[mdvaden]

Does mountain hemlock - Tsuga mertensiana - grow naturally on your side of the Atlantic ocean?

It's common in our hills, and a favorite tree in some of the nicer designed gardens. It's one of my favorites.
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M. D. Vaden of Oregon

Photos - Largest Redwoods: Atlas Grove & Grove of Titans

[cooler]

As far as I know it does not grow naturally over here in Ireland. I have seen many forms of hemlock grown in decorative gardens though.

[mdvaden]

If I remember, I'll see if I can find a map showing where it grows naturally.

Smaller gardens here have some weeping forms of other hemlock.

The mountain hemlock is a slow growing pyramidal form. It can get up to 60' tall in the wild after centuries, but in our lowlands, it only grows a few inches per year and is easy to keep contained.

It grows even slower on the mountain, like 2" to 4" per year; that's why it takes centuries to gain tall height up there. It's a sharp looking tree in cultivation.

Maybe it's just in the USA for native habitat, but here is a page...

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TSME

I just made a web page for Miscanthus - right in the middle of completing this reply. It's one of my favorite grasses.

On the page, one of the photos has mountain hemlock trees. They are blue-green. I dug those near Mt. Hood in our area, in a zone where some plant collecting is allowed in the national forest.

http://www.mdvaden.com/miscanthus.shtml

All 3 images were in our last garden in Beaverton, Oregon. I planted more of the grasses, and will probably purchase at least one mountain hemlock in the next few years.


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M. D. Vaden of Oregon

Photos - Largest Redwoods: Atlas Grove & Grove of Titans