Blueberry Season is coming soon!

IF you would like to be notified when our U-Pick blueberry field opens, send a request to: archtrees@aol.com. We will be open most days for picking ( mornings), but it is best to call in advance: 919-620-0779. The cool weather and ample rains have left our bushes loaded with fruit.

Thuja plicata Holly Turner

This form of Western Cedar has a beautiful form, and could be more widely used in our landscapes. The way we grow it at the nursery is to stake it initially, allowing only one leader. Eventually, when the desired height is reached. It is topped ( cutting the leader), and then all secondary shoots that may try to resume dominance are kept cropped off. The picture demonstrates this technique.
Deer have left this tree completely alone.

Basic Landscape Design – Free Class Sataurday!

John Monroe, Owner of Architectural Trees will give an introduction to prinicpals that he has ome to appreciate in creating beautiful landscapes. The free class will be held this Saturday May 4 at 10am in the nursery’s education center. Bring your landscape ‘challenges” for some suggestions.

Japanese Maple Saturdays

Our Japanese Maples are about at their peak of intense spring color. To celebrate, we are having Japanese Maple Saturdays ( 4/20 and 4/27). We will have a special event. John Monroe, owner of Architectural Trees will give a talk on “how to select a Japanese Maple for your Landscape and its care” at 10 am and 1pm each Saturday. The talks will be given in our Education Center – a renovated tobacco barn dating back to 1914. Walk the Japanese Maple ‘trail’and see the carefully pruned trees that are offered for sale. Specials both Saturdays.

Sasa veitchii – interesting bamboo!

Kuma bamboo grass ( Sasa veitchii) typically grows up to 5 ft. Every spring we use the lawnmower and cut it down to 3 inches or so. The plant responds by re-growing to about a foot during the summer. The dark green fairly large leaves are attractive during the summer. What is stunning however, is what happens during the winter when the edges of the leaves turn straw colored. It runs but this technique seems to stunt the plant so that it has not been overly aggressive. After   30 years the patch has grown from one plant to a 15ft x 25 ft section. 

Spring Opening!

March 9 will be our Spring opening this year. For the first time we are offering 1 year  grafts of Japanese maples and 2 year grafts of pines. We have field grown material ( conifers and Japanese Maples) that have been field potted and should be treated as a balled and burlapped plant. Look through the inventory list, and check the site frequently as updates are constantly being made as more plants are offered. Again, we have some fine west coast material from my buying trip last summer. We will be open every Tuesday through Saturday from 9-5pm during the Spring. We are very excited about our  offerings this year. Hope to see you again!

The website with the inventory list is http://www.archtrees.com

John Monroe

Ginkgo biloba – cultivars

We have noticed that some of our ‘male’grafted gingkoes end up producing ‘fruit’, that some find problematic due to the odor of the decaying pulp surrounding the ‘nut’. Apparently, if the male clone is grafted onto a seedling female rootstock, it is capable of changing sex. I don’t understand how this exactly happens, and I haven’t seen very much about this phenomenon written, but if my observations are accurate, it would seem to lead to some significant problems. Question: do grafts from a male clone that has çhanged sex’ then produce fruit even if then grafted onto a male seedling? Also, about 50% of seedlings I would assume are female, does this mean that 50% of our male grafts are going to eventually produce fruit?

Male ginkgo with fruit

Picea abies ‘virgata

‘Picea abies ‘Virgata

This ‘snake’form of Norway Spruce has elongated shoots, with few side buds. The result is an often bizarre look, but facinating when seen against the sky. This tree is being grown in Indian Lake NY, zone 3. Spruce budworm has ruined the central leader for the previous three years, but a new shoot has been trained to keep a dominant leader. Other ‘snake’forms I am growing in this conifer garden include : Picea glauca ”Ft Ann’, Picea abies çobra’and Picea engelmannii ‘snake’.

Chamaecyparis pisifera hime-sarara

This form of false cypress is truly a minature. This is a picture of a 8 year old plant grown from a cutting. It has been staked to achieve this more vertical form, otherwise it remains more of a bun shape. It will through out  long extensions, but these generally are not reversions, but will fill out with the tight bluish green foliage.

Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘hime-sarara

Cryptomeria japonica Sekkan Sugi

This is a very large example of Sekkan Sugi at one of my favorite nurseries in the Portland Oregon area, Iseli nursery. In our climate, this tree doesn’t get as large but do plan for a 25 -35 ft tree. The yellow color is best when the tree is sited in a full sun location. Like many Cryptomerias, they grow fairly fast, and much of the growth occurs in the fall. Many times that new tender growth is burned by the first frost. But no worry, the plant is capable of establishing a new leader the following spring/summer. Right now, we have some very nice 7gal trees available for $89.