It is still pretty barren out there and the Lush has yet to stir. That is a good thing mind you. March 1st is not spring despite the temperatures that state otherwise. Winter is still possible.
At this point winter would be bad. Many of the daffodils are at their late March stature. At the same time, the earliest bloomers like anemones, crocus, creeping phlox and winter aconite are just waking up. The daffodils have leapt ahead of schedule in this warm. That is bad if winter shows up.
Crocus are good.
Witch Hazels are good.
Daffodils are good. They are just way too early. But what are you going to do?
So I figured if it was going to be spring, it was time to add the new contemplated plants to the low mounding tapestry of evergreen texture and color of winter interest to the Under Garden. Would my favorite nursery be open? Did they know it was spring?
Yes they did and I came home with what were listed as Bardon Cypress, a dwarf conical evergreen to five feet tall and two feet wide. I can't find this plant on the internet at all. My best guess is it is a cultivar of Cryptomeria japonica. The closest matching description I could find was 'Black Dragon'. Maybe that's what it is. Maybe it isn't. Maybe it is a Chamaecyparis sp. The needle like foliage says Cryptomeria to me.
Whatever they are I planted them. I just hope the listed size was close to accurate. If they grow as slow as the rest of the evergreens it may not matter. It looks good. It felt good. I was satisfied.
It began to rain right as I finished planting my new baby shrubberies. Thank you very much. I will get to enjoy them for a couple more months, growth rate of the Lush depending.
There is a slight chance of snow for tomorrow night. I am seeing a low in the twenties coming up. A cold blast is coming, but it isn't looking very winter like with highs in the fifties. These new cypress were held locally in a cold frame so they should be acclimated to what is. All will be well. One hopes I did not jump the starting date by too much for spring. I even have clients calling itching to plant.
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3 comments:
Never ever heard of a Bardon cypress. While I was googling however an R.E. Bardon keeps showing up in NC extension service articles as a reference or source. Maybe some relation? I agree it looks like a cryptomeria which is good b/c they tolerate some shading.
These look like fine plants. I really like the size. I need something that size. hmmmm I have also planted a couple of shrubbies in the ground. They wintered over several winters in planters. They are quite small but too large for the planters so I thought why not. We are having April weather. They should be alright. At least I am hoping so.
Bev I noticed that while googling too. I will get Brian at the nursery to call the grower to at least clarify it is a Cryptomeria. My main concern was its zone hardiness which would be a 5 for that.
Lisa I don't think it is a problem to 'winter' plant shrubberies that are properly acclimated to the local climate. The bigger concern in winter planting is frozen ground when new plants don't have a well established root system to take up enough water. They can dry up.
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