Cupressus arizonica 'Blue Ice' - BLUE ICE ARIZONA CYPRESS NEW Spring 2010!

$9

Ice, ice baby. That's what you get with this selection of Arizona Cypress whose fine scaly stems have an excellent steely blue color. It also has nice peeling red bark! This conifer grows upright to an eventual 30 - 40' with a pyramidal shape. It needs full sun and good drainage. It's very drought tolerant but also does well with summer irrigation, provided drainage is superb. Hardy to at least -10°F.

Cupressus arizonica 'Carolina Sapphire' - CAROLINA SAPPHIRE ARIZONA CYPRESS NEW Spring 2010!

$9

This form of Arizona Cypress is a more vigorous selection with a less coral-like (if you will) habit of growth, and sea-green-bluish foliage. It has a similar pyramidal habit to other forms of this species and may reach 40' tall. Like most Cypresses it should be in full sun with good drainage. Hardy to about -10°F.

Podocarpus alpinus 'Red Tip'

$10

Australia has a few native Podocarpus, including this species from the interior mountains of New South Wales. Growing as a dense mound of upright shoots, its leaves are deep green, and the new growth is tipped with deep reddish tones. Compact and low-growing enough for the rock garden, it is wonderfully well-behaved. It will appreciate sun or partial shade, and a little summer water on harsher sites. Hardy to around 0°F.

Podocarpus lawrencei 'Purple King'

$10

This conifer from southeast Australia looks much like a yew, but has beautiful purple-tinged new growth, as well as often turning purplish in the winter - a color not commonly seen on the true yews. Although usually advertised as a low, spreading conifer, if it's really happy it can grow into a small tree. It performs beautifully in the Northwest and is a must have for any collector of unusual or Gondwanic conifers, as well as normal people. It appreciates a little irrigation to look its best, and is hardy to around 0°F.

Podocarpus salignus NEW Spring 2010!

$14

This species from Chile is one of the most exciting conifers for gardeners, and a personal favorite. It resembles one of those soft, weepy, tropical Podocarpus species, but - what's this? It actually likes the Northwest's climate! In the wild it may grow into a tree of 40' or more, but in gardens a size more like 15 - 25' is to be expected: it is probably best thought of as a large, conical or rounded shrub covered in weeping broad "needles" which really suggest angiosperm leaves rather than needles. These are bright green when they emerge, then mature to a fabulous shade of deep green on rich brown stems, and are about 2" long and up to 1/4" wide. It seems to appreciate regular irrigation. This has been intermittently available from specialty nurseries for a while, but it remains very rare. It seems hardy to at least 5 - 10°F; and it may go lower than that.

BACK