Plant of the week 20

[jwholden]

The specimen evergreen below is 10-12' tall and I 'gently' nip the tips back to keep it tight. It is growing in zone 6 here in Connecticut and is one of my favorites.

Usual rules apply, please PM your answer and I will post the name of all correct entries on Sunday the 5th. Please don't post your guess in this thread.

Bonus question, and open for discussion as part of this thread:

What is the retail value of this puppy if you spotted it for sale at a local nursery?

[jwholden]

Closeup of the foliage...

[dan deutekom]

PM sent. Nice looking garden:D

[VoodooChile]

Hey John, Couldn't ya have made this one just a little harder?:huh:

Anyway, thanks for the morphology lesson, and now that I now the difference between "lateral leaves that nearly cover the facial", and "facial leaves that are more exposed", I still don't know exactly what the hell this plant is.:censored:

At least reading Dirr and Conifers: The Illustrated Encyclopedia is more fun than doing the pile of estimates on my desk! :D

PM Sent

[VoodooChile]

Oh yeah, your other question.

Specimen quality conifers like this one are for pretty special (read rich and discriminating) clients, and since they are used to paying for the best, you would hate to disappoint them.

10-12' tall, essentially one of a kind in the local Midwest market, I'de say bidding starts at a grand.

Is this quality of plant material readily available at your local nurseries John?

[jwholden]

Voodoo,

I planted this puppy 8 years ago as 4-5' B & B and payed around 350 retail 8 years ago. I maintain the gardens at this house and have watched it grow for 8 years. Perhaps I take for granted that more people know this plant because I see it so often.

Some clues, it doesn't stink when you crush the branches and you may see x-shaped markings on the underside of the foliage.

I DO NOT often see these at local upscale garden centers, but for a specimen as perfect as this I am sure they would want a MINIMUM of $1500 retail.

[site]

PM sent. Nice specimen.

[justgardens]

So when do we get to know what it is?

[P-Train]

Did my PM go through last week?

Something weird happened when I posted.

[jwholden]

P- train,

I got your PM, but I recommend you study the plant a bit more carefully...

JG,

I'll announce the winners on Sunday, this one is tougher than I thought.

[jwholden]

Here is a smaller one, showing the true habit of this plant better than the first shot.

See the Climbing Hydrangea on the Brick wall? That hydrangea looks yellow in real life as well. Do you think it needs some nitrogen or is there a yellow climbing hydrangea floating around out there that I haven't heard of???

[agla]

I suspect Nitro. You might want to use a foliar absorbed fert like Miracle Grow to bypass anything that is keeping it from getting it out of the soil. I don't know if climbing on a "sweet" block wall might be affecting that "acid head" plant. That is another reason that I would go with the Miracle Grow - direct acidity.

[jwholden]

The plant of the week 20 is:

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Crippsii' - Golden Hinoki False Cypress

There was quite a bit of confusion whether this plant was a cypress or arborvitae. Admittedly from a distance it is very difficult to tell the difference.

I love to use the Golden Hinoki as a specimen. However, I don't often get the opportunity because I can never find them in the nursery. It is hardy in zones 4-8.

The following members got the POTW 20 correct (star next to name) or knew it was a Chamaecyparis and not an arborvitae.

* VoodooChile
* Justgardens
* Nek
dan deutekom
site

[justgardens]

JW- These wholesale at 42" for $55.00 here at a local nursery. I will now give them a second look after seeing the beauty shown here. I hadn't really saw one anywhere. I like the color and small size at maturity. I'll have to throw a POTW in the mix sometime. You guys are hard to stump!