Storm Readiness

Coastal living can be tough on
gardeners

Alpine and many succulent hypertufa troughs can take the cold, but can they take the wind? Our small business is located in New England, right along the coast. And in case you have not been following weather news, the East Coast is targeted for a "major weather event" early next week as three systems collide. All gardeners and landscapers are in the batten-down-the-hatchs mode for this storm, which, coincidentally, falls almost to the day a year after New England was hit with what is called "the Halloween nor'easter."

I had planned on posting about heeling in your troughs (to heel or not to heel) in a future post. However, with the looming storm I've bumped up the topic to address the more pressing issue of storm preparedness. Miniature conifers are cold hardy but tender in the face of gale-force winds. They must be protected. Hard winds can wear them out and kill them. It is best to cover them (whether they are heeled in or not) to guard them from the force of unrelenting winds. In the photos below you'll see a patch of some of my troughs that I've heeled in for the winter and also (below that), my make-shift weather shelters that will protect the vulnerable vertical conifers from destructive winds.

Be creative -- but be vigilant.

Ready for winter: Most of my troughs have been
tucked in for the winter, still awaiting a cozy
coverage of salt marsh hay.

But wait: A "major weather event" is headed our way and
the vertical conifers need protection from the wind.
Yes, that is a bowling ball on the left, being used as
weight to keep the cover in tact. You've got to work with what you've got!

Growing Tiny Gardens: Second Steps

We quickly realized that, as a small growing business, it's all about getting out there. (Aspiration.)

Garden Lesson: Once we had put a dent in our inventory (read: up to our ears in hypertufa), we knew we had to understand "the market" and how to cobble together a "plan." We made a good effort by attending the New England Grows! conference in Boston last February.

Wow. I say it again. Wow. New England Grows! 2012

Wow -- and I mean that in an overwhelmed kind of way.  Life Lesson: One of the benefits of getting out there is coming to realize what, truth be told, isn't your strong suit. What isn't mine,  I learned, is trying to navigate conference-center space with 1000s of vendors and little idea what I was looking for.

Chamaecyparis obtusa
'Chirimen'

Good news! The highlight of my day was discovering the booth of Iseli Nurseries and having the chance to buy my first miniature conifers from them, right off the floor. I was especially thrilled to take home a new cultivar that has just recently entered the trade: Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chirimen'. (Pronounced cammy-SIP-ahr-us --get used to it.) I love this little tree! It reminds me of the elegant commanding Cypress trees that adorn the landscape of Umbria, Italy, which I beheld daily during my years living there.

This little evergreen (hardy to Zone 5) "displays multiple textures and colors, which explains the Japanese name, 'Chirimen' a dyed crepe silk fabric." (Direct quote from GardenWeb.) The upright growing habit becomes a cluster of thick, vertical shoots with tightly congested blue and green foliage.

You'll be hearing much more about this cultivar. Later in the season I bought ten of them.

Go here to read third steps.