Hello all ,
I'm hoping somebody can identify an evergreen shrub that I have in my garden so I can find out how much/when to prune it . It's really got way too big at around 10ft tall and unsightly brown patches have started to appear on it , the foliage has a slightly lemony smell when rubbed between your fingers.
It's said a picture is worth a thousand words so here are three pictures including a close up of the foliage .

T.I.A.
Ron

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...o30/shrub1.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...o30/shrub2.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...o30/shrub3.jpg

"Rondeco" wrote in message
...

Hello all ,
I'm hoping somebody can identify an evergreen shrub that I
have in my garden so I can find out how much/when to prune it . It's
really got way too big at around 10ft tall and unsightly brown patches
have started to appear on it , the foliage has a slightly lemony smell
when rubbed between your fingers.
It's said a picture is worth a thousand words so here are three
pictures including a close up of the foliage .

T.I.A.
Ron

[image: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...30/shrub1.jpg]
[image: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...30/shrub2.jpg]
[image: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...30/shrub3.jpg]



Foliage looks like Cedar to me. The brown patches are ominous - it could be
just a natural dying-off of one branch or two but it could be what killed
off my cypress hedge last year namely the dreaded Phytophthora, which was
discussed on a thread "Oh Dear :-(" in this very NG only a couple of days
ago
R.

Thanks for your response . I've searched Google images and can't see a Cedar tree that looks anything like it , if it helps ... the foliage is very soft , not stiff like pine needles and I've never seen any kind of cone or fruit on it .

Ron

"Ragnar" wrote in message
...



Foliage looks like Cedar to me. The brown patches are ominous - it could
be just a natural dying-off of one branch or two but it could be what
killed off my cypress hedge last year namely the dreaded Phytophthora,
which was discussed on a thread "Oh Dear :-(" in this very NG only a
couple of days ago
R.


I called the wrong thread - it should have been "Tree experts - Rowen Tree"

It is definitely not a cedar sensu strictu, ie Cedrus. But a lot of people use the the term cedar colloquially to refer to members of the cypress family Cupressaceae in general. And a lot of the Cupressaceae have common names with the word "cedar" in, such as Japanese Cedar and Incense Cedar. It must surely be a member of the Cupressaceae, and I'm suspecting it is some kind of Juniper, of which there are many species and many garden forms.

Actually the more I think about it the more I think it is likely to be Cryptomeria japonica ("Japanese cedar"), which has so many cultivated forms you'd hardly recognise them as all being the same species.

Thanks for that . When is the right time of year to cut it back ?, will it be ok to be fairly aggressive with my trimming ?.

Ron

It can certainly be agressively trimmed, but you mustn't go too far. It's a bit like pine, spruce, cypress, etc in that if you prune back too far it won't regrow.

And it is best pruned in the growing season.

"echinosum" wrote in message
...

Rondeco;855803 Wrote:
Thanks for your response . I've searched Google images and can't see a
Cedar tree that looks anything like it , if it helps ... the foliage is
very soft , not stiff like pine needles and I've never seen any kind of
cone or fruit on it .

Ron
It is definitely not a cedar sensu strictu, ie Cedrus. But a lot of
people use the the term cedar colloquially to refer to members of the
cypress family Cupressaceae in general. And a lot of the Cupressaceae
have common names with the word "cedar" in, such as Japanese Cedar and
Incense Cedar. It must surely be a member of the Cupressaceae, and I'm
suspecting it is some kind of Juniper, of which there are many species
and many garden forms.

Know what I think it might be? Cryptomeria japonica - but as I am not
familiar with the species I can not be sure. Foliage of certain varieties
can be quite soft according to web sites I've looked at, and the reddish
bark seems to confirm it.

If that's what it is then it's quite unusual in a small garden as it more
normally associated with large parks. It would be a tragedy to lose it so I
hope it is all right.

R.

In message , Ragnar
writes

"echinosum" wrote in message
...

Rondeco;855803 Wrote:
Thanks for your response . I've searched Google images and can't see a
Cedar tree that looks anything like it , if it helps ... the foliage is
very soft , not stiff like pine needles and I've never seen any kind of
cone or fruit on it .

I'd guess that the lack of cones/fruit is a consequence of pruning.

There are pinaceous plants with soft foliage (hemlocks - Tsuga - at
least).

Ron
It is definitely not a cedar sensu strictu, ie Cedrus. But a lot of
people use the the term cedar colloquially to refer to members of the
cypress family Cupressaceae in general. And a lot of the Cupressaceae
have common names with the word "cedar" in, such as Japanese Cedar and
Incense Cedar. It must surely be a member of the Cupressaceae, and I'm
suspecting it is some kind of Juniper, of which there are many species
and many garden forms.

One species that has lemon-scented foliage is Monterey Cypress, but the
foliage doesn't seem right for that.

Know what I think it might be? Cryptomeria japonica - but as I am not
familiar with the species I can not be sure. Foliage of certain varieties
can be quite soft according to web sites I've looked at, and the reddish
bark seems to confirm it.

If that's what it is then it's quite unusual in a small garden as it more
normally associated with large parks. It would be a tragedy to lose it so I
hope it is all right.

R.

Perhaps a larger photograph of the foliage would help.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On 2009-07-13 16:20:30 +0100, "Ragnar" said:


"echinosum" wrote in message
...

Rondeco;855803 Wrote:
Thanks for your response . I've searched Google images and can't see a
Cedar tree that looks anything like it , if it helps ... the foliage is
very soft , not stiff like pine needles and I've never seen any kind of
cone or fruit on it .
snip
Know what I think it might be? Cryptomeria japonica - but as I am not
familiar with the species I can not be sure. Foliage of certain varieties
can be quite soft according to web sites I've looked at, and the reddish
bark seems to confirm it.

If that's what it is then it's quite unusual in a small garden as it more
normally associated with large parks. It would be a tragedy to lose it so I
hope it is all right.

R.

We have Cryptomeria in the churchyard bordering our garden. At the end
of the year it's normal for it to become rusty coloured. I'll look
more closely tomorrow and check the scent but you may have got it.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

On Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:30:47 +0100, Rondeco
wrote:


Hello all ,
I'm hoping somebody can identify an evergreen shrub that I
have in my garden so I can find out how much/when to prune it . It's
really got way too big at around 10ft tall and unsightly brown patches
have started to appear on it , the foliage has a slightly lemony smell
when rubbed between your fingers.
It's said a picture is worth a thousand words so here are three
pictures including a close up of the foliage .

T.I.A.
Ron

[image: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...30/shrub1.jpg]
[image: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...30/shrub2.jpg]
[image: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...30/shrub3.jpg]

My guess, as another urgler suggested is crytomeria japonica, but it's
a long time since I saw one close up. It has been pruned and shaped
so no natural habit to go by.

Pam in Bristol

I had a quick look at the C Japonica in my garden last night, and the needles look just those in the picture (but smaller, because mine is a dwarf contorta form). Mine has bronze-coloured new growth, which looks unhealthy at first glance until you realise it is supposed to be like that. And bits of it die back after a cold winter. It only ever produces any cones in very hot years.

As you can see from the bare lower trunk, if you cut back too far, it doesn't come back.

Thanks to all for your helpful and informative replies .
I'd like to reduce the volume of the foliage part by around 50% in height and width , do you think this will be ok or too drastic ... maybe do it in two or three goes ? .

Ron