Metasequoia glyptostroboides Bap. -1@ $69.00

Not as cool as a pet coelacanth but almost, as living fossils go this Taxodium-like tertiary relic ranks with the best, long thought extinct it was discovered in China in 1941. Dawn Redwood thrives in moist soils and can grow to as much as 120’ in as little as 30 years. Once native to North America it is back again, after an absence of 15 million years or so, here at Arrowhead we define native as Gondwanaland native.

 

Microbiota decussata 'Jacobsen W.B.'             S. P. -1@ $15.00

An extremely cool new plant for us, it was found by Arne Vagn Jakobsen of denmark and introduced by Horstman in 1990. It forms a very dwarf globular bush with fine textured foliage, Microbiota is monotypic and has been in cultivation for quite some time however named forms are practically nonexistent. I saw a tiny one auction for a few hundred bucks at the acs auction a couple years ago.

 

Picea abies 'Flat Top’ ........... G. -1@ $29.00

I can find no reference to the name; these came from Talon; probably like tabuliformis, however they look a bit smaller.

 

PICEA ABIES ‘MUCRONATA’ bap.-  1@ $59.00

Short, dark green needles, brown buds; broadly conical plant from France very dense.

 

PICEA ABIES ‘NIDIFORMIS’ bap.-  1@ $49.00

The well-known bird’s nest spruce is wider than high and has a depressed center.

 

PICEA ABIES ‘TABULIFORMIS’ bap.-  1@ $59.00

Brigitta's favorite dwarf Norway clone; growth is in distinct layers but the top is always flat. A spreading low plant becoming large and very impressive with age, see photo in Conifers, Van Gelderen & Van Hoey Smith page 204.

 

Podocarpus alpinus (lawrencei) 'Blue Gem'           S. P. -1@ $15.00

A female clone from Tasmania, tough enough to survive here with protection, it sounds as if we are casting a new James Bond flick (this was going somewhere…pineal eyed Sphenodons, Tasmanian devils, Dennis Rodman… but the muse abandoned me).

 

Podocarpus alpinus 'Country Park Fire'       BAP -1@ $24.00

A low spreading form with bright red berries in fall which are attractive clinging to the bronze winter foliage, in spring the new shoots emerge creamy and quickly turn salmon pink then reddish and finally deep green.

 

Podocarpus lawrencii 'Purple King' BAP -1@ $24.00

A vigorous somewhat open growing clone developed in New Zealand about fifteen years ago, the winter foliage is a beautiful shiny purple.

 

Podocarpus NIVALIS .......... S. P. -1@ $15.00

A low growing species from the mountains of New Zealand, it is surprisingly hardy, with yew like foliage and berries, unlike many Podocarpus species this will tolerate alkaline soils.

 

Sequoia sempervirens prostrata S. P. -1@ $24.00

This came to us originally from Siskiyou and it has proven difficult to root, it is not quite as flat growing as Kelley’s with succulent short fleshy needles. It winters for Harry Elkins in Detroit.

 

Sequoia sempervirens 'Kelly's Prostrate'             G. -1@ $49.00

A flat growing form of the Costal Redwood, considerably hardier than you would think, especially in areas with good snow cover, this would be much more popular if it wasn’t such a bitch to root.

 

Taxodium distichum .......... BAP -1@ $69.00

A magnificent tree, paddling through them in the southern black water swamps by moonlight with gators calling in the distance is indeed an otherworldly experience especially when you look back and see a six foot water moccasin following your ripples. For such a wet loving tree it does remarkably well under ordinary garden conditions however it will not produce the famous knees.

 

TAXUS BACCATA ‘WATNONG GOLD’ G. -1@ $24.00

Like ‘Repens Aurea’; but has a brighter gold color, grows rapidly broader than high.

 

TAXUS CUSPIDATA ‘BRIGHT GOLD’ S. P. -1@ $15.00

Much brighter gold than Taxus baccata  ‘Aurea’, ‘Bright Gold’ is slow, with a spreading habit.

 

Taxus floridana .................. S. P. -1@ $19.00

An extremely rare species (right up there with Torreya taxifolia) floridana is somewhat similar to Taxus baccata in general appearance. It can reach 8m eventually, and is pretty much restricted to the east bank of the Apalachicola River. For such a rare plant, it is very amenable to cultivation and relatively easy from cuttings.

 

TAXUS x MEDIA ‘HICKSII’ ........ G.-  1@ $15.00

Upright yew with dark green foliage similar to baccata but hardier; 20'h after 20 years.

 

Taxus x media 'Maureen' S. P. -1@ $19.00

A narrow columnar form, 'Maureen' originated with Joseph Reis. It has been around since 1983 but remains rare in collections. In our garden it is about 3’ high and 2” in diameter after several years benign neglect (pruned only by rabbits).