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Wow MileHigh, thanks for the wealth of information! I think you’re right about the water needs of the cedar. There was originally some irrigation in place, but it has been disconnected for the past several years. I will be hooking it back up for the summer months in hopes of jump starting the growth. I was thinking of mixing in some shrubs with the conifers and I like your idea of spirea. I think there is a variety that I’ve seen around the neighborhood with a cascade of white flowers. I will drop by the nurseries next time I am there. I’m interested in the hybrid dogwood you mentioned. The previous owners planted some dogwood (and aspen), but neither made it due to the reasons you state (finicky & snow). Thanks again – great information!
If you want a tall fast-growing screen, you have a bit of a challenge. The incense cedars you have are probably your best bet for a dense screen. They only grow about 4″-6″/yr on rainfall alone, but if you give them plenty of extra water, they can grow at a much faster rate. White pine or sugar pine are obvious native choices, but I don’t like all of the needle debris, and they seem to be more susceptible to beetles during our dry years.
Our soils in Big Trees are very permeable and don’t hold water well at all, which is particularly hard on young plants with shallow root systems during our dry season. So almost anything you plant needs supplemental water for a few years, until it is established. The plus side of the loose soils is that roots can go very deep, given time. So trees like incense cedar will start slowly, but grow faster when they are “adolescents”.
As you may have noticed driving around, there is less variety to the plants up here, because fewer plants (including most CA “natives”) can survive the combination of very dry summers, cold winters, and big snow loads. (Some plants, like lilac, seem to struggle even with extra water–probably because the soil doesn’t warm up for a long enough time in the short summers.) Many plants that could grow up to be nice screens in, say Murphys, or even Arnold, get too cold or get crushed by the snow in Big Trees. (I have lost several dogwoods that way.)
Sierra Nursery in Murphys (Hwy 4 East) has a guy working there who lives in Dorrington and seems to have pretty extensive experience with gardening in the Big Trees area. The new people running the Murphys Nursery (Hwy 4 West) are also very helpful and willing to work with you on Big Trees gardening situations. (I’ve bought dogwood hybrids there that are a cross with the native pacific dogwood, which is very finicky to cultivate otherwise. Those hybrids are more drought and sun tolerant than the East Coast varieties that you see in gardens at lower elevations.)
If you are willing to try a lower screen of shrubs, you might look at various spirea. The tall varieties can easily get 4-6′ high and seem to do well in Big Trees after a year or two of coddling. (Shorter types can be found all around Lake Alpine.) They also recuperate relatively quickly if they get crushed by snow.
Other plants to consider: Aspen will grow fast, but need plenty of water and will not provide a dense screen. (Avoid full sun, but also avoid planting them under high-branched trees that can dump snow and smash them.) Viburnum may work in similar locations (again, if you can keep it away from heavy snow loads).
Good luck!
Flyfishr – thanks for the information. That is a little farther than I wanted to travel, so I think I’ll start in Murphys. I know there are a couple nurseries there and I’ll see what they have to offer.
There used to be a native plant nursery at the Tuolumne Rancheria outside of Tuolumne City, but I don’t believe it is still in operation. Haven’t seen the sign in a long time. The only other option that I’m aware of for Sierra Nevada native plants would be in Placerville (don’t remember the name) or South Lake Tahoe (Aspen Hollow Landscape Nursery – they have a website)
Can anyone recommend a landscaper or nursery that specializes in native plants? I’d like to plant a screen between my cabin and the adjoining property. The previous owners planted a row of cedars 10 years ago, but they have barely grown in that time – not sure why. I’m looking for someone with good knowledge on the best plants to use for this purpose.
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