Mail order minature/ dwarf conifers

[Mark Griffiths]

hi, I'm starting to develop a bit of a "hankering" for miniature / dwarf conifers - things like Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Caespitosa' but also some of the other nice dwarfs.

I'm looking for suppliers that do mail order - Kenworth look good - Larch Cottage are probably too expensive for me - but so far that's all I've really managed to turn up. Aberconway seem to do lots but they are no mail order.

Is there someone I've missed?

On a related subject - about 40 yrs ago I bought some from a specialist nursery - I thought it was in Devises so that would be Welch? Did he actually have a nursery? The last one I stupidly lost about 7 years ago - it was a Chamaecyparis obtusa 'nana' (the true plant). 

[johnralphcarpenter]

https://www.limecross.co.uk/

[Mike Ireland]

hi, I'm starting to develop a bit of a "hankering" for miniature / dwarf conifers - things like Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Caespitosa' but also some of the other nice dwarfs.

I'm looking for suppliers that do mail order - Kenworth look good - Larch Cottage are probably too expensive for me - but so far that's all I've really managed to turn up. Aberconway seem to do lots but they are no mail order.

Is there someone I've missed?

Mark
I have had some really wonderful dwarf conifers from Walkers Nursery, Mosham Rd, Blaxton, Doncaster DN9 3BA  website http://www.walkersnurseries.tv/garden-centre-doncaster/garden-centre/  but I don't know if they do mail order.  Good for a day out as they have a good restaurant & lovely gardens where you can see some of the most rare & unusual conifers & other plants.

[Mark Griffiths]

hi Mike, I had looked at them because I did a search here and saw your post - it looks as if they may do mail order - however there is no listing of their stock I can see.

[David Nicholson]

Ashwood have a good selection Mark.

[oxalisdot]

Yes you're right Humphrey Welch ran the Pygmy Pinetum in Devizes.  He retired back in the eighties and sold the nursery to a Dutch man who ran it for about 10 years.  Unfortunately there were several incidents of vandalism and eventually the nursery was closed and the land sold off for housing.  Such a shame because Humphrey grew an amazing range of conifers.

[johnw]

And oh how we drooled over the dwarves in his book in the 70's and 80's!

The attached shows a reprinted version of the original and the publisher got into big trouble with it as it was done without Welch's permission.

I wonder who started the dwarf conifer craze in the UK.  Was it Welch or Adrian Bloom?  Seems to me it was Welch although he was not the salesman Bloom was.

john
17c & overcast

[suesimpson33]

We have bought a fair number from Neil at Hartside.

[David Nicholson]

A copy of the original book is available at the princely sum of 78p plus p&p

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&an=Welch&tn=&kn=Conifers&isbn=

[Mark Griffiths]

thanks for the suggestions all - I'm following up now.

I just got the Welch book - I had seen it in the local Oxfam a few years ago, didn't get it but i just bought a second hand copy.

I'm having a sort of odd time - the book has a Landsman book label in it (although i got it from one of those big second hand online bookshops). My parents took me to landsman for birthday/ Christmas shopping when I was a teen. So again 40 years ago.

Plus Hartside, my parents took me there about the same time.

Somewhat soberingly I realised last night if I got another Chamaecyparis obtusa "Nana" I'm unlikely to get to see it mature like the 30+ year old specimen I lost a while back.

Mind you just picked up a copy of the Dionysia book - not grown any since the 70s (remember Peter Edwards? he gave me a bunch). I have a few seedlings from the AGS - they are a much shorter term proposition.

sigh, rambling and reminiscing like the old guy I've become. 

[ChrisB]

The Czechs love their 'witches brooms' and I was able to buy a few at the conference in May. I had brought 4 back from the last conference too. Considerably cheaper than the prices we pay here.  But I've been looking for more lately too, and finding some are well beyond my pocket.  There does seem to be a Czech company that does mail order, but I need to locate the web site again.  Worth googling to see though....

[Maggi Young]

Does Jiri Balatka send oversees, Christine? Can't remember.
Worth contacting him to find out >  http://www.balatka-garden.com/

[ChrisB]

Wasn't that a lovely garden, Maggi?  I found another nursery a while back though, but if I remember right, it may have been wholesale....  I'll take a look again sometime. Sure do love these mini conifers though .....

[Mark Griffiths]

wow, wonderful pictures of the garden on that site

[Michael J Campbell]

Chris, this chap does a lot of Witches Brooms, Dariusz Burdan. his nursery list is here.     http://www.darob.pl/