Eastern Hemlock Progression

[VAFisher]

I'm gettin' down to the last of my trees that don't have a progression thread. This tree comes from the mountains of Western North Carolina and was collected by Mom and my Aunt back in 2017. They grew up around Highlands and were on a trip to visit places from their youth. I had mentioned to my Mom several times that I was interested in trying to develop a hemlock and she took it upon herself to get me one. I don't know exactly where they got it and I'm sure it was illegal, but who's gonna question two 70 year old women digging up a little hemlock and some wild flowers. Haha.

Anyway, the tree isn't very impressive but I will always cherish it for the story.

It seemed to recover the collection and the car ride from NC to VA in the trunk of my Mom's car just fine. I just let it do it's thing for the whole year of 2017 and forgot to take any pics. It seemed strong, so in 2018, I put the tree into a pond basket and set the initial structure.

 

[VAFisher]

In 2019, I decided it would be cool to grow it on a slab and try to root some azalea cuttings growing under it. I thought it could represent rhododendron. The cuttings ended up drying out before they could root and I gave up on that idea. Although I might try it again if i can root some azalea cuttings separately.

 

[VAFisher]

In 2020, I put the tree into a drum pot and it started to fill in.

 

[VAFisher]

No repot in 2021 and the tree started to get a little fuller.



This is later in 2021.

 

[VAFisher]

This year I decided to put it back on a slab - which I was able to do without disturbing the roots. I basically pulled it out of the pot and tied it onto the slab and filled in with soil and moss. The tree didn't mind that procedure at all and had really strong growth this spring. It's due for a haircut now.



I've thought many times of trying to style this tree as a literati because of the thin trunks. I could potentially remove the smaller trunk and the lower branch on the larger trunk, thin it out, stick it in a small pot and call it good. But I'm having fun learning how the tree responds to things and want to see if I can thicken the trunks in a pot (or a slab). I'm in no hurry with this one.

 

[VAFisher]

Gave it a trim and a few bits of wire

 

[penumbra]

Wow, a long trip in a short time. Looks great.

 

[sfeagan]

Thank you for the timeline pictures. I dug one up in the fall not far from where yours cam from but it was taken legally from my dad’s property . I like how much it has filled in. Mine has taken off.

 

[VAFisher]

Thank you for the timeline pictures. I dug one up in the fall not far from where yours cam from but it was taken legally from my dad’s property . I like how much it has filled in. Mine has taken off.

I like working with it a lot, especially how it responds to pruning. On the difficult side, the branches seem to take a while to set and usually have to be rewired because they will spring back towards their original position

 

[EPM]

I like what you're doing with this hemlock. Can you fill me in on what your approach to pruning has been? I'm particularly interested in timing and how it has responded. I have one I'm working with and I have not had the best luck. I'm guessing my approach is off. Do you pinch in the spring? Do you wait until shoots have fully elongated and then cut back? In your experience when is best time for pruning. Thanks for your help and best of luck with this plant going forward.

 

[skunkyjoe]

Is this Tsuga canadensis, eastern hemlock or Canadian hemlock?

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[Leprous Garden]

Very cool tree, thin indeed but it looks nice and happy. Hemlocks often grow with two or three trunks anyway.

 

[VAFisher]

I like what you're doing with this hemlock. Can you fill me in on what your approach to pruning has been? I'm particularly interested in timing and how it has responded. I have one I'm working with and I have not had the best luck. I'm guessing my approach is off. Do you pinch in the spring? Do you wait until shoots have fully elongated and then cut back? In your experience when is best time for pruning. Thanks for your help and best of luck with this plant going forward.

I prune it all through the growing season and it will just keep responding. I find that it back buds pretty well where there are needles, but not on bare wood. Shoots will frequently have new light colored growth at the tip but also a couple side shoots of new growth further in. I will frequently just prune back to one of the side shoots and leave the new growth on them. I find that will prompt the tree to back bud. I've also tried just pruning back all of the new growth after it extends. That works ok but not as well as the other method in my experience. I'm probably not explaining my process very well so I'll try to take some pics next time I prune it.

 

[VAFisher]

Is this Tsuga canadensis, eastern hemlock or Canadian hemlock?

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I thought they were the same?

 

[Frozentreehugger]

The North American hemlocks are Tsuga canadensis eastern hemlock sometimes called Canadian hemlock 2 tsuga carolinia A more southern version main difference is leaves around the stem radially larger cones and needles the 2 western hemlocks are heterophylla western hemlock and martensiana mountain hemlock there is also tsuga diversfoilia northern Japanese hemlock rare but in the nursery trade . A lot of nursery dwarf and weeping cultivars are Canadensis in origin in the. Nursery trade but there are western hemlock in nursery I would imagine popular out west . The Japanese is very nice plant leaves are denser And dark green new growth is lighter coloured then eastern very nice but very slow growing or at least the cultivar I had at one time

 

[Natty Bumppo]

The North American hemlocks are Tsuga canadensis eastern hemlock sometimes called Canadian hemlock 2 tsuga carolinia A more southern version main difference is leaves around the stem radially larger cones and needles the 2 western hemlocks are heterophylla western hemlock and martensiana mountain hemlock there is also tsuga diversfoilia northern Japanese hemlock rare but in the nursery trade . A lot of nursery dwarf and weeping cultivars are Canadensis in origin in the. Nursery trade but there are western hemlock in nursery I would imagine popular out west . The Japanese is very nice plant leaves are denser And dark green new growth is lighter coloured then eastern very nice but very slow growing or at least the cultivar I had at one time

Growing up in northern IL, I frequently saw eastern hemlock growing as an ornamental. Living in Missouri now, there are none around. Figured it was too hot and/or dry. Then on a trip to Atlanta in 2021, noticed hemlock in a park and thought, must not be the Missouri heat, but our drier weather that keeps hemlock out. After reading your post, I guess I was seeing Carolina hemlock. Hadn't heard of it before.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

I prune it all through the growing season and it will just keep responding. I find that it back buds pretty well where there are needles, but not on bare wood. Shoots will frequently have new light colored growth at the tip but also a couple side shoots of new growth further in. I will frequently just prune back to one of the side shoots and leave the new growth on them. I find that will prompt the tree to back bud. I've also tried just pruning back all of the new growth after it extends. That works ok but not as well as the other method in my experience. I'm probably not explaining my process very well so I'll try to take some pics next time I prune it.

Compare the first pic to the last . Great what a few years and correct pruning will do to the look of foliage on a tree . Goes from looking like a seedling to looking like a tree . I like the whole composition . Pot really suits the tree . Looks like the stately tree quietly going about the business of growing . I. A non stressed environment . Which of course is exactly what these trees do in nature

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Beautiful tree