Dear Diary,

Young Plants Find a Home

After a week or two in the ground many of my new conifers are starting to establish, thanks to some regular rain, in their new permanent homes.

The Conifers Awaken

After a long winter of suspended animation most conifers are putting out beautiful new growth.

Rocks, Conifers, and an Uncle

Some updated photos of the ongoing conifer garden expansion and one Pinus banksiana 'Uncle Fogy'

Spring Explosion of Color

The Japanese maples are really displaying their color this year.

Shots from the Field

Only 4 conifers not in the ground at his stage. Now the multiple fill the tractor with mulch deliveries begin and soon stone.

Huge Update Coming Soon

By this Sunday all of my last conifer delivery will be in the ground and then the parade of video and photos of the plants will start.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

More pix from the conifer garden project.

Bring in the Lights

With the weather report calling for near or below freezing temperatures, I went in to a red alert to protect my larger maples. When you're dealing with trees 8ft+ wrapping them in 40 MPH winds really doesn't work.

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Many people use Christmas lights to wrap their trees or shrubs to help add maybe one or two degrees to help keep hard frost off of tender new leaves. For my Japanese maples I decided to use some Christmas lights and some halogen work lights, some might not be the right word. Twelve lights would be better description of how many lights I used to help protect my larger maples. These lights put out 500 watts and provide a good amount of heat and hopefully that will be enough to protect these maples.

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I'd also like to give a huge thanks to both 'Hogyoku' and 'Osakazuki' the only two Japanese maples I have that did not break bud. These two trees are both old and wise.

So Many Plants and So Much Ground

Here's an update on the new gardens progress.

Flowers on Conifers

Most of the time we don't think of flowers when it comes to conifers but when you click on the above photo and see the new bud opening, it's hard not to see it as a flower.

This photo is of Picea pungens 'Rick's White Tip' and that bud/flower will start to develop new growth which will have a distinct white color to it's new growth. Most spruce trees have a very similar look as their new buds start to open and beautifully contrast by the prominent needles and striking colors that are available in the spruce family.

Can You See the Tunder?

Some times you see a plant's name and go how did they come up with that?

In the case of Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead' it's obvious how it got it's name. In the early spring it develops these long white buds, often referred to as candles, that eventually become the new growth of the plant. The candles that form on 'Thunderhead' are exceptionally long and white and may be one of the most striking pines that can be added to your garden.

My new 'Thunderhead' is going to be finding a nice piece of ground to call home latter today.