I KILLED, OR AT LEAST MAIMED, ITS UPRIGHT COUSIN. TWICE. But the prostrate-growing Japanese plum yew, Cephalotaxus harringtoniana ‘Prostrata,’ just keeps happily stretching its legs—and arms—on my back hillside. A handsome, heat-tolerant conifer that creates a sprawl of semi-glossy green groundcover in the shade…even though it’s many times wider than any book or other reference promised. More of a good thing, I guess you could say, and also deer-resistant. [read more…]
conifers
beloved conifer: prostrate japanese plum yew
April 15, 2012 at 10:06 am
{ 7 Comments }
giveaway: q&a with broken arrow’s adam wheeler
March 9, 2012 at 5:19 pm
WHAT I MISS MOST about my Martha job: I had other garden geeks as colleagues, and the chance to talk plants nonstop. These days I pester people like Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery in Connecticut instead. The latest in my series of nursery and seed-company Q&As: a chat with Adam about everything from outstanding wildlife shrubs and underused hydrangeas and magnolias; to using variegation in the garden, growing giant pumpkins and more. Plus: a chance to win one of two $25 Broken Arrow gift certificates I’ve bought to share with you. [read more…]
most asked-about: japanese umbrella pine
June 23, 2011 at 4:11 pm
MOST WEEKS I GET AT LEAST ONE COMMENT OR EMAIL–sometimes many more–about my beloved Japanese umbrella pine, one of two plants that traveled with my belongings in the moving van when I first bought this house as a fixer-upper weekend project 25 years ago. That’s it at the axis of the photo above, behind my house. Thanks to the magic of search engines, gardeners in far-reaching spots read about my big old plant, and wonder if I can help them with theirs. When I hear the troubles people are having, I shudder: How in the world did I get so lucky, and what if I hadn’t? [read more…]
abies koreana, queen of the cones
June 11, 2011 at 10:23 am
AS MANY TIMES AS I HAVE SEEN THEM, I’m always startled when the Korean fir, Abies koreana, puts out a fresh crop of purple “pine” cones each year at this time. They’re a favorite of wildlife (and the gardener) here; read the full profile of this great conifer, or browse through all my conifer stories anytime.
botanical blessings: conifers for the coldest days
January 15, 2011 at 12:29 pm
THEY ARE GARDEN STALWARTS, FEARING NOTHING–not even low single digits and multiple feet of snow. In this old-fashioned Northeastern winter of 2010-11, I’m counting my blessings, and tops on that list: the conifers who live here with me (including the weeping Alaska cedar, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula,’ above). What better time of year to review them, in a slideshow that links off to all their individual profiles?
the hedge as masterpiece, by master piet oudolf
December 28, 2010 at 12:15 pm
MY GARDENING LIFE STARTED with a hedge—cutting one back hard, specifically. It was the threadbare, tall old privet surrounding my childhood home, and I was determined to “rejuvenate” it, after reading about the process in a book. No artful hedge has ever been created by my hands, though—a fact that feels all the more lamentable after watching Sean Conway’s video tour (above) of designer and nurseryman Piet Oudolf’s garden in the Netherlands. What magic. [read more…]
slideshow: golden days as the garden slides by
October 26, 2010 at 2:42 pm
AS MUCH AS THE GARDEN STARTS UP WITH A GLEAM OF GOLD, it goes out with one, too. Yes, yellow is certainly spring’s favorite color–but it is likewise autumn’s. In words and photos, some thoughts about how gold works in the garden (hint: it’s not the least bit shy), and the plants who are offering up their biggest payoffs right now. [read more…]
beloved conifer: my not-so-dwarf-now white pines
October 19, 2010 at 7:40 am
YOU’D THINK BIGGER WOULD NOT BE BETTER when you’re taking about a dwarf conifer, but to the contrary, I’m loving my overgrown “dwarf” white pines (Pinus strobus ‘Nana’) more each year. After 20-plus years in the ground, starting from mounded creatures maybe 3 feet across and 2 high, today they are close to 14 by 7 or 8—like giant bonsais someone hasn’t clipped lately. (That would be me.) [read more…]
snowstorm aftermath: pruning, prayers, goodbyes
March 5, 2010 at 1:16 pm
I OPENED MY MOUTH TOO SOON TWO WEEKS AGO when I said it had been an unremarkable winter here. Late February’s wet snows promptly pounded the Northeast region, and the garden. During the storm and since, I did a little triage—emphasis on little, since in many cases storm-damaged trees and shrubs need time to rebound first as the snow recedes. I focused on minimizing further damage, and left it at that, for now. Here’s the drill: [read more…]
