Tamarack|Experimental Farm Network
Larix laricina
Origin: Saint Quentin, New Brunswick
Improvement status: Wild
Seeds per packet: ~100
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Tamarack, or eastern larch, is a beautiful native coniferous tree. It is most often found in the wild in boggy sites and tolerates acidic, waterlogged soils with poor fertility, but it is adaptable enough to grow in many other habitats. Unlike most conifers, but similar to bald cypresses and dawn redwoods, tamarack is deciduous. Its needles become a strikingly yellow color and then fall every autumn.
Tamarack is widely considered one of the best North American trees for bonsai, made all the more interesting by its deciduous nature. Their trunks grow thick while still young, making them appear older than they are, and they can withstand regular pruning. They also produce pretty little cones — red when fresh — which seem in proportion to a small tree. It can (and probably should) be kept outdoors year-round in most of North America. (The bonsai depicted here had been in training for 36 years at the time of the photo. Bonsai artist is Nick Lenz.)
GROWING TIPS: Seeds will germinate without pretreatment, but 30-60 days cold stratification may speed things up. Soak in warm water and let stand for 12 hours before planting. Fall sowing in mulched beds is a great way to go. Sow seed 1/4" deep. Best for zones 2-7. Trees have a straight trunk and a narrow pyramidal crown.
Provided by Experimental Farm Network
Larix laricina
Origin: Saint Quentin, New Brunswick
Improvement status: Wild
Seeds per packet: ~100
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Tamarack, or eastern larch, is a beautiful native coniferous tree. It is most often found in the wild in boggy sites and tolerates acidic, waterlogged soils with poor fertility, but it is adaptable enough to grow in many other habitats. Unlike most conifers, but similar to bald cypresses and dawn redwoods, tamarack is deciduous. Its needles become a strikingly yellow color and then fall every autumn.
Tamarack is widely considered one of the best North American trees for bonsai, made all the more interesting by its deciduous nature. Their trunks grow thick while still young, making them appear older than they are, and they can withstand regular pruning. They also produce pretty little cones — red when fresh — which seem in proportion to a small tree. It can (and probably should) be kept outdoors year-round in most of North America. (The bonsai depicted here had been in training for 36 years at the time of the photo. Bonsai artist is Nick Lenz.)
GROWING TIPS: Seeds will germinate without pretreatment, but 30-60 days cold stratification may speed things up. Soak in warm water and let stand for 12 hours before planting. Fall sowing in mulched beds is a great way to go. Sow seed 1/4" deep. Best for zones 2-7. Trees have a straight trunk and a narrow pyramidal crown.
Provided by Experimental Farm Network