In this episode, we chat about Umbrella Pine, a living fossil dating back to when dinosaurs walked our world. The same is true of Ginkgo biloba, which we spoke about in episode 85.
There's a lesson in their endurance: The gentle outlasts the strong, referring to the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, an ancient philosophy to live our true peaceful nature in the rhythm of nature.
Link to Related Stories:
Gentle Strength of Umbrella Pine
Enduring Hope of Gingko Trees
Tickle and Rub Mycorrhizae
Forest Bathing and Wandering Willowwood Arboretum
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I'd love to hear about your garden and nature stories. And your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in :^)
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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.
It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page
Ep 87 Gentle Strength of Umbrella Pine
Sat, Dec 17, 2022 2:14 PM • 10:01
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
trees, dinosaurs, umbrella, pine, garden, years, snow, porch, decorate, fossil, plants, shade, sky, dilemmas, hemlock, traditions, gardening, delights, mary stone, ask mary stone, garden dilemmas
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone
Mary Stone 00:00
Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights, and discoveries. It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Mary Stone 00:26
Hello there, it's Mary Stone on the screen porch. What a freezing start to a morning we had. There were ice crystals on the windows this morning, which brings a smile-- winter is on its way, but not officially here yet. But we had our first bit of snow on Sunday, just a few inches, but there were big fat flakes that fell and coated the branches. It's so magnificent how a few inches can make a winter wonderland.
Mary Stone 00:52
I want to thank those of you that reached back about your holiday decorating traditions. But I have to say one of the most unusual ones came by way of stumbling upon it. So it wasn't an email or anything. But this is kind of a fun story. We decided to take a walk on the Paulinskill Rail Trail and enjoy the fat flakes falling from the sky. And as we proceeded down the road. It is kind of like a road; It's where a train used to run through it. And so, it's a beautiful flat trail that you can walk along, and I almost considered cross-country skiing it, but there wasn't quite enough snow. Anyway, we came upon a hemlock tree gussied up for Christmas. It was kind of neat because it was tucked up in the hill a little bit, so you'd have to kind of notice it or look for it with glistening red balls, and there were even some cute little birdhouse-looking ornaments. So lovely. And we came upon a fellow dog walker, and she had pointed it out as well. And we both just marveled at somebody taking the time to do such a thing, and it really was a beautiful moment. So I wondered who did it. I posted on Facebook, thanking whoever the mystery decorator was. And it turned out to be somebody I know in town. So there you go. Doing something beautiful like that just lifted many of us that walked on the trail. So we can do such small little things and bring such big smiles, Can't We?
Mary Stone 02:17
This week, I look forward to talking about one of my most treasured trees - an Umbrella pine. I didn't think we'd get to one of the annual traditions of lighting her up for the holidays, which became a column topic that starts like this.
Mary Stone 02:32
Hello fellow listeners and readers. Hopefully, your holiday hustle is coming to a close, and you're ready to sit back and enjoy the reason for the season. I thought we'd forego the tradition of decorating one of my favorite evergreen conifers, the umbrella pine. It stands above the two-story roof. So it's not an easy task. Last year, half the new lights failed way before Christmas. It's true. We bought these new strands of lights and went through the process of putting them all up. And within a few weeks, half of the flights died. So it was really kind of strange. So it lessened the enthusiasm to light up the tree this year. But dear Curt got back in the saddle and purchased a slew of new strings to decorate the tree.
Mary Stone 03:17
After an admirable attempt at reiterating the botanical name sky (Sciadopitys verticillata) he concluded it sounds like a dinosaur. And it is. The umbrella pine, also known as the Japanese umbrella pine because of its origin, is considered a living fossil. Fossils with a plant date back 230 million years from when dinosaurs walked our world. The way the two-tone dark and light green flat waxy needles whirl around each stem, and an umbrella-like fashion even looks prehistoric.
Mary Stone 03:53
We spoke about another living fossil a few weeks ago ginkgo biloba, I wonder if they share the same root space those millions of years ago, I marvel at the thought. And I marvel at how something as soft as trees can survive beyond the strength of dinosaurs. It's interesting when you look up the history of dinosaurs and how the name came to be. The word dinosaur comes from the ancient Greek word, 'dinos', which means terrible, and 'sauros', which means lizard or reptile. To think these gentle, glorious plants survive the beasts roaming the earth and millions of years beyond them. There's a lesson in that.
Mary Stone 04:35
You know, as I was writing this story, I happen to be listening to the Tao de Ching Wayne Dyer has a book that is about living the wisdom of the Dao. And in verse 36, which happened to be the one I tuned into. Part of it talks about how the gentle outlast the strong and how the obscure outlast the obvious. So, thinking about how these tender trees outlived the dinosaurs is kind of a expression of that isn't it?
Mary Stone 05:07
It's fun to imagine ginkgo and Umbrella pines being great friends 230 million years ago. They indeed make a lovely combination in the landscape today. You may know that trees communicate with each other and need each other to survive just as we do. Peter Wohlleben Writes in the hidden life of trees, what they feel how they communicate, discoveries from a secret world - "but why are trees social beings, why they share food with their species and sometimes nourish your competitors. The reasons are the same for human communities. There are advantages and working together." That explains why there are more old trees in the forest than those living on their own as standalone trees. So it's very curious as you read through that book, and I've actually written a little bit more about it in a previous story, which I'll put a link in the show notes, but it is Mycorrhizae, which is a fungus that is how trees communicate. It's really very fascinating. We spoke about that in episode 34 Forest Bathing - Willowood Champion Trees; you may wish to revisit or tune into if you haven't done so already.
Mary Stone 06:16
Our dinosaur (our umbrella pine) sits to the right of the garage giving it protection from winds, which is what Michael Dirr advises if you're planting the tree in zone five, we're actually technically a six. But with the winds and the elevations that we have, I consider our area a five B. And so it was important to give it a little bit of wind protection.
Mary Stone 06:37
I have to give you a little bit of warning that umbrella pines are kind of on the expensive side. They're pretty rare to find as well, especially finding them large because they are technically slow growing. Although ours has been a little bit different than that, I would say. Our prized tree cost $300 If I recall, and that was the wholesale price, and it was five feet tall. And we're talking about 19 years ago, so it took the tops over the roofline at this point. While they say it's a very slow grower, six inches a year, mine must be speedier the most. She's also looser, and form which I theorize has to do with being in the afternoon shade. But that may not be the reason after all.
Mary Stone 07:20
While acidic soil and full sun are best, which means six hours or more a day, part sun (three to six hours) works as well. And late afternoon shade is beneficial in hotter zones. So the Sciadopitys is hardy from zones five to seven. So if you're more towards the seven zone then having that afternoon shade is a good thing. I've since learned specimens often loosen and form as they grow older; sound familiar? Branches become more pendulous and spreading rights, Michael Dirr. The neat thing is that the prize plant's striking reddish brown exfoliating bark is more visible because of its looseness, making it a perfect tree to decorate. I especially love how the snow coats the branches. It goes to show that aging is beautiful. Did I mention this living fossil is deer resistant? Maybe that's why it survived all these years. Garden dilemmas asked Mary stone.com.
Mary Stone 08:21
Speaking of deer, I just stood up, and I'm looking out upon the yard and the brook, and there are, let's see, I think, three deer out there carving away at the snow to find some green grass to eat. They are so dark in for this time of year. It's an interesting thing how they shift in color. Two of them are staring at me, and they're less than 30 feet away. They are very, very cautious now, this time of year, because it is hunting season. Anyway, thanks so much for coming by always enjoy our time together on the screen porch. And I want to thank you again, the person who decorated the hemlock tree on the Paulinskill rail trail. I know you're from town, and I just think it gives us a little inspiration to do something small that can bring such big smiles to those of us who come upon them.
Mary Stone 09:14
Anyway, thank you again for coming by. I look forward to our chats on the screen porch, and I hope you have as well. If so, please share the podcast with a friend or two so more can join us in learning and growing in the garden of life. Thanks so much. See you next time.
Mary Stone 09:31
You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden dilemmas, delights, and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.