Growing Redwoods in Atlanta
Content
Share
Report Abuse
Next Blog» Create Blog
Sign In
NATIVE IN THE CITY
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VALUE AND USE OF NATIVE PLANTS IN GARDENING
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008
Growing Redwoods in Atlanta?
Recently my husband has been suffering with a frozen shoulder. As is typical with such maladies, the treatment may be worst than the illness. However, typical of living with me, his interactions in the world provide fodder for my columns. This week he came home from physical therapy with a question. Someone at the clinic wanted to know, “Can you grow a Redwood in Atlanta, Georgia?” Of course my first thought, and question was, “Did you mean Redbud?” A Redbud is a lovely understory tree that does very well in Atlanta – both as a tree for wild habitat restoration, and as a street tree. “No”, he responded. “They want to grow a giant Redwood tree, like the ones in California.” Well this seemed a pretty unlikely candidate to me. Even if you could grow such a tree here, would you want to? I thought I had better do some research before I responded. Here is what I found out. Where do they grow in the wild? Unlike many North American trees such as Oak Quercus L. and Maple Acer L., of which one species or another grow natively in virtually every state, the two species we think of as Redwoods (both Redwood Sequoia sempervirens known as the California coast redwood, and Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum also known as the Sierra redwood) only grow in a very small region of the west coast. S. sempervirens is found in a narrow band along the coast of Northern California and Southern Oregon, and S. giganteum grows only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in California.
© Photographer: Michael-john Wolfe Agency: Dreamstime.com
Get $75 Free Advertising Try Google AdWords. Claim Your $75 Coupon Now!
www.Google.com/AdWords
TwitThis Add to Technorati Favorites Add me to your Delicious network The Internet Public Library
Stumble It!
reddit
Does this mean that they can’t grow elsewhere? Apparently not. According to the website of the American Park Network, which provides information about Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, fossil remains indicated that these trees grew worldwide prior to the last ice age. Welker's Grove Nursery in Auberry California is actively growing and shipping saplings all over the country. They recommend the Giant Sequoia especially as a good tree for privacy screens and windbreaks. In containers, they can be maintained at a manageable size, using bonsai techniques of root and branch pruning. However, the climate of North American is substantially different than it was 175 million years ago. To grow these trees successfully outside of their current native habitat will require some effort. What do these plants need to thrive? The Redwood forests in northern California thrive on the cool moist fog belt of the region. Giant Sequoia grow in a small region on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada range, which is constantly watered by mountain run-off, streams and springs. Both species require deep well drained soil and plenty of moisture. This means that in the Piedmont region of Georgia where I live, the clayey soil would require substantial amendment. In addition to soil requirements, they are very susceptible to drought and drying from wind. Unlike many plants that prefer a good soaking followed by a chance to dry out, these require constant moist soil. On the other hand, they can not tolerate standing in water, or mud, so planting on a riverbank is not a good solution. In our region, it seems the only way to ensure adequate moisture will be with irrigation, and probably with its own separate zone and different watering schedule than you other plants. If growing in a container, you should be aware that these trees can suck up all of the moisture in less than a day, and once the roots start to wither, you are sunk.
GEORGIA GARDENING MAGAZINE ARTICLES ABOUT ME AND NATIVE PLANTS
Kay Stephenson is a transplant to Georgia from the St. Lawrence River valley of New York. An avid gardener, she served on the board of the Georgia Native Plant Society and advocates for the use of native plants through several other park and greenspace organizations like Piedmont Park Conservancy. Georgia Gardening has published several of her articles. In the interest of full disclosure, her own gardens are not exclusively native, but she is working on it. A freelance writer and fiber artist, Kay lives in Atlanta, Ga with her husband, Mark, and her dog, Lady.
A Tree Grows In Atlanta Historic Oakland
What to expect Compared to our southern Longleaf pine Pinus palustris or Loblolly pine Pinus taeda with heights 120 and 100 feet respectively, the redwoods are giants. Giant Sequoia will grow to 200 feet at maturity with a 40 foot base. Redwood will reach 250 feet with a 22 foot base and is generally thought to be the tallest tree in the world. Specimens of both have been found in the wild that far exceed these dimensions. In addition, you can expect growth of 5 feet or more in height per year! The Giant Sequoia is not as tall but more broad than the Redwood, and in terms of volume (height and girth), this is the largest living organism on earth.
Native in the City On Becoming a Native Plant Gardener Creating a Garden in the Woods Georgia Gardening Magazine Link
MORE KAY STEPHENSON BLOGS
Contrarian Chronicles Dog Dialogue Ink Slinger Chronicles Stitching Times
Photo credit © Photographer: Amelia Takacs Agency: Dreamstime.com
BLOG ARCHIVE
In addition to providing several of the specimens on the world largest tree list (the largest living sequoia is 275 feet tall and 32 feet in diameter) these trees are also the longest lived. Some have been estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 years old. What’s in a name? Sequoia is named for a man with the same name (sometimes spelled Sequoyah) who was the son of a Britich merchant and a Cherokee woman and also the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. Sempervirens is from the latin “semper” meaning always and “vivere” to live. Thus it means evergreen. The Giant Sequoia’s scientific name of Sequoiadendron is derived from Sequoia and the Greek “dendron” meaning tree and giganteum meaning huge. Think you would like to give these giants a try? Learn more about growing giant sequoias in your landscape and about growing them in containers.
POSTED BY KAY STEPH EN SON AT 1 2 : 3 0 PM
▼ 2008 (10) ▼ March (1) Spring Ephemeral Plant Profile: Rue anemone (Thali... ▶ February (4) Spring Ephemeral Plant Profile: Trout lily (Erythr... The Best of Spring Scribd NOT Scribed Georgia Gardening Articles Online ▶ January (5) Growing Redwoods in Atlanta? What is a Native? CREATING YOUR GARDEN IN THE WOODS Plants of the Okefenokee Swamp Georgia Acid Lovers
1 COMMENTS: Kay Stehenson said... I received this interesting note from Joe Welker at Welker's Grove Nursery just after publishing the article. If this doesn't encourage you to give it a try, nothing will... Hi Kay, Thank you for the note and the link to your blog. I read it with great interest. I can tell that you and I share a love for plants and nature. You are welcome to use any of my writings. Keep in mind that most of my writings are the results of my own observations and not just a compilation of researched articles. I found early on that much of what is written about the giant sequoias with regards to their needs is not accurate. Because of my love for the species and my desire to see it flourish for all time I have endeavored to discover the truth and share it with the world. My discoveries are a work in progress. I am still making minor changes to some of my recommendations from time to time. One of my observations is that gardeners in the west have better luck with the giant sequoias than do gardeners in the east. One might jump to the conclusion that the east is less hospitable to the species. I believe that to be false. The reason they do better in the west is because western gardeners have irrigation skills and eastern gardeners generally do not. Once your drought has ended there will still be times when the ground is too dry to sustain the giant sequoias. It takes some hand watering at least to get them established. The species is designed to live for 3000 years. When the young ones land in ground that will not sustain them for 3000 years they simply die. Once you get some age on them they will better endure droughts. They do not require more water than ordinary trees until they become huge. They do however require consistently moist soil when young. I think all settings are appropriate for planting the giant sequoias. I would for instance not say to someone with a small yard that you cannot enjoy the world’s most awesome tree species because of the size of your yard. There are certainly as you suggest more appropriate locations than small yards. Parks, botanical gardens, and large landscape gardens are as you suggest a better location for seeing the big trees grow up to their potential. The giant sequoias are native to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. That is not because of the exposure but rather the conditions including deep rich soil and ample moisture that exist there in the relatively small areas where the groves are located. What slope you choose to plant them on is not a factor and neither is elevation.
USEFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES
Forestry Images - UGA & USDA Forest Service USDA Plants Database Georgia Native Plant Society Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council
Here in the Sierras we mix our existing clay topsoil with no more than 50% forest humus and add a balanced fertilizer. That will keep the soil loose and reduce the chances of the soil remaining waterlogged. Thank you for considering putting in a good word for the giant sequoias in spite of the fact that they are not, according to definition, a native. You would have to go back about 35 million years to consider the Sequoiadendron a native to what is now the southeastern US. I think that any plant that makes you stand back and go “Wow” is well worth having in your garden as long as it is not an invasive species. Thanks again, Joe Welker Welker's Grove Nursery 42170 Cedar Springs Road Auberry, California 93602 www.giant-sequoia.com (559) 855-3521 JANUARY 31, 2008 1:55 PM Post a Comment Newer Post Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Home Older Post
Report Abuse
Next Blog» Create Blog
Sign In
NATIVE IN THE CITY
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VALUE AND USE OF NATIVE PLANTS IN GARDENING
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008
Growing Redwoods in Atlanta?
Recently my husband has been suffering with a frozen shoulder. As is typical with such maladies, the treatment may be worst than the illness. However, typical of living with me, his interactions in the world provide fodder for my columns. This week he came home from physical therapy with a question. Someone at the clinic wanted to know, “Can you grow a Redwood in Atlanta, Georgia?” Of course my first thought, and question was, “Did you mean Redbud?” A Redbud is a lovely understory tree that does very well in Atlanta – both as a tree for wild habitat restoration, and as a street tree. “No”, he responded. “They want to grow a giant Redwood tree, like the ones in California.” Well this seemed a pretty unlikely candidate to me. Even if you could grow such a tree here, would you want to? I thought I had better do some research before I responded. Here is what I found out. Where do they grow in the wild? Unlike many North American trees such as Oak Quercus L. and Maple Acer L., of which one species or another grow natively in virtually every state, the two species we think of as Redwoods (both Redwood Sequoia sempervirens known as the California coast redwood, and Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum also known as the Sierra redwood) only grow in a very small region of the west coast. S. sempervirens is found in a narrow band along the coast of Northern California and Southern Oregon, and S. giganteum grows only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in California.
© Photographer: Michael-john Wolfe Agency: Dreamstime.com
Get $75 Free Advertising Try Google AdWords. Claim Your $75 Coupon Now!
www.Google.com/AdWords
TwitThis Add to Technorati Favorites Add me to your Delicious network The Internet Public Library
Stumble It!
Does this mean that they can’t grow elsewhere? Apparently not. According to the website of the American Park Network, which provides information about Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, fossil remains indicated that these trees grew worldwide prior to the last ice age. Welker's Grove Nursery in Auberry California is actively growing and shipping saplings all over the country. They recommend the Giant Sequoia especially as a good tree for privacy screens and windbreaks. In containers, they can be maintained at a manageable size, using bonsai techniques of root and branch pruning. However, the climate of North American is substantially different than it was 175 million years ago. To grow these trees successfully outside of their current native habitat will require some effort. What do these plants need to thrive? The Redwood forests in northern California thrive on the cool moist fog belt of the region. Giant Sequoia grow in a small region on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada range, which is constantly watered by mountain run-off, streams and springs. Both species require deep well drained soil and plenty of moisture. This means that in the Piedmont region of Georgia where I live, the clayey soil would require substantial amendment. In addition to soil requirements, they are very susceptible to drought and drying from wind. Unlike many plants that prefer a good soaking followed by a chance to dry out, these require constant moist soil. On the other hand, they can not tolerate standing in water, or mud, so planting on a riverbank is not a good solution. In our region, it seems the only way to ensure adequate moisture will be with irrigation, and probably with its own separate zone and different watering schedule than you other plants. If growing in a container, you should be aware that these trees can suck up all of the moisture in less than a day, and once the roots start to wither, you are sunk.
GEORGIA GARDENING MAGAZINE ARTICLES ABOUT ME AND NATIVE PLANTS
Kay Stephenson is a transplant to Georgia from the St. Lawrence River valley of New York. An avid gardener, she served on the board of the Georgia Native Plant Society and advocates for the use of native plants through several other park and greenspace organizations like Piedmont Park Conservancy. Georgia Gardening has published several of her articles. In the interest of full disclosure, her own gardens are not exclusively native, but she is working on it. A freelance writer and fiber artist, Kay lives in Atlanta, Ga with her husband, Mark, and her dog, Lady.
A Tree Grows In Atlanta Historic Oakland
What to expect Compared to our southern Longleaf pine Pinus palustris or Loblolly pine Pinus taeda with heights 120 and 100 feet respectively, the redwoods are giants. Giant Sequoia will grow to 200 feet at maturity with a 40 foot base. Redwood will reach 250 feet with a 22 foot base and is generally thought to be the tallest tree in the world. Specimens of both have been found in the wild that far exceed these dimensions. In addition, you can expect growth of 5 feet or more in height per year! The Giant Sequoia is not as tall but more broad than the Redwood, and in terms of volume (height and girth), this is the largest living organism on earth.
Native in the City On Becoming a Native Plant Gardener Creating a Garden in the Woods Georgia Gardening Magazine Link
MORE KAY STEPHENSON BLOGS
Contrarian Chronicles Dog Dialogue Ink Slinger Chronicles Stitching Times
Photo credit © Photographer: Amelia Takacs Agency: Dreamstime.com
BLOG ARCHIVE
In addition to providing several of the specimens on the world largest tree list (the largest living sequoia is 275 feet tall and 32 feet in diameter) these trees are also the longest lived. Some have been estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 years old. What’s in a name? Sequoia is named for a man with the same name (sometimes spelled Sequoyah) who was the son of a Britich merchant and a Cherokee woman and also the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. Sempervirens is from the latin “semper” meaning always and “vivere” to live. Thus it means evergreen. The Giant Sequoia’s scientific name of Sequoiadendron is derived from Sequoia and the Greek “dendron” meaning tree and giganteum meaning huge. Think you would like to give these giants a try? Learn more about growing giant sequoias in your landscape and about growing them in containers.
POSTED BY KAY STEPH EN SON AT 1 2 : 3 0 PM
▼ 2008 (10) ▼ March (1) Spring Ephemeral Plant Profile: Rue anemone (Thali... ▶ February (4) Spring Ephemeral Plant Profile: Trout lily (Erythr... The Best of Spring Scribd NOT Scribed Georgia Gardening Articles Online ▶ January (5) Growing Redwoods in Atlanta? What is a Native? CREATING YOUR GARDEN IN THE WOODS Plants of the Okefenokee Swamp Georgia Acid Lovers
1 COMMENTS: Kay Stehenson said... I received this interesting note from Joe Welker at Welker's Grove Nursery just after publishing the article. If this doesn't encourage you to give it a try, nothing will... Hi Kay, Thank you for the note and the link to your blog. I read it with great interest. I can tell that you and I share a love for plants and nature. You are welcome to use any of my writings. Keep in mind that most of my writings are the results of my own observations and not just a compilation of researched articles. I found early on that much of what is written about the giant sequoias with regards to their needs is not accurate. Because of my love for the species and my desire to see it flourish for all time I have endeavored to discover the truth and share it with the world. My discoveries are a work in progress. I am still making minor changes to some of my recommendations from time to time. One of my observations is that gardeners in the west have better luck with the giant sequoias than do gardeners in the east. One might jump to the conclusion that the east is less hospitable to the species. I believe that to be false. The reason they do better in the west is because western gardeners have irrigation skills and eastern gardeners generally do not. Once your drought has ended there will still be times when the ground is too dry to sustain the giant sequoias. It takes some hand watering at least to get them established. The species is designed to live for 3000 years. When the young ones land in ground that will not sustain them for 3000 years they simply die. Once you get some age on them they will better endure droughts. They do not require more water than ordinary trees until they become huge. They do however require consistently moist soil when young. I think all settings are appropriate for planting the giant sequoias. I would for instance not say to someone with a small yard that you cannot enjoy the world’s most awesome tree species because of the size of your yard. There are certainly as you suggest more appropriate locations than small yards. Parks, botanical gardens, and large landscape gardens are as you suggest a better location for seeing the big trees grow up to their potential. The giant sequoias are native to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. That is not because of the exposure but rather the conditions including deep rich soil and ample moisture that exist there in the relatively small areas where the groves are located. What slope you choose to plant them on is not a factor and neither is elevation.
USEFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES
Forestry Images - UGA & USDA Forest Service USDA Plants Database Georgia Native Plant Society Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council
Here in the Sierras we mix our existing clay topsoil with no more than 50% forest humus and add a balanced fertilizer. That will keep the soil loose and reduce the chances of the soil remaining waterlogged. Thank you for considering putting in a good word for the giant sequoias in spite of the fact that they are not, according to definition, a native. You would have to go back about 35 million years to consider the Sequoiadendron a native to what is now the southeastern US. I think that any plant that makes you stand back and go “Wow” is well worth having in your garden as long as it is not an invasive species. Thanks again, Joe Welker Welker's Grove Nursery 42170 Cedar Springs Road Auberry, California 93602 www.giant-sequoia.com (559) 855-3521 JANUARY 31, 2008 1:55 PM Post a Comment Newer Post Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Home Older Post
