Icebreaker is 14" wide.

I had been restraining myself from buying all week and finally caved in today. They just happened to get in a new shipment today with a bunch of cool stuff. We got there 30 minutes before closing, so had to make somewhat quick decisions after looking at everything. Icebreaker was a no brainer. Summer Snow just looked so much better than the nearly all green Moon Frost. Even though Moon Frost will fit in the space I have better. Probably just because Moon Frost has been growing here in a hotter climate and Summer Snow was pushed to look good for sale now. Does that make sense or does Summer Snow retain it's light foliage better? Guess I'll find out next year. I may have to go back tomorrow. Actually, they had the Moon Frost in those mini (pint? quart?) containers for $15. Are those worth it or waste of $$?

. Actually, they had the Moon Frost in those mini (pint? quart?) containers for $15. Are those worth it or waste of $$?

==>>> the smaller the plant... the closer.. back in time.. they are.. to grafting ... boy thats some use of the english language.. lol ...

in other words.. a small 6 inch plant.. might be what we call a fresh graft ... and if you buy it.. its first winter will be your responsibility ...

it can be done.. but its a list of variables which might be different than planting an older plant ...

you dont give a pic.. or any specifics ... so we cant be more specific ...

btw.. imo.. never buy fresh grafts ... unless you want to kill a lot of them.. on your learning curve ...

and to be clear.. im not sure these are fresh grafts at all ... e.g. the 3 footer might be 3 to 10 years old.. hence the price.... your $15 one.. might be 2 or 3 years old from grafting ... who knows... unless you snap a pic at the nursery ...

and lol.. on having to go back the next day ... been there.. done that ...

ken

That icebreaker looks really good for sitting on a pot at nursery

If they’re the little quarts from Iseli I can tell you that I’ve bought a bunch of them and only one has died and that was totally my fault. My mother-in-law and I both bought quart ‘moon frosts‘ 3 years ago and they are both doing fine. The ‘moon frost’ should be a rooted cutting, the ones I’ve seen have all been rooted. Even the Cedrus I’ve seen in quarts from Iseli are rooted.

I dont think you’ll have any problem with the quart plants, especially planting them this time of year.

I like the quart stuff from Iseli, they may not be the best “bang for your buck”, but they’re affordable. I personally would rather have 5 quart plants over one 2 gallon. I don’t mind waiting. The process is enjoyable and you often times have less root problem when you start small.

Yes, from Iseli. I think they are meant for fairy gardens and it does look like a rooted cutting to me. Thanks for answering that question before I asked it. They had already sold the 2 P. strobus 'Angel Falls', one of the P. densiflora 'Golden Ghost' (but I found some better looking P. d 'Cesarini Variegated' at another place) and none of the other Icebreakers or Summer Snows, but I'm still happy. I think I may get the Niagara Falls instead of Angel Falls.

The place I'm going to put this turned out to have a little more sun than I thought at this time of year (It's shadier in the summer and winter). Direct Sun from 10:30-2:00, so I'm going to acclimate it slowly and plant it later.

with the sun in decline.. for the last month or so.. i highly doubt its necessary to harden it off ... as i would expect them to have been grown in full sun ...

but ... its a variable.. and you may as well do it... so you cant blame me.. it something goes wrong.. lol ...

ken

They were inside their large greenhouse in no direct sun. I think they've been there all year.

Steve , take extra care of that icebreaker ,,,it needs excelent drainage

I made a new bed (for Hostas) this year that is elevated 2.5' above the previous soil level (with a retaining wall) and filled in with pine fines, tree and shrub soil and my native clay in equal parts and topped with this bulk topsoil that was more like a topsoil/mulch mix. Turns out one end of the bed has 4-5 hours of sun ending around 2:00. If I can't grow it there, I can't grow it anywhere. I'm going to replace that Hosta in the front corner with it. How does that look?

OH YAH ! that looks like it will work fine

ron

if you never done retaining areas before , lots of settling occurs

ron

EDIT ;

I mean with the soil

The bottom retaining blocks resting against the poured cement sidewalk, will help keep things in place and in line.:-)

Great job!

I'd set the tree back a little more than the Hosta.

Thanks, I was considering that, but wasn't sure. Is that for more soil insulation or room for the plant to grow? or both?

Now that I read it over again, I'm not quite sure which tree you're planning on putting there. Of coarse this all turns out to be personal choice but with a tree that ends up 2-3 ft wide, you'd have to be okay with it eventually extending out some into the walkway.

If you're talking about a Tusga and one that's yellow or white, down on the other end, between the large trunk and corner of the blocks may be a better choice. My understanding is, these light cultivars are more sensitive to sun, so I think the goal here would be to give that one more hours of shade and Tsuga tends to be more shade tolerant than most.

I'm going to plant Icebreaker there. I think it will be a while before it extends over the path. The other end of this bed gets a little hot late afternoon sun. I was thinking of planting Moon Frost in the middle of this bed (since its so small) and Summer Snow to the left of the sidewalk in a more shaded area next to the house behind Hosta 'June'. The retaining wall runs due west.

Sounds good!

Can't wait to see what it looks like once you're finished.

I agree, the cooler the spot the better.

So I had to go back again and the P strobus 'Angel Falls' were unsold. So I picked one up and the P densiflora 'Cesarini Variegated' as well. It just looked so good and instant gratification.

The Angel Falls leader was starting to droop but remained flexible so I staked it back up so I can get a taller plant. I started with a little bend at the top to start, but I've already straightened it out more since I took these pics. Anything I need to beware of with that? I need to take some better pictures but it looks like it grew a lot this past year.

That nursery does pot their conifers up regularly. I popped the root ball out and it didn't look root bound, but maybe there's a root bound plant inside the new potting soil. I'm going to plant the 1st one I bought from that nursery before I buy any more so I can get a closer look at the roots. How long do you soak the root ball?

Overnight, the day before you plant should be enough. Some pots are drier than others but it insures everything is wet and loose as can be. Makes it easier to manipulate the roots.

I planted a Yew a month or so ago and it didn't look too bad until I tried to untangle things, then I found a good sized knot that was almost impossible to tell where exactly things originated from and how many roots were involved. I ended up making one or two cuts, so it didn't look quite so much like a knot and planted it. So far, so good. :-)

What a nice selection of plants your nursery has , just from what you've shown us

watzit , ron

Steve, what nursery did you get the conifers from?

Albyn's Nursery, next to Wilson's off of 16 by the picnic basket. I went by there again looking for gypsum and they were having a 35% off sale. Welcome to my home Larix 'Blue Sparkler', P. densiflora 'Vibrant,' P. abies 'Perry's Gold' and P. orientalis 'Golden Start'. These last four were fairly root bound so it was a chore getting them unwound.

I just spent a long weekend getting the last of them planted. Had to take out a couple of large burning bushes which gave me room for 3 more and Dannaher's was having an open house. Ended up getting P. engelmannii 'Bush's Lace', P. parviflora 'Tenysu-Kazu' (I know), Metasequoia 'Schirrmann's Nordlicht', and 'Bonsai' leaving me with only Larix 'Varied Directions' left to plant. Buying more meant that paniculated hydrangea had to go.

i cant think of a better reason.. to kill some burning bushes .... good job ...

what is the gypsum for .... bad OH clay??? ....wonder if its of any use????

keep up Gods work ....

ken

How long have you had acs ?

taking out plants to make room for conifers is great

ron

Yes, even if it only makes me happier about planting. I only have bad, sticky clay on the steep hillside, the rest of the yard is still clay. The gypsum helps the the clay soil become more friable, helps the water penetrate and drain better and allows the roots to penetrate. Even if it only works for a few years, it helps the plant get established. That and pine bark fines (I don't use that for the trees unless I'm tilling the whole area) can turn my hard dull earth into rich, black magic. I was pretty shocked when I started digging in an area after only a single year. Now if I could figure out what to do with the slate underneath it all.

This used to be two burning bushes that completely covered the windows.

steve , thanks for the pics ,,,, they help feed our addiction

if , in 5 yrs. , things get too crowded in this spot , you can dig and move

just sayen , ron

I do have a tendency to shoehorn things in, but I'm really trying to allow enough space for a while. They are all dwarfs so I hope I'm good for at least 10 yrs. Plus the ones in back take well to shearing. In 5 years where will I move them to? My new house?

only if the new house has bigger yard , more sun

better drainage , comes with back hoe ................

have you read

"addicted conifer syndrom " by Susan Eyre ?

google it , ron

The only conifers I bought this year were 6 Picea glauca Humpty Dumpty. They look cute together, like a miniature forest.

mazer , we NEED A PICTURE

I’ll try to find a picture from this summer. In the meantime...

Let’s just say I won’t rely on these for winter interest! :)

bet you spend more time.. this winter.. looking at those bumps.. than many other plants in the garden ... lol ...

keep in mind.. snow is a wonderful insulator ... reducing drying winter winds ... no warm sun on dormant tissue ... and no thawing and refreezing of the soil ... get them dormant.. keep them dormant ... and you usually win ...

ken

@ken: I wish but no, they will end up being covered by at least 5 feet of snow. Dwarf conifers are three season plants in my garden! :)