recommends it for the Northwest: “The thick,
dark green needles of this unusual evergreen
conifer are held like the ribs of an umbrella
around its stems, giving it a unique appearance.
It is very slow-growing and columnar in shape,
which makes it suitable for small gardens.”
Peter Thompson’s book, “Creative
Propagation” (Timber Press, 2nd ed., 2005),
states that Sciadopitys verticillata can be propagated
by seed or cuttings (the latter method in
autumn, early winter or early spring). Seeds
will grow into the form inherited
from the parent trees; trees
derived from cuttings vary in
shape. Thompson says you can
take cuttings from almost any
part of the plant but recommends
taking them from the leader shoot
in order to produce a symmetrical
tree with an upright form.
The following propagation
information comes from the
USDA Forest Service National
Seed Lab’s profile of Sciadopitys
verticillata: “The seeds should be
sown in the fall or stratified for
sowing in the spring. Umbrella
pine is not easy to grow and is
extremely slow-growing when
propagated from seed...It has a
tendency to form several leaders…Umbrellapine
can also be propagated by layers or by
cuttings of half-ripened wood in summer...A
nursery in Oregon propagates solely by cuttings
because of faster results.”
~~~
QUESTION: Is it acceptable to cut off the
hanging pods from a Japanese wisteria?
Will cutting them have any adverse
affects on blooming next year? Some of ours are
hanging so long that we keep walking into them!
Maybe I should cut them and bring them inside
for decoration?
ANSWER: Cutting off the seedpods on
your Wisteria floribunda is not a problem;
just be careful not to cut the stems
back too far (unless you are intending to prune,
which you can certainly do if you need to control
growth), as there may be buds on the wood that
will become next spring’s flowers.
The July/August 2004 issue of “Fine
Gardening” (pp. 55–58) has a helpful, illustrated
article by Meghan Ray on wisteria pruning that
includes the following warning:
“Some seedpods may be left on the vine for
winter interest, but just know that if you bring
them inside, warm temperatures will cause them
to explode.”
“Wisteria: The Complete Guide,” by James
Compton and Chris Lane (Royal Horticultural
Society, 2019), describes two different methods
of pruning:
In the traditional method, prune in midsummer—after
flowering—by cutting back “all the
green vegetative shoots of the current season’s
growth arising from the branch framework and
spurs, to five or six leaves, cutting just above a
bud. Any regrowth made after this pruning should
also be cut back in late summer (September in
the UK). Then in winter ( January to February in
the UK), cut these shoots back further, to two or
three buds.”
A more simplified method involves cutting
back in early summer, when the current season’s
shoots have grown about three feet. Cut back to
three or four leaves. “Some pruning will need to
be carried out again in midsummer and in late
summer if more shoots have been produced.
There may need to be a final tidy up of thin, wispy
shoots of late growth in autumn,” but you may be
able to skip winter pruning.
Compton and Lane also delve into a cultural
history of Wisteria floribunda in Japan. The vine
is entwined with the story of Amitabha Buddha
(Amida Butsu), who was thought to have come
down to earth on a purple cloud to show people
the path to paradise, the Western Pure Land.
Because of this, wisteria was often planted in the
gardens around Buddhist shrines and temples.
Summer 2020 v 23