God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools. - John Muir
A well maintained landscape with mature trees can increase property values up to 25 percent. Trees can cool houses in the summer. A city lot with 30 percent plant cover provides the equivalent cooling necessary to air condition two moderately sized houses 12 hours a day in the summer. -- The Value of Trees Around Your Home
Bringing China To Your Landscape
Part Five
by Ronald E. Rothhaas Jr.
The Arbor Doctor
One of the most fascinating trees, historically, with roots in China, as well as one of the fastest growing and easy to grow, is the dawn redwood.
The dawn redwood had been found in fossil records all over the world, including in North America, but no remaining live trees were known. In 1941, a Japanese botanist described and named the tree as Metasequoia because of its similarity to the California sequoias, but only as a historical tree which no longer existed. Then, the same year, a Chinese botanist on a military assignment in the northeastern Sezchuan province of China found several unusual trees growing along a stream which were later connected to the fossilized remains. The deciduous conifers were known as Shui-Sha, or water firs, by local residents. The fossil was alive!
More trees were later found in groves in Sezchuan and Hupeh, China, with the largest number of trees in the Shui-Sha valley, or valley of the water firs. Locals watched the maturation of the cones on the trees to predict the success of rice harvests. Since the trees were grown for this predictive purpose, they were saved from extinction. In 1948, the Arnold arboretum arranged for a botanical expedition to travel to the area, collect seed, and send it back to the United States. All of our current trees date to this collection of seed.
Dawn redwood has proven to be an impressive tree in cultivation. Similar in appearance to bald cypress, dawn redwood has lacy green needled foliage which turns an attractive reddish brown in the fall before it drops for the winter. The bark is a very beautiful reddish-brown and can become quite rugged with age. While the tree is quite sturdy, it is also remarkably fast growing, averaging three to five feet per year! A twenty year old tree in Amberly Village is sixty feet tall! Trees can grow to over one hundred feet rather quickly, with trunks three feet or more in diameter.
Dawn redwood is also quite adaptable. Trees have been grown successfully from Maine to northern Florida. They do wonderfully in the Cincinnati area. Trees are adaptable to a fairly wide variety of soils and exposures. As the Chinese name ‘water fir’ implies, the tree performs best when provided with good moisture. It has been reported that the tree can thrive in moist or even boggy sites. While the tree also does well in dry soils, significant drought may cause injury.
Dawn redwoods make a great addition to your landscape with a direct connection to China. However, give them room since they can become large. They can be obtained from several local garden centers including Earthscapes in Loveland, Holscher and Hackman in Western Hills, and Natorps. Landscapers and contractors such as Arbor Doctor, Don Gilb, Underhill, and Hyde Park Landscaping can also plant this tree or include it in designs.
About the author: Ronald Rothhaas is the proud father of Melanie Fei Min and the husband of Bridget. He owns Arbor Doctor, LLC, which specializes in tree preservation and landscape care.
You may contact him at 513-661-2673 or Ron@ArborDoctor.com