Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A Bunny and Conifers...

Friday night (with no camera) there were bunnies everywhere!  I think at one point I counted eight or nine.  So in honor of our Rabbit Plague Population Explosion, I've kitted up "Soft as a Bunny" by Birds of a Feather.  I'll be stitching on 28 count BOAF Barn Owl linen.

So it's Tuesday...Garden Party Time...bring your umbrella and we'll take a look at some of my new dwarf conifer purchases.  These are all planted in 8" pots and they'll be perfectly happy thus for several years.

Pincea Glauca - Daisy's White
This dwarf variety of Alberta Spruce flushes white new foliage in spring. New growth is a bright clear white in spring, turning later to green. Grows 2" a year. A very nice plant for a small garden. 

Chamaecyparis obtusa - Ivan's Column Blue Feathers
This cypress enjoys full sun and well drained soil.  It will grow to 4' in about ten year's time.  The fine foliage begs to be "petted".

Dwarf Alberta Spruce - Pixie Dust
This extremely slow growing conifer adds just 1" to 2" per year.  It has a narrow upright habit and yellow/green new growth.  

Chamaecyparis pisifera - Curly Top
This small cypress will eventually grow to 6', but at a rate of just 3"-6" per year.  It's foliage is a beautiful silvery pale blue, and completely "curly". The foliage also turns an interesting violet/purple in the winter months.  It enjoys full to part sun, average moisture, slightly acidic, rich soil.  

Thuja occidentalis - Teddy
This is a very dwarf cedar with an attractive shape  and fine, bright green foliage - it will eventually form a 2" ball.  It is happy to grow in full sun, partial sun, or partial shade. 

Picea glauca - Witch's Broom
This little pine has a dense mounding habit and an annual growth of 2"-3" per year.  More round when young, it matures into a broad pyramidal shape. It stays dark green all year.  It would also look great in a rock garden.

Chamaecyparis obtusa - Stoneham
And we end with another cypress - the short, fan-shaped growth of Stoneham gives the plant a dense habit resembling a cloud or boulder.  It will reach 10"-12" in height and 5" in width in ten year's time.

So don't let lack of space make you think you cannot have trees!  These little babies are wonderful - easy to grow - and they won't break the bank! 

8 comments:

ana @ i made it so said...

visiting from jami's garden party. very cute bunny to stitch up, we've had a population explosion here too... and i've never seen a curly conifer like that one!

your potted conifers look great, and i like the birds motif on the pot.

happy gardening!

carol fun said...

The little trees are so pretty! I love your style of gardening in pots. I think this is the direction I'll be going in when I downsize. Happy stitching on the cute little bunny!

Donna Heber said...

Hi,

I love your dwarf conifers in containers. Do they seem to do well outside all year round? I'm not sure what the winters are like in Oregon. Very pretty and thank you for sharing them with us. Blessings to you.

Linda said...

I love all your dwarf trees...very cute...I must get over to Crate and Barrel and pick up one or two of those pots...so cute! We had a huge bunny problem a few years back when there was some construction on the roads near here...they usually stay put in the river bed area...they ate huge holes in my lawn...I was not happy!

Ranae said...

Those BOAF designs are the cutest, I havn't seen this one for awhile
Pretty conifers

Deb said...

That's a very cute bunny. It's amazing how many BOAF patterns are out there that I've never seen before.

Love your dwarf trees too.

Ann at Beadlework. said...

I hope you don't mind me asking this question Beth. I wondered if you would be interested in either doing a swap or selling your little BOAF Bunny chart when you are finished with it. I have a few waiting to stitch and never seem to be able to find any more so I was pleasantly surprised to see this one. You can let me know. My e-mail is ann289@btinternet.com

Lois said...

Oh that is a cute bunny stitch you've got lined up!