Thuja occidentalis 'Primo'

Frozentreehugger

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I lost mine before end of 2021, neglect on my part. Never set a small nursery pot between several much larger pots. You will not notice the small pot has dried out if the big pots are still moist, especially if the bigger pots partially block your view of the small pot.
That sucks
 
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I lost mine before end of 2021, neglect on my part. Never set a small nursery pot between several much larger pots. You will not notice the small pot has dried out if the big pots are still moist, especially if the bigger pots partially block your view of the small pot.
So sorry to hear ! They are getting very popular now and am sure you can find some next year .

I shall tell you that they are way tougher than they look . My 8-10 inch babies survived arctic blasts in my garden where temp went below -35 and still made it through as if nothing happened . They are in ground of course but being in zone 4 , sometimes itโ€™s challenging
 

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So sorry to hear ! They are getting very popular now and am sure you can find some next year .

I shall tell you that they are way tougher than they look . My 8-10 inch babies survived arctic blasts in my garden where temp went below -35 and still made it through as if nothing happened . They are in ground of course but being in zone 4 , sometimes itโ€™s challenging
I also live zone 4 I would exercise caution. And supply wind protection for in ground growing . Yes thuja is native and tough . But last winter was good example early February warm spell melted. 80 percent of the snow then refreeze . The wind did a lot of damage to any garden conifers . Exposed above the re fallen snow line . Even established root thuja hedges . I had 2 young thuja in 8 gallon nursery cans I left out they were fine but they are wind protected on west side .
 
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I also live zone 4 I would exercise caution. And supply wind protection for in ground growing . Yes thuja is native and tough . But last winter was good example early February warm spell melted. 80 percent of the snow then refreeze . The wind did a lot of damage to any garden conifers . Exposed above the re fallen snow line . Even established root thuja hedges . I had 2 young thuja in 8 gallon nursery cans I left out they were fine but they are wind protected on west side .
So true . Last winter was so weird . Loosing snow cover so early amidst freezing temps was the worst we faced .
 

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So true . Last winter was so weird . Loosing snow cover so early amidst freezing temps was the worst we faced .
As a ex snowmobile drag racer . I have had sone great times and truly heartbreaking moments . Mostly north of you in Minnesota ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž
 

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Got a message confirming . My nursery guy is getting 4 = 6 gallon and 15 = 3 gallon primo He ordered 12 and 25 I get first pic Not sure if Iโ€™ll take 2 6 or 1 and 2 3 but Iโ€™m getting them ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘
 

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While in Saint Louis area, visiting my parents. Yes, even old farts such as myself sometimes are blessed (or cursed) with parents that are still alive. My folks are 90 years old each, mostly blind, and some dementia, but otherwise relatively healthy. They live in a care facility near Clarkston Rd and Clayton Rd, Ellisville MO. On Clarkston Road, between Manchester Road and Clayton Road is Timberbend Nursery. What a delightful nursery to visit. Nicely laid out, well staffed and full of interesting surprises for a jaded plant person such as myself.

At a reasonable price I found a one gallon (6 inch diameter, or 15 cm diameter) nursery pot of

Thuja occidentalis 'Primo'

The plant is roughly 25 cm (12 inches) tall from soil to top. Trunk is 12 mm in diameter, that is roughly half inch diameter, and appears to be cutting grown. That is one of the great things about Thuja and closely related Chamaecyparis (Hinoki), they can be propagated by rooting cuttings, which makes small bonsai possible. A quick feel in the dirt seems to indicate a fairly radial root system, just barely below the surface of the soil in the pot.

It appears to be a nice, densely budding dwarf or even miniature form of the normal form of Thuja occidentalis, sometimes called eastern white cedar, though it is not a true cedar and eastern refers to eastern North America. The Conifer Society website says it was a seedling selected in 2004 by Isle Nursery. It grows about 5 inches per year, which makes it a dwarf, not a "miniature".

I first saw the cultivar 'Primo' at a bonsai show in Royal Oaks, Michigan back in 2018 or 2019. I did a double take, as it really looks like a cultivar of Hinoki. But I was reassured by several there that indeed it is a cultivar of Thuja occidentalis. So when I saw 'Primo' at Timberbend Nursery, I knew I had to pick it up.

I don't know what I will do with it. Pot it is in is more than large enough for a year or two of additional growth. I did clean out some dead leaves. It grows very dense, and seems to shade out interior growth. I would assume it is no different than the normal form in terms of being unwilling to back bud on stems that have developed brown bark. For most forms of Thuja, once the stem matures from green to brown, back budding is no longer likely. It happens, but rarely and not predictably. For bonsai design purposes, it is best to assume there will be no back budding on stems old enough to have brown bark.

So this is my latest find. If anyone has experience with 'Primo' please share. I would love to know more about it.

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I've owned one for a about a year and a half. I absolutely love that little guy. I got it from a local nursery in a 8 Inch long plug type pot. It was maybe 4 inches in hight. Took about two thirds of the roots and crammed it into a tiny inch high by 4 inches long bonsai pot. It did miss a beat.. it stopped growing for about two months the started growing again in late summer..it put on about an inch of growth that year but I cut it off because I didn't like the direction it was going. I did a little cleaning out of the branches and snipped out a half branch here and there and all of a sudden it took on the image of a perfectly shaped tree maybe 30 yards away. I'm planning on making a forest planting out the little guys if I can find enough of them at a decent price.. They are surely Hardy little guys because they Survived are Ohio Winter inside that tiny pot sitting on the ground no worries.. I can wait to make a forest planting out these little ones..
 

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My order of primo arrived . 6gallon x2 . More expensive than expected . This shipping thing to Canada is getting out of hand . ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ But Iโ€™m happy as I said before goal is grafting stock for wild . Collected material and train them in there own right . These larger versions have a noticeable die back of inner growth compared to . Smaller ones . Understandable the compact tight foliage . Creating almost complete dark in the interior . But will work well for me plan is to air layer sections . For approach grafting and just need trees
 

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Frozentreehugger

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My order of primo arrived . 6gallon x2 . More expensive than expected . This shipping thing to Canada is getting out of hand . ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ But Iโ€™m happy as I said before goal is grafting stock for wild . Collected material and train them in there own right . These larger versions have a noticeable die back of inner growth compared to . Smaller ones . Understandable the compact tight foliage . Creating almost complete dark in the interior . But will work well for me plan is to air layer sections . For approach grafting and just need trees
Sorry wrong tag pic ๐Ÿ˜‚
 

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Correct tag and second tree
 

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MMJNICE

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My order of primo arrived . 6gallon x2 . More expensive than expected . This shipping thing to Canada is getting out of hand . ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ But Iโ€™m happy as I said before goal is grafting stock for wild . Collected material and train them in there own right . These larger versions have a noticeable die back of inner growth compared to . Smaller ones . Understandable the compact tight foliage . Creating almost complete dark in the interior . But will work well for me plan is to air layer sections . For approach grafting and just need trees
I ordered a big one as well but noticed two things I didn't like.. one the habit of these trees to grow super long branches from the base of the trunk.. and the... ., well that's it hehehehe.. I cut the long branches at the base and am trying to use them as large cuttings.. I'm almost sure they didn't take already but I have a few from last year that did.. I bought two more little guys for a
 

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MMJNICE

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Has anyone tried Thuja occidentalis 'Malonyana Holub'? Not in stock, but from the pic looks cute enough: https://youngsgardenshop.com/mini-gardens/malonyana-holub/
Dam outa stock.. these little guys are sweet looking.. can't wait to get my greedy bonsai hands on one.. thanks for sharing... never seen or heard of that particular cultivator before!
 
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