A few other interesting shrubs and trees.

This picture came from a Dungeness garden that I have worked on for some decade or so. The hydrangea is pink as there are so many middens of shells from the native inhabitants. Both plants are in a decline due to the Eucalyptus not shown just to the right. Trees like that can suck water from more than their height throughout the garden. This tree is doing that. Both of these shrubs are now toast.

Cotinus coggyria purpurea

Purple Smoketree.

Deep purple leaves which hold color throughout the summer. These seedlings have been selected to assure you of receiving plants with uniform, dark purple leaves.

Zones 5-8

--------------------------------

Ginkgo biloba --Ducks foot tree

Ginkgo biloba brings back memories of my High School in Oakland. In the front entrance there were three trees, that must have been amongst the first planted in California.The tree trunk is erect and the branches form a dense crown when old. The bark is gray and very cracked. Leaves are fan-shaped and yellowish green. The Fall foliage was simply unforgettably GOLD. To this day I still remember sitting on golden cushions during lunch break.

This ancient tree has survived many extinctions and charms us with its unique fan (duckfoot-shaped leaves and butter-yellow to brilliant gold fall color. It is very tolerant of urban pollution and thus I suggest this tree merits greater use. It is for large gardens only! These are seedling grown and might be either male or female. However, one needs both genders to create fruit, so buying one or even two of these would give you a landscape minus fruit drop, which can be nasty. -- unless you luck out :-) I would guess that you would need at least three trees to get a potential fruit drop problem.

These plants are a vigorous three feet tall!

Zones 4-8

Another ode to Oakland Technical, being the gardener there. I would help him out every now and then and he would give me bulbs in exchange, as well as good company.

--------------------------------------------

DAWN REDWOOD METASEQUOIA GLYPTOSTROBOIDES

The dawn redwood is a deciduous conifer native to China. Thought to have been extinct for millions of years this plant was found growing in a few isolated sites in China in the 1940s. The dawn redwood is a very hardy upright growing tree. It is fast growing at 4 to 6 feet per year and makes for a good lumber tree as well. Plant a forest of them! I planted over a hundred Giant Sequoia on a forestation project here in Sequim, WA. They have really taken off, so will these.


-----------------------------------------------

Taxodium distichum
Bald Cypress

A wonderful timber tree valued for its wood decay resistance. This "southern" tree thrives from upstate New York to the high plains of Texas. It is a large tree but this conifer has warm yellow tones in autumn. Trouble free and easy to grow.

(C) 2009 Herb Senft