Overview

Introduce a piece of botanical history to your garden with the dawn redwood tree. This magnificent deciduous conifer, scientifically known as Metasequoia glyptostroboides, is often called a “living fossil” due to its ancient lineage. Once thought to be extinct, this rare and beautiful tree was rediscovered in China in the 1940s, bringing its unique charm back to modern landscapes. Our bare root specimens are 1-2 ft tall, ready to establish quickly and transform your outdoor space. The dawn redwood tree is celebrated for its rapid growth and distinctive pyramid shape, making it an excellent choice for a focal point or shade tree.

The Metasequoia glyptostroboides offers soft, feathery green foliage throughout spring and summer, which then transitions into a stunning bronze-orange in the fall before dropping its needles. This seasonal color change adds dynamic interest to your garden. As a cold hardy tree, it thrives in a wide range of climates and tolerates various soil conditions, making it a versatile and resilient addition to many home gardens. Experience the wonder of this prehistoric plant as it grows into a majestic specimen in your own backyard.

Key Benefits

The dawn redwood tree offers numerous advantages that make it a highly desirable addition to any garden. Its unique characteristics and robust nature contribute to its appeal as a distinctive landscape plant.

• Rare & Unique Beauty: As a “living fossil,” the Metasequoia glyptostroboides provides a distinctive and ancient aesthetic that sets it apart from common garden trees. Its prehistoric origins make it a conversation piece.
• Fast-Growing Nature: Enjoy rapid development with this fast growing tree, which can add 2-3 feet of height per year, quickly establishing a grand presence in your landscape.
• Stunning Seasonal Color: Its delicate, bright green foliage transforms into a beautiful bronze-orange in the fall, offering spectacular autumn interest before its needles drop for winter.
• Exceptional Cold Hardiness: This robust tree is highly adaptable and thrives in USDA Zones 4-8, making it a reliable choice for various climates and ensuring it’s a truly cold hardy tree.
• Excellent for Landscaping: The majestic pyramid shape and significant mature size make it an ideal specimen tree, providing natural elegance and shade for larger properties or backyards.
• Tolerates Wet Soil: Unlike many trees, the dawn redwood tree is well-suited for moist conditions and can tolerate wet soil, making it perfect for rain gardens or low-lying areas.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, this tree requires minimal pruning and care, allowing you to enjoy its beauty with less effort.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your dawn redwood tree is straightforward, especially once it’s established, ensuring a healthy and thriving specimen for years to come. These trees prefer full sun exposure, meaning they should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily to achieve their best growth and most vibrant fall color. While tolerant of various soil types, they flourish in moist, well-draining soil. They are particularly adaptable and can even tolerate clay and wet areas, distinguishing them from many other tree species. Regular watering is crucial during the establishment phase, typically the first year after planting. Ensure the soil remains consistently moist but not waterlogged. Once mature, the Metasequoia glyptostroboides demonstrates good drought tolerance.

The dawn redwood tree is cold hardy, thriving in USDA Zones 4-8, making it suitable for a wide range of temperate climates. To support healthy growth, especially in its early years, consider using compost or mulch around the base to help retain soil moisture and protect the root system. Minimal pruning is required, primarily focusing on removing any crossing, dead, or damaged limbs during the dormant winter season. If planted in an area prone to strong winds, staking might be beneficial for young trees to ensure straight growth. When planning your landscape, remember that this fast growing tree will reach a significant size, so allow ample space between trees—20-30 feet—for full canopy development. This ensures each living fossil tree has the room it needs to mature into its impressive form.

Size & Details

You will receive two (2) bare root dawn redwood trees, each approximately 1-2 feet tall at the time of shipping. These trees are carefully wrapped to protect their roots and maintain essential moisture during transit, ensuring they arrive ready for successful transplanting. The Metasequoia glyptostroboides is a remarkably fast growing tree, typically adding 2-3 feet of height per year under optimal conditions. When mature, it can reach an impressive height of 70-100 feet with a spread of 20-30 feet, forming a majestic pyramid shape. This makes it an ideal choice for larger landscapes, backyards, or naturalized areas where it can grow to its full potential.

These cold hardy trees are suited for USDA Zones 4-8 and prefer full sun. They adapt well to moist, well-draining soils and are known for their tolerance of wet conditions. The bare root form allows for easier handling and establishment when planted during the dormant season. With proper care, these young trees will quickly develop into stately specimens, providing a unique historical and aesthetic appeal to your property for generations. Each living fossil tree offers a long-term investment in your garden’s beauty and ecological diversity.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The dawn redwood tree is a large, majestic tree. It can reach a mature height of 70-100 feet with a spread of 20-30 feet, forming a distinctive pyramid shape in the landscape.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is an outdoor tree. The Metasequoia glyptostroboides requires significant space and full sun exposure to thrive and reach its impressive mature size.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: The dawn redwood tree performs best in full sun, meaning it should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and coloration.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the dawn redwood tree is relatively low maintenance. It requires regular watering during its first year but becomes quite drought-tolerant and needs minimal pruning afterward.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: You will receive two bare root dawn redwood trees, approximately 1-2 feet tall. They are carefully packaged to protect the roots and ensure moisture retention during shipping.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: Bare root trees like the Metasequoia glyptostroboides are best planted in the fall or early spring when they are dormant, allowing them to establish their root system before active growth begins.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Yes, this is a very cold hardy tree. It thrives in USDA Zones 4-8, making it suitable for a wide range of temperate climates and capable of withstanding cold winter temperatures.
• Q: Can this tree tolerate wet soil? A: Absolutely. One of the notable characteristics of the dawn redwood tree is its tolerance for moist to wet soil conditions, making it an excellent choice for areas where other trees might struggle.
• Q: What makes it a “living fossil tree”? A: The dawn redwood tree earned its nickname as a living fossil tree because it was known only from fossil records until live specimens of Metasequoia glyptostroboides were discovered in China in the 1940s.
• Q: How fast does it grow? A: This is a very fast growing tree, with an average growth rate of 2-3 feet per year under good growing conditions, allowing it to quickly become a prominent feature in your landscape.