Sunday, October 07, 2012
Mark and Gaz
Another rose?
Nope, it's much worse than that.
It's another conifer!
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| Ta-dah! |
I say that in jest of course. It's just that the box reminded me of a rose I bought almost a year ago now. How time flies!
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| A bit box bent but hey... |
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| ...it should be fine and straighten up in a few days now it's out of the box. |
But this is no ordinary conifer. It is a gorgeous one (to me anyway) that I fell in love with the moment I laid eyes on the two newly planted specimens at RHS Wisley.
Pinus montezumae 'Sheffield Park', that's the one. It is a form of the Montezuma Pine (a conifer native to Mexico and parts of Central America) and this form was propagated from a specimen of Pinus montezumae found in Sheffield Park in East Sussex (not Sheffield City in South Yorkshire, confusingly enough), hence the name of this form. The specimen there was apparently planted way back 1910, so it is an old specimen in own right. And more encouragingly, by virtue of its age it has endured its several remarkably harsh British winters in the past, an indication of its hardiness.
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| Pinus montezumae 'Sheffield Park' (Specimen 1) |
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| Pinus montezumae 'Sheffield Park' (Specimen 2) |
The moment I saw the young specimens in Wisley I was instantly in awe of the beauty of this conifer, which is rather unlike in apperance all other conifers I've seen before. With its extra long and glaucous needles forming what seemingly like large pom-poms on the tips of branches, the needles hang down gracefully and sway gently with the breeze. The entire habit of the small specimens looks very graceful too, overall a very striking plant.
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| Me for scale... |
Fellow garden blogger Victoria of Victoria's Backyard has experience of the species, with one planted out in her garden and she has given us an indication of the growth rate of her specimen. From memory she has a second one permanently kept in a pot too which effectively bonsai the plant. Supposedly the growth rate is rather quick indeed but can be kept under control (i.e. slow down to keep it small) by restricting it to a small pot and regular pruning to keep it in shape and encourage bushy rather than vertical growth. I think I will keep and maintain our specimen just like that.
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| Such tactile and long needles! |
Actually I prefer it as a small plant, rather than aspiring for a huge one (which is impossible in our garden, by virtue of a lack of space). Not all plants have to get big and attain its full size to look beautiful, some look better if kept small, this one included. But for anyone with the space, let it get big in your garden by all means, if that's what you so wish.
But I see mine in a modestly sized glazed pot. Nice!
Mark
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Beautiful, i saw this conifer on your other post, i bet you are happy to be able to have this plant now. I am sure it will look lovely in a nice pot.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, yes I gave a snippet of this lovely plant on an earlier blog entry. So pleased I have one now :)
DeleteWhat a great conifer - very striking
ReplyDeleteIt is Alison!
DeleteIt is gorgeous. It might take pruning every year but you can keep it in size. For a focal plant it is well worth the effort. It is gorgeous. Stake that leader if it doesn't come up soon. :) Can't believe they put it in a box that was a little too small. Can't wait to see where you put it.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Thanks for the tips Cher! The leader is starting to straighten up by I think it will take a few more weeks before it goes fully upright after being bent. It a great plant for a focal point indeed.
DeleteI'm not much of a conifer guy but I would have bought this one in a heart beat. It's the conifer equivalent of Yucca rostrata! Cool and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way of putting it Gerhard. I couldn't really put my finger on it why exactly it appeals to me but I suppose if you like Yucca rostratas this would appeal to you too, which is the case for me :)
DeleteDitto what Gerhard said, and congrats on acquiring such a nice plant so fast!
ReplyDeleteHi Loree, a quick research of nursery supplying it certainly helped!
DeleteThis is a beautiful conifer, adaptable too. I love evergreens.
ReplyDeleteLove evergreens here too Autumn Belle! They provide interest in the winter.
Deletewhat a nice conifer ! Keeping it in a pot - glazed at that ! - will enable you to shift it around in a whirl of mad frenzy. Just what I like doing myself with my many pots. I wih I had such valuable specimens to put on display. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Celine, that's one of the advantages of keeping it in a pot, I can move it around for a changing display :)
DeleteWhere is this available from please?
ReplyDeleteHi Jason, I got it from Lime Cross nursery http://limecross.co.uk/
DeleteHello!!came over to take a look at your blog, after you left a nice comment on mine.This conifer is lovely.I like the colour as it stands out from the others, and the long needles make it a little special.My garden is full of huge conifers,which must be at least 40yrs old,perhaps I should be thinking of replacing a few.Good luck with this one.:)
ReplyDeleteHello Breathtaking, thanks for stopping by :) This conifer could be a nice edition to your collection of conifers already!
DeleteI've always admired the one in Victoria's backyard. It will look amazing in your garden.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely specimen she has there, really sets her garden well.
DeleteWow! I love the color and texture! I think I would have a hard time keeping my hands out of those beautiful long needles! Native to Mexico? I am thinking it may do well here, if I could find one.
ReplyDeleteWorth a try in your garden Debs! You may not find Sheffield Park but the species I can imagine is easier to get hold of there.
DeleteOh, now that is a beautiful plant! So why do people still bung leylandii in their gardens?!
ReplyDeleteTrue Janet :) the conifer above would make a better specimen plant for the garden, space permitting!
DeleteWow, that looks impressive. Where did you order that from? If it is hardy, I'm considering getting something like that.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve, it came from Lime Cross nursery (http://limecross.co.uk/) and should be hardy. Wisley is a fairly cold part of the country.
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