By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine The first time you take a second look at conifers, you’re hooked. It might be the Fibonacci pattern of chartreuse bracts swirling around a purple Korean fir cone (that’s what got me), the new candles on a pine, or the Seussian pose of a weeping sequoia—but whatever it is, it changes the way you think about cone-bearers.
Next month you can feed this passion at the western regional meeting of the American Conifer Society in Olympia, Washington, but you should register now. Conference dates are June 26-28.
Because conifers work so well with Japanese maples and alpine plants, this year’s conference will focus on them too. You’ll hear speakers (including a keynote address by Lucy Hardiman), go on private and public garden tours, and network with some of the best horticulturists around.
For more information, contact Marc McCalmon at conehead2502@yahoo.com. McCalmon, incidentally, is a great conifer grower: I photographed the dwarf Norway spruce pictured above (Picea abies 'Pusch') in his garden.
