As some of you know, I grow bonsai. This may be mentioned in DSMV, as it is now
a worldwide pandemic.
I have a Juniperus squamata 'Prostrata', which is often sold as J. procumbens
'Nana', as the two are very similar. For years I have been growing it
essentially as a subtropical. It is outdoors all summer with the rest of the
bonsai, until October or November, the first night under 25 F, about -4 C. Then
it goes into an unheated sunporch, which eventually goes a little below
freezing. The blinds are down during the dormant period, so there really isn't
any sun at that time. In December or early January, the above-mentioned juniper
& other subtropicals are placed under fluorescent lights in a warm plant room
with the humidity around 70%. They wake up & go to town. Then they go back
outdoors in April or May. Last spring I got mad at this juniper, cut the top
off, and planted it in the ground for a few years. I also have a 'Shimpaku'
juniper, which is a cultivar of J. chinensis. I inquired as to whether I could
give the Shimpaku the same treatment. My bonsai teacher, with 40 years
experience, said no, it would not work; the Shimpaku needs the full winter
dormancy and back outdoors. However, he could not explain why. Are there any
botanists here who can explain the difference in temperature tolerance,
physiology, or whatever? Are there other junipers which would also thrive under
the same conditions as the J. squamata?
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)