Overview

Discover the captivating beauty of the Dawn Redwood live plant, a true living fossil that brings ancient charm to modern landscapes. This unique deciduous conifer, scientifically known as Metasequoia glyptostroboides, offers a distinctive presence with its graceful, fern-like foliage. Unlike most conifers, the Dawn Redwood live plant sheds its needles in the fall after they turn a spectacular golden to russet color, creating a stunning seasonal display. Shipped as a robust live plant in a quart-sized pot, it is ready to establish quickly in your garden. Its remarkable history and striking appearance make it an exceptional choice for any plant enthusiast looking for a truly special tree.

The Metasequoia glyptostroboides is celebrated for its rapid growth rate and adaptability, making it a favorite among gardeners seeking a significant landscape impact. Its elegant pyramidal form and reddish-brown bark provide year-round interest. This resilient tree thrives in various conditions, including wet soils, making it an excellent option for rain gardens or areas prone to moisture. Embrace the opportunity to cultivate a piece of natural history with this magnificent and easy-to-grow deciduous conifer.

Key Benefits

The Dawn Redwood live plant offers a multitude of advantages for your landscape, combining aesthetic appeal with practical resilience. Its unique characteristics make it a standout choice:

• Stunning Deciduous Conifer: Enjoy the rare beauty of a conifer that changes with the seasons, offering soft, feathery green foliage in spring and summer, followed by a dramatic fall color display.
• Brilliant Fall Color: Witness a spectacular transformation as its needles turn vibrant bronze-orange and russet hues before dropping, providing a breathtaking autumn show that few other trees can match.
• Fast Growth Rate: The fast growing tree characteristic of the Dawn Redwood ensures a significant visual impact in a relatively short period, quickly establishing itself as a prominent feature in your garden.
• Tolerant of Wet Soils: This resilient plant thrives in moist conditions, making it an ideal choice for rain gardens, low-lying areas, or landscapes with naturally damp soil, where many other trees struggle.
• Elegant Pyramidal Form: Its naturally straight, conical shape creates a strong vertical element in the landscape, adding architectural interest and a sense of grandeur.
• Historical Significance: Known as a ‘living fossil,’ the Metasequoia glyptostroboides connects your garden to ancient times, adding a layer of intrigue and educational value.
• Cold Hardy: Adaptable to a wide range of climates, it can withstand colder temperatures, ensuring its health and vigor in various USDA zones.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Dawn Redwood live plant is relatively straightforward, as this species is known for its resilience and adaptability. To ensure optimal growth and health, consider the following guidelines. This deciduous conifer tree prefers a location with full sun to partial shade, meaning it should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for the best growth and fall color. While tolerant of various light conditions, more sun typically leads to a more vigorous plant and richer autumn hues.

When it comes to watering, the Dawn Redwood has a preference for consistently moist soil. It is particularly tolerant of wet feet, making it an excellent choice for areas with poor drainage or near water features. During dry spells, especially in its first few years, ensure regular and deep watering to help establish a strong root system. The ideal soil type is a rich, well-draining loam, but this tree is quite adaptable to different soil compositions, including clay, as long as moisture is consistent. Aim for a slightly acidic to neutral pH. For fertilization, a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer applied in early spring can encourage healthy growth, but avoid over-fertilizing, especially in the first year.

The Dawn Redwood live plant is remarkably cold hardy, typically thriving in USDA Zones 4-8. It can withstand significant winter temperatures, though young plants may benefit from some winter protection in the colder end of its range. Pests and diseases are generally not a major concern for this species, contributing to its low-maintenance appeal. Ensure good air circulation and avoid planting in overly confined spaces to prevent potential fungal issues. With proper care, your rain garden tree will flourish, providing beauty and shade for many years.

Size & Details

Your Dawn Redwood live plant will arrive shipped in a quart nursery pot, ensuring a healthy start for your garden. At this stage, the plant typically stands approximately 6-12 inches tall, though exact measurements can vary based on the season and individual plant growth. This fast growing tree is known for its impressive growth rate, often putting on 1 to 2 feet of height per year once established, and sometimes even more under ideal conditions. It will develop into a stately tree, potentially reaching heights of 70 to 100 feet or more at maturity, with a spread of 15 to 25 feet, forming a distinctive pyramidal canopy. Its reddish-brown, exfoliating bark adds textural interest, particularly in winter.

The Metasequoia glyptostroboides is a long-lived species, capable of gracing your landscape for centuries. While it begins as a modest potted plant, its potential for grandeur is immense. Expect to see significant development in its form and size within the first few years of planting. It is shipped as a live, actively growing plant during the warmer months. During colder months, it may arrive dormant, with few or no leaves, which is a normal and healthy state for this deciduous conifer. It will resume vigorous growth as temperatures warm in spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Dawn Redwood live plant get at maturity? A: A: The Dawn Redwood is a large tree, typically reaching heights of 70-100 feet or more with a spread of 15-25 feet at maturity. It boasts a stately, pyramidal form.
• Q: What size pot does the Dawn Redwood live plant come in? A: Your Dawn Redwood live plant is shipped in a quart-sized nursery pot, providing a well-established root system for successful transplanting.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Dawn Redwood live plant is an outdoor tree, best suited for large landscapes where it has ample space to grow and reach its majestic size. It is not suitable for indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does the deciduous conifer tree need? A: This tree thrives in full sun to partial shade, ideally receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to promote vigorous growth and vibrant fall foliage.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? Is it good for beginners? A: Yes, the Dawn Redwood is considered relatively easy to care for and is a good choice for beginners. It’s adaptable and generally low-maintenance once established, especially if planted in suitable conditions.
• Q: What condition will my Dawn Redwood live plant arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a healthy, live specimen. During colder months, it may be dormant with no leaves, which is natural for this deciduous species and indicates a healthy plant ready to grow in spring.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a fast growing tree like the Dawn Redwood? A: The best time to plant a Dawn Redwood is in spring or early fall, allowing the tree to establish its root system before extreme summer heat or winter cold.
• Q: Will this rain garden tree survive winter in my zone? A: The Dawn Redwood is cold hardy and typically thrives in USDA Zones 4-8, making it suitable for a wide range of climates. In the colder zones, young plants might benefit from winter protection.
• Q: Is the Metasequoia glyptostroboides drought tolerant? A: No, the Dawn Redwood prefers consistently moist soil and is not drought tolerant. It actually thrives in wet conditions, making it an excellent choice for rain gardens or areas with consistent moisture.
• Q: How quickly does the Dawn Redwood live plant grow? A: It is a fast growing tree, often growing 1-2 feet per year once established. Under optimal conditions, it can grow even faster.