Sequoiadendron Giganteum In A Gulf State

[Chester B]

@amh having lived in the land of Redwoods and Sequoias, I can echo the comments here that they have zero chance of surviving.  The climate is just too different.  They are doing well in the UK with many trees starting to get some good size to them,  so that's all you need to know.

This grower has a ton of interesting conifers and other trees, so you may find something interesting here.  I've never bought from them before so have no opinion on them.

https://www.forestfarm.com/

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

This grower has a ton of interesting conifers and other trees, so you may find something interesting here.  I've never bought from them before so have no opinion on them.

Only experience i've had w/ forestfarm was picking up a pair of extremely rare pines from them. Plants received were big and very healthy. Packaged nicely too. 

Unfortunately, ..as i'd feared, just too hot for them here, ..even though they grow in a pretty hot and dry ( -ish ) area of Mexico, that isn't cold ( zone 10 ) 

....That or their demise was this growers mistake.  Stuff Happens.. 




Speaking of Montezuma Cypress...  a place in CA everyone there ( and here ) should have a look at:  https://hiddenca.com/fairmount-park/

https://www.eventsincalifornia.com/attractions/parks/fairmount-park/


Above inspiration Is already spurring some local musings...


Surprised no one from the area has taken us on a tour of the Palm Island / other goodies located here..
 

[amh]

4 hours ago, Chester B said:

@amh having lived in the land of Redwoods and Sequoias, I can echo the comments here that they have zero chance of surviving.  The climate is just too different.  They are doing well in the UK with many trees starting to get some good size to them,  so that's all you need to know.

This grower has a ton of interesting conifers and other trees, so you may find something interesting here.  I've never bought from them before so have no opinion on them.

https://www.forestfarm.com/

I'm in a weird area with deep soil and cooler nights, more like a desert climate. My biggest issue is water.

I've shifted my attention to the cold hardy Araucarias and I am currently researching some of the Asian conifers and a few of the Florida conifers.

 

[richtrav]

On 6/2/2025 at 6:07 PM, amh said:

I'm on really fast draining clay loam.

I've considered both Metasequoia glyptostroboides and Taxodium mucronatum , but I'm more interested in evergreens.

I'm currently researching the true cold hardiness of Nageia nagi.

There used to be a Podocarpus Nageia nagi at Fanick’s Nursery in San Antonio that had survived the ‘83 freeze but don’t remember how it did in ‘89. It never looked that hot. I’m surprised Araucaria araucana can take the heat and humidity, in Argentina you just do not see it in low hot regions like Santiago del Estero (there may be a few A. bidwillii). I have seen a handful of A. angustifolia cultivated in Salta but up around 3000 ft elevation where it’s a little cooler. Henry Nehrling tried it in Florida in 1900, presumably Gotha, but he said it “did not thrive”.

There used to be a nice Cryptomeria japonica at the McNay Art Museum back in the 1980s and 90s, no idea if it’s there any more. There were also some other oddball evergreen conifers around San Antonio, including a pair of Cupressus funebris in Alamo Heights that were dozed long ago to make way for some condos, and a Calocedrus decurrens in Boerne that Scott Ogden pointed me to (he also told me about one in the DFW area way back but I never got to see it). And back in the 1980s there was a Cunninghamia lanceolata on the south side of San Antonio, it didn’t look great but it was there. Have you ever looked at the genus Keteleeria? At least one occurs around Hong Kong.

Pinus pinea USED to be considered the best pine for Central Texas until 2021, there were some nice ones in SA and Austin. They had survived the 1980’s without issue (as opposed to the more fickle P. halepensis, many of which were taken out in ‘83). In the late ‘80s the Afghan pine was all the rage for a few years until people figured out it didn’t do so great in humid areas. I think a few Pinus brutia accidentally made it in during that same time period. That was about the time the pines at I-37 and Goliad Rd were planted, and they still look good - whatever they are. The SA Botanical Garden had a beautiful P. roxburghii on their grounds until 2021 (pictured).