why not just tell us what you got... is it a secret???

they are trees... they need to be planted in mother earth ...

plant them for their 10 year size ... and then add a few feet ... which is the usual estimates you see thrown around ...

interplant with some perennials.. or tall annuals.. for the years in between ...

trust me on this one ... plant them in a forever site ... all good intentions aside ... they never get moved again .. lol ... by most of us anyway .. lol ...

a pic of the bed.. and a list of plants ... might get you some ideas about a planting plan ...

i do NOT recommend a newbie to trees... aka conifers.. fool around with pots ... especially in ground pots ... IMHO ... you have too much to learn.. before you make it twice or 3 times as hard ...

ken

Hi Ken,

I can always count on you for a gentle answer ; )

No secrets. Truth is, I didn't want to assume anyone cared. I often feel like I usually err on the "too many details" side of things when I post, maybe it's in my head.

Anyway, I got a dwarf globe blue spruce-- coulda gotten that one anywhere but didn't want to spend the bigger bucks on a large one, then I wouldn't have been able to get much else... an Adcok's Dwarf... a Goldilocks Pinus Parviflora and... a Tiny Kurls dwarf. Hopefully I wrote all of them correctly. I realized after the fact that 3 of these are white pines but next year when I order a few more I'll just make sure none of them are, hehe.

Last fall I ordered 4 japanese maples babies- 2 years grafts, that are in 3 gallon pots: Shishigashira... Koto No Ito... Fjellheim... and Golden Fullmoon. I also have a bigger Viridis in a 5 gallon container that my mom got at a big box store just over a year ago, that I might've tried to sculpt a little too hard with bonsai wire bc a few of the branches didn't get any leaves this year? I think it still looks ok though-- a little strange but I like that.

Oh and I also ordered something I've been wanting for a while, a Redbud Hazel, from ForestFarm. Here are some pics of the beds:

The 1st pic is of our shadier side, we get morning sun there-- comes up over the left side of the pic and goes diagonally over the house to set on the right side of the 3rd pic, right over the right corner of the bed.

You can see all my little maples there on the left side-- they aren't staying there obviously. Well, maybe one is. The tall red maples were seedlings of my big one out front (I assume a Bloodgood?) and I just have them in pots for some red color. Once they get too big I will probably give them away to someone.

The hydrangeas came with the house and were one of the only things I loved. I bought the Degroot's last fall, on one of your recommendations Ken. I'm in the process of getting that grass strip out of there, don't worry. The grass that's laying on the tarp was on the inside corner and hubbie is finding a spot for it before I remove more. I was thinking of putting the Viridis on the corner there where I removed the grass, about halfway between the house and sidewalk, there's about 10 square feet of soil on that corner.

The 2nd pic shows my part shade/part sun corner and the unsightly gas/electric box I hope to eventually hide, as well as my Redbud Hazel.

The 3rd pic is my full sun spot. I hope to get a Red Dragon maple for the corner. And the skinny thing on the right is a Green Arrow Alaskan Cedar that I planted in the fall... and the little thing, I don't remember-- I got it several years ago from a little garden center here that sold it with the mini conifers in the bonsai section and I didn't make note of what it was, darnit. I'm keeping records of everything now though. I want to say it was a fernspray gold hinoki cypress? but when I google that, it doesn't look the same so I really don't know.

Well, that's probably waaaay more info than you wanted but... you asked for it! Summarizing is not my strong suit. : )

I agree with Ken's point about perennials or annuals. You can create a really beautiful landscape with the right mixture. As the years go by, you'll end up removing some of the perennials or planting fewer annuals, until one spring you'll realize the conifers have filled the space perfectly. At which point you'd love to freeze time, but, sadly, even "small" conifers get big with enough years. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Anyway, personally, I find that a much more entertaining and less stressful way of gardening with dwarf conifers. So I'd take them out of the pots and put them in their permanent homes. While transplanting small conifers is often pretty easy, transplantation is a fundamentally stressful thing for a plant to undergo, so I try to avoid it whenever possible (or at least minimize it).

you're off to a good start. I agree with ken,,,get them in the ground,,,plan spacing carefully

10 yr. size,or beyond,,,,you'll have to suffer with the tiny mutants for a time,,fill with perennials

but before you know it , things start growing and boom you got a garden ,,,,you'll have to start making beds other side of side walks,,,,bet you will

a few plants orderd in spring,,,a couple in fall

I have put pots in ground,,,but they were 1 gal. plants in 10 gal. pot with bottom cut off,,using native soil , but only for short time

I ripped out my front yard couple years ago,,,did some planting (dwarfs) ,,,thought,,this looks like crap,,,,now third years new growth,,,I'm absolutely giddy

ron

Thanks guys, all of this sounds like excellent advice. as far as what to use to fill in the spaces some... Wouldn't annuals be better? Almost all perennials I can think of can get pretty big and/or unruly and will just cover my baby conifers right up-- but I admittedly have very little experience. The perennials I've had before have been lilacs, daisies, black-eyes susan's, peonies (my fave!)-- all things that would hide my 18" conifers completely-- and then some that probably won't do well in my full sun (hosta and ferns) but if anyone has more specific suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I could get plenty of annuals though in various heights, plant some taller ones behind here and there and shorter or even ground cover type ones in front and around? ... I'm going to get started tomorrow hopefully! At least on the conifer planting.

As far as the conifers someday growing even bigger than the 10 year growth, I figure if I allow another 50% space in addition to the 10year... and I don't mind pruning here and there if I have to eventually... I should be fine. I hope : )

And Ken, I wonder why aren't you saying anything about my plant picks now... I bet I did write too much, darnit! Or you don't like my picks... Or I suppose you could actually just be busy, hehe ; )

Anyway, thanks everyone!! Really. I feel much more "grounded" in my plan now...

Ps Ron, can I see some pics maybe? I love seeing what you all have done in your gardens!

Hi Nicole, One little quick tip for you is when you plant that Acer shirasawanum.....make sure its in the utmost shadiest location you can provide for it.

Al

Thanks Al! I wasn't planning on planting that guy for a while, maybe even a few years. It apparently gets (eventuallly) much bigger than I'd originally realized and I don't think anywhere next to my house would be enough space... unless I want to keep it pruned to a certain size, which I don't know if I want to do... so I have to wait until I start putting new beds in in random places in the garden, after my beds surrounding the house are looking better. And that will be a while... But I will keep that in mind! Do you have this tree, grown? I'd love to see a picture : )

This is not my golden full moon maple (mine is grown in a container and is significantly smaller) but the attached link will give you an indication of what a relatively mature specimen looks like.
Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'

I would also encourage you to plant directly in the ground. I collect dwarf conifers myself and grow them in containers on a permanent basis.........85% of my gardening is done in containers :-) And it is a lot of work.......much more so than if you planted in the ground. But sinking the containers in the ground in view of a future move presents several added problems. First involves the constriction of the root system confined to a too small pot (like much containerized nursery stock) and the second is the compromised drainage this method creates. Container soils tend to be somewhat moisture retentive for the benefit of the growers (less watering involved). Combine that with minimal drainage opportunites (1 or 2 holes in the bottom of the pot) and even those blocked by the inground soil tightly packed against them and you typically will wind up with an overly wet, slowly draining soil situation immediately surrounding the roots. Rot root is a distinct possibility.

That's a beautiful tree gardengal, but definitely much bigger than I have room for right now, and I'll actually never have a space big enough that's *shady*. I'll have to do that best I can with what I have. My plan until I find a permanent spot for that one is to root prune every couple years once it looks like it might be getting a little rootbound...which I imagine won't happen for a while yet. I watched a nice youtube video about root-pruning by a Tricia-someone. And I have it in Al's 5-1-1 now so hopefully won't get root rot. While I do think the root-pruning seems like a lot of work, for me it'd only be a few trees that I'd keep that way... the rest in the ground.

Do you think I'd be better off planting in the ground and keeping the tree small with pruning? Seems unkind and almost egotistical of me, to shape it. Like who am I to tell it how to be shaped, you know?? I think Mother Nature knows what she's doing, especially with these beautiful maples! But I'm open to suggestion. I *have* pruned and shaped my Viridis, so I guess I must feel obliged to be able to pick and choose who gets it, ha.

Grow the full moon in a container. That will definitely keep it on the smaller side (containerizing trees acts as a natural dwarfing mechanism, sort of like bonsai). And it is more easily transported to a situation that provides the light conditions it needs. Morning sun is fine but make sure it gets some protection from hot afternoon sun.

Depending on the size of the container, root pruning may only need to be addressed every 3-5 years.

Sorry, I cant find any old photos here. I havnt grown one in a long time. The last one i had growing in a container was given to one of my brothers who planted it out in a woodland setting on his acres....my place is small. I did see it last week and its beautiful. Keep in mind with Md. weather and container grown.....its a slow one.

Al

As far as the issue of how to fill the space between your dwarf plants:

There are perennials that tend to stay small. Here in Georgia I like Dianthus for a small perennial, but it may be more of an annual type plant in Maryland. At the same time, some annuals will really explode on you over the course of a summer, and easily become fairly large plants by the time fall rolls around. I would visit your local garden center and just browse around. The great thing is, if you don't like an annual one year, you get to try something else out the next year. Also, it's much easier and safer to prune a fast growing annual than it is to prune your dwarf conifer.

In addition, I just wanted to mention that open space isn't always a bad thing. The absence of any other plants can really dramatically frame a small conifer or japanese maple. A landscape can easily become "too busy." I like occasional open space as it allows the eye to focus more readily on individual elements in the garden.

Finally, you might consider putting a boulder in open space, or perhaps an interesting log. I really like rocks, so I have them scattered around my garden. A good rock can be as pleasing as a nice plant, and the rock is usually cheaper, doesn't need watering, won't ever get bigger, and can handle every weather element thrown at it.

ken probably has hundreds of plants rolling in his head,,,one persons choices won't be another's preference ,,,sometimes I ask myself,,why did I pick that,,ha

dianthus is great,,,also like sedums,,,easy to move,,,,don't really like roses,,but since I heard of knockouts,,,,I likey,,,adds pop of color

here is pic from last year,,,added 3 new plants this year,,,area is bigger than it looks

going to make post soon

ron

I planted rock garden once,,,,,,,,,,it died

three more large beds in front

I'll terribly sorry to hear about the loss of your rock garden, Ron.

I think that brings up an important point worth mentioning. While most rocks are quite hardy, it's very important to always check the hardiness zone of your rock before you place it in the landscape. Some Southern rocks just can't handle the freeze-thaw cycles of the North, and in a few years you'll end up with a pile of rubble where your once grand boulder sat. Unfortunately, I've seen it happen many times, and some people just give up rock gardening altogether in despair. Tragic.

Hahaha I will keep that in mind! Before long I'm sure I'll be posting on here with a whole new slew of rock-health-growthrate-and-pruning questions.

I forgot to mention that rocks are part of the plan here already... We live right across the street from a large creek with more than enough to spare a few in the middle of the night... Is that frowned upon? I hope not.

Ron, thanks for sharing! Tell me what your conifers are there if you don't mind. I assume the purple plant is lavender? I might do a bit of that myself, always loved lavender. It's definitely looking good out there, interested in seeing what else you added this year.

I'm not sure what dianthus is so I googled it and there must be hundreds that all look different so I'll check em out at the nursery and then come home and google the ones I like. Ironically, I might have one on the side of the house (not either side I pictured) that I asked you all to ID for me when we bought the house. I have to go look in my old posts. If it *is* dianthus, ours is way huge and the previous owners planted it too close to the house, along with other stuff.

I do also love some of the sedums, especially when that bright yellow one is right next to the blue one. Great ideas here, thanks everyone!

dean,ha

nicole, new additions are listed in "new additions " post

additions

lavender is Russian sage,,,conifers,L to R,,,,pinus resinosa 'Morel',,,picea pungens 'Glauca Procumbens',,,pinus densi. 'low glow',,,yellow one behind salvia-pinus mugo 'Honeycomb',,,picea abies 'Froburg' ,,,,pinus strobus 'Windswept Broom'

ron

ps. dianthus is also called pinks or cheddar pinks,,,',fire witch ' rocks !

Oh wow Ron!! Most of these are of course, new to me but I've found some absolute favorites here to add to my list, so thank you! That Bush's Lace is amazing and the Glauca Procumbens, great shape and color ... and the Low Glow!! The pics online are ridiculous, I can't wait to watch your space grow. Gonna be so fun!!! Why though I wonder, are most of the pics online of the Low Glow, very bright-like and almost fluffy/ mound-like but then a few of them are more dark green and not nearly as fluffy... Weird.

Regardless. So many to love, so little space...

Funny, I don't have a dianthus...I have a deutzia. Only the 'D' is the same. I figured out though how I confused myself-- the Latin name for my new Redbud Hazel is DISANTHUS cercidifolius. Guess in my head it sounded the same but I couldn't remember why. Silly me.

Disanthus is an underused shrub in my opinion. I have three grown from seed that are over 20 years old. Excellent Fall color.
My Dianthus (Pinks) will be blooming in a week or two. Love the fragrance.
Mike

Mike, I think you showed me a pic or 2 of yours last year when I was considering one still-- beautiful shots. I can't wait til mine gets bigger!!

Nicole , I'm so disappointed with my Low Glow,,,I bought it for great color and shape,,guess I got a weird one

ron

here's my big boy Glauca Procumbens

That's freakin awesome, I'm so jealous. How long did it take to get that big?

I don't understand why you say that about the Low Glow... how can you tell already that you should be disappointed? I look at them when they are that little and have no idea what to expect... I just look at the mature pics online and assume that's how they'll turn out. Is there something specific you don't like about your Low Glow already??

don't know,,,to old to remember,,,,mabe 10 yr,,,from 3 gal. plant,,,Rich's Foxwillow Pines

color sucks,,,,it went thru 2 growth cycles, same color,,,anyone selling this clone should be sued,,,oh,girards closed

ron

Gotcha, that makes sense. Guess after 2 growth cycles you can prob feel safe saying it's not going to brighten up too much more? Ah well, some things are bound to work out the way we want. At least you'll have something "regular green" already there, for contrast. I find myself only buying what I call "regular green" stuff because I know I have to; otherwise my lime, blue and red stuff won't stand out as much. Plus even if it stays more regular green your Low Glow will have a cool shape...