Hi! I'm a new member here from Latvia (zone 6, according to the maps) and so very happy that I found this site which seems the best and most advanced for my specific needs. First of all, I must apologize for my English as it is not my native and sometimes I'm making really silly mistakes, so please, when you will read my posts, take it easy! I'm the happy owner (just for last 4 years) of the old farm on about 90 acres. The whole area was really degraded by soviets and I'm fighting with neverending piles of rubbish left around here, but slowly the area is starting to look like a place where one day the nice garden will grow. So far my husband has established about 12 acres of nice lawns and my job now is to create the future garden design. It is not an easy task as everywhere the info about small gardens is awailable, but nothing for my needs - i'm still miles away from planning my rockery or creating the nice beds, I still need think in general -what and where to plant on 12 acres, completely empty. This site I found searching for the 2 m tall Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) that I purchased today, and my first question here is: any suggestions for the zone 6 how to cover the plant for winter. Do I need cover the root area only or the whole plant must be wrapped? What would be better - peat, spruce branches, sawdust, maybe something else?
Welcome to the forum! You should be able to grow Metasequoia in the open without protection, it is hardy to zone 4/5.
Thank you! Here in Latvia the problem is unstable winters with many thaws, and first years after planting outside the ginko babies must be covered in winter and each year the cover is reduced - we have huge size ginkos growing in our parks, but babies still need such protection. I presume that Metasequoia might be similar. Another question - maybe somebody knows - does this tree grows on underground water streams crossroad or not? Some trees are known as they preffer such energetic spots (like oaks), some hate them (look at the empty spots in hedges, which is impossible to fill). How is metasequoia?
Great! I planted it today in the spot where water table is just about 30 cm below the ground level - one spade in and water is already appearing. As I read that it must be planted similary like willow, I planted it about 10 metres from the old willow that will be cut down next spring already. There is the underground water stream crossroad so I hope my beloved metasequoia tree will like it. The tree is nearly 6 ft tall already. So far it is very rare here and I'm making big fuss about it as I want do everything right and not to loose it. Other than that it is beautiful, sunny autumn here, forests full of muschrooms (yummy!) and gardens - with apples.
Excellent! With that big open field behind, you might want to plant a shelterbelt, just some Norway Spruce (Picea abies / Parastā egle) or Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris / Parastā priede) (looked up the Latvian names!) to give some protection from strong winds.
Thank You! It is very kind of you that you even looked for Latvian names! I will try to find a place for some Picea abies, but metasequoya is already taller than normal planting size spruce (I have plenty of them in my forest, but I usually re-plant the 3 ft babies, maybe 4, but not 6 ft). That big open field is our lawn on East side and here in our place by some reasons we hardly get any East wind (About 40+ metres on East there is already planted row of pears and then another of chestnuts, but they are still quite small). Our main problem is South West wind here - that is a nasty one but the new tree is protected from that side by house and large shed. On the North West (another serious wind here) side also is a large outbilding, so that wind will also be reduced. On the North side already 3 Picea abies had been planted along with Tsuga canadensis, Pinus Cembra, Pinus mungo, pinus nigra piramidalis and Abies koreana + different thujas and shrubs. We shall wrap it anyway in the spruce branches - it is my favorite winter cover for all plants that need some cover like roses. That is the reason why I put these 3 posts around - the tree by itself is very strong and do not need a support actually, but wrapping in fir tree branches + snow would be too much for it. I also started to build a proper layer of mulch around it - so far 4 wheelbarrows, for the beginning. To create 2 inch layer I will need another 4 at least. I hope it will survive, I really do!
Noo, not in my place here. I really do not know why but we had last year just few days with East wind and then it was weak. My horror is South West wind here - strong and nasty. I hope covering metasequoia with branches will work until my chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum) will grow - they are just 3 ft tall now, but I believe they will start to grow fast now (4 years old from seed). And apple trees are starting to take up too (they will be large trees, none of these column trees for me here).
