I bought a lttle tree tagged "Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Elwoodii" at Walmart, primarily because I felt sorry for it. It is 12" tall from soil to tip, and has a spread of about 5" at its widest pint, a little over 1/3 up its height, and has a slightly pyramidal form, with a good growth point at the top. Just rinsed its foliage in room-temp water to try to remove glitter! I have several questions. 1. Will the remaining glitter, or whatever they sprayed on to make it stick, harm this baby? If so, how do I remove w/o harming it? 2. "bing" references seem to suggest that this is also known as "Port Orford cedar," which is susceptible to some dreaded disease in this area (southwest OR). Is this true, or is it NOT a "Port Orford cedar?" 3. The tag says "keep soil moist, and keep plant in bright indirect sunlight; performs well indoors at 65 - 75F." Is this correct? I am planning to plant it outside eventually, but for now, I'd like to know how to keep it healthy in the house! Anyone have tips/tricks, general info?
It is a medium-sized Lawson's Cypress cultivar (sometimes incorrectly called Port Orford "cedar", though it isn't a cedar at all), grows to 5-10m tall eventually (but slowly). Yes, susceptible to Phytophthora root rot; best chances of keeping it healthy are to plant on well-drained soil. No, it doesn't perform well indoors, it needs outdoor conditions. If you want to keep it indoors, do so for as short a period as possible, and keep as cool as you can, ideally around 10°C, not over 15°; when you put it back outside, do so on a mild day so it isn't subjected to a sudden freeze after being warm. It should grow out of the glitter OK in the spring (if it survives till then!).
Michael F - Thank you so much for your speedy reply! One other concern I forgot to mention: the tree is in a pot only 3" in diameter. Should I attempt to repot it before placing it outside, or is that a bad move at this time of year?
Yes, repotting would probably help. Try to uncoil any coiled roots at the bottom of the pot, and spread them out when planting in its permanent place.
Thank you again, Michael! I will do as you recommend! I may even go get more of these, and plant as a viewshield and windscreen along the upper edge of a down-sloping bank.
Thanks, Ron. I will be planting at the northwestern edge of property, at the top of a low slope, where we get lots of west wind. Back about 15 feet, there's another slope about 4 feet high and fairly steep, which leads up to the vegetable garden plot. I was thinking to pocket-plant herbs on that slope for its good drainage, so I need something that won't get too tall and block the sun too much. Do you have any particular suggestions? I'd love to plant something antipathetic to these (expletive deleted) escaped blackberries in this area, that move in and take over everything if I'm not hyper-vigilant! Some kind of shrub or short tree?
Blackberries need to be dug out anyway, no planting will inhibit them. How tall do you want the hedge to be?
I'd rather the hedge was no taller than 5 - 8 feet. [Blackberries! aargh! - I dug out a major mother plant from my rhodie grove; by the time I was done, I was in a hole shoulder-deep!]
