is C. atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’. This

Atlas Cedar has brilliant silver-blue foliage and a weeping, cas-

cading form which can be quite striking. It can be easily trained

to various heights then allowed to weep into distinct forms. For a

soft, vertical form, you can’t go wrong with C. deodara. The

Deodar Cedar has a graceful and elegant look with blue gray

foliage. I also love the soft texture, blue color, and prostrate form

of Cedrus deodara ‘Feelin Blue’. Only growing to 2.5’ tall x 4'

wide, this is a nice compact Cedar.

Pinus parviflora ‘Cleary’ in spring

Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’ in spring

Cedrus deodara ‘Feelin’ Blue’


_________________________________________________________________________________________

GATOP (God’s Answer To Our Prayers) Garden in Knoxville, TN

Open House on Sunday April 7, 2013 from 2 PM

ACS member Alan Solomon, MD loves to open his woodland

garden to the public. It is considered to be one of the most unusual

private gardens in the country. You will find not only conifers, but

also magnolia, ponds, waterfalls, large millstones, handcrafted

rockwalled pathways and sculptures. New areas include extensive

conifer plantings, dry stream beds with native plantings and a

‘natural sculpture’ garden composed of three hundred million year

old marble outcroppings. They also include palm, holly and

additional conifer plantings: GATOP’s pinetum now contains

over 350 specimens. GATOP has been included in the Smith-

sonian Institution’s ’Archives of American Gardens’.


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Solomon encourages to spend enough time to take

the various areas in, about 2 to 3 hours. And consider

good walking shoes, as the terrain is uphill and down-

hill.

If you want to know about how this garden came

about, please go back to Southern Conifer No 1 and 2

from June and August 2011 where Alan Solomon de-

scribes the birth and history of his woodland garden.

Address:

2705 Riverside Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914;

Phone:865-524-5097


Directions:

From I– 40, exit at Alcoa Highway

and take Neyland Drive exit. Go

east on Riverside Drive for 1.5

miles, bear right at Vulkan Material

and go another 0.4 miles, to #2705.

There is a black mailbox on the left

side. Go up the driveway to the

parking area.


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Take A Look And Visit Conifer Gardens By Flo Chaffin, GA

I love visiting gardens. I always learn something about gardening, or about the gardener, or sometimes about my-

self. Every garden is different, and within every garden, every day is different. It’s just great to get out and see.

The directory of the American Conifer Society can be a very good way to open doors to lovely gardens with fan-

tastic conifers. Many private gardens are open to the membership by appointment. In addition, the list of 14 Reference Gardens in the SE Region is also a great place to start planning a garden tour. (http://www.southeasternconifers.com/

home/reference-gardens and page 2 of this newsletter).

I have taken full advantage of that member benefit in 2012. On a trip to England in fall, I visited the very best

conifer garden I think I will ever see. It is the pride and joy of David Ward in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. I knew I would

be nearby, so I wrote to David in advance about our plans, and he welcomed us to tour his garden whenever being con-venient for us. We took advantage of that, and drove straight from the airport in Manchester to his place. It was the per-

fect means by which to get over jet lag! What a treasure that place is, and what an honor it was to have visited. (You’ll

find photos of his garden in Adrian Bloom’s ‘Gardening with Conifers’ and many other publications.) My photos hardly

scratch the surface.

Closer to home, I’ve checked in this winter with some of the friends I’ve met through the regional meetings and

gatherings. I joined Kathryn Moomaw on a tour of Jerry and Lance Pailer’s amazing garden in Buckhead Georgia. It

was one of those warm sunny December days that just made their conifers shine. Jerry not only knows all her plants, but we enjoyed reliving many a conifer meeting as she recalled which auction she got what plant from. What a lovely way to

enjoy a winter’s day!

Left and Below:

David Ward and his garden in Leeds, Yorkshire, England


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Another garden tour inspired by ACS auction plants came a few weeks later in Milledgeville. Barbie Colvin, Cathy Walsh, and Lynn Graham have been dedicated auction organizers, workers, and purchasers at regional meetings

for many years. So one day, I asked to see where all those plants went! We arranged a day, and we all toured each of the

three wonderful and very different gardens, just brimming with very special plants procured at our regional ACS meet-

ings over the years. What fun!!

And most recently- Barbie, Lynn and I headed out to a wonderful spot in Spartanburg, SC- Hatcher Woodland

Garden. I had happened upon Hatcher a year or so ago, and was blown away by the conifer display there. After commu-nicating with Jeff Hall, their horticulturist, I encouraged them to join ACS, which he did. Finally this winter, I made the

time to return for a tour led by Jeff. The place is magically located almost in downtown Spartanburg, yet miles away in

atmosphere. It used to be an old worn out cotton field, and is now an oasis of woodland trails, quiet nooks, and an outra-geously beautiful collection of some of the coolest conifers! If you are traveling anywhere near Spartanburg, you should

definitely stop in and see Hatcher.

All 4 Photos:

In the Hatcher Woodland Garden,

Spartanburg, SC

In early May 2012

I encourage everyone to make time to visit good gardens. Get together with friends, take a day trip, and maybe

start by letting your “fingers do the walking” in the ACS Directory, or on the Southeastern Conifer website. You may

see something you like, and make new friends, too!

Left and Right:

In the garden of

Jerry and Lance Pailer,

Buckhead, GA


_________________________________________________________________________________________

Cupressus arizonica var. glabra Arizona Cypress

By Bradley Roberts, GA

I am always in search of conifers that can withstand the extreme conditions of the summers in Central Geor-gia. One plant that fits the bill is Cupressus arizonica or Arizona Cypress. The taxonomic classification of this widely used tree is left up to much debate. Dr. Michael Dirr refers to it as Cupressus arizonica, but there are several synonyms that are generally accepted, includ-ing: Cupressus arizonica var. arizonica, Cupressus ari-zonica var. glabra, Cupressus glabra, and Cupressus glabra var. glabra. The cultivars referred to in this arti-cle are Cupressus arizonica var. glabra

This rapidly growing tree has many uses in the land-scape. It makes a fantastic windbreak or screen, and can also be used as a textural accent in a display plant-ing. The silver-gray foliage of most varieties offers a break in color and tone, making it a nice choice to visu-ally enhance a landscape.

Arizona Cypress, native to Mexico and the south-western United States, can reach 30 – 40 feet in height with a spread of 15 – 25 feet. It is hardy from zones 7 through 9, with a very nice columnar or pyramidal crown. As I have already mentioned, I am always look-ing for conifers that will endure the heat of the south-east, and this species actually prefers hot, dry condi-tions.

There are many cultivars of Cupressus arizonica var. glabra available in the trade, several of which are repre-sented in the Conifer Reference Garden at Lockerly Arbore-tum: ‘Blue Ice’, ‘Carolina Sapphire’, ‘Chaparral’, ‘Golden Pillar’, ‘Golden Pyramid’, ‘Silver Smoke’, and ‘Sulphurea’. These different varieties make excellent specimen trees in a collection, offering a diverse array of color to accent a planting. ‘Carolina Sapphire’ is by far the most common and has a more graceful habit than other cultivars.

Developed by Clemson University in 1968, this tree grows like a weed (3 feet per year), making it a fine choice to develop a fast growing border or screen. ‘Sulphurea’ is a personal favorite. This slower growing cultivar (about 6 inches per year) forms a narrow, dense, pyramidal crown with unique sulfur-yellow foliage.

If you are looking for a conifer that is heat and drought tolerant, and fast growing, you may want to try Arizona Cy-press. I have enjoyed planting different varieties of this tree, and watching them develop over the years. Dirr does mention that this plant is not long lived for the southeast, so I am very curious to see how the cultivars I have planted will age, but it has slowly become one of my favorite conifer species.

Bradley Roberts is Director of Horticulture of the Lockerly Arbo-

retum in Milledgeville, GA, one of the Reference Gardens in the

SE. About Lockerly: see SE Newsletter April 2012.

Phone: 478-452-2112 . e-mail: [email protected]

Above: Cupresssus arizonica ‘Carolina Sapphire’

Top right: Cupressus arizonica ‘Sulphurea’

volume 12 southeastern...

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