# Hinoki and Hokkaido -- Two Great Trees



## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

I have been gardening a long time, mostly in Northern California, but until i got into garden railroading, i knew very little about Chamaecyparis and absolutely nothing about Hokkaido Elms. 

Chamaecyparis obtusa also known as Hinoki Cypress, and Chamaecyparis lawsonia, also known as Lawson's Cypress, along with an array of other Chamaecyparis Cypress species, are common formal garden subjects all over my area, in the "normal" shrub size. They are useful and stalwart. Lots of doorways are flanked by a pair of Chamaecyparis shrubs. But the dwarf varieties? These are rare. 










I have to thank Don Herzog of Miniature Plant Kingdom for introducing me to the wonderful world of dwarf Chamaecyparis, in every colour from dark green to golden, and every shape from mounded to globular to vertically spired. Here is the best list of Chamaecyparis Cypress i have found (thanks to Don) -- and if you click on the name, you will see a picture of each variety. 

http://www.iselinursery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=77

These plants are very reasonably priced in my area. Don sells them for $25.00 each for beautifully trained and pruned mature specimens of Chamaecyparis obtusa. Smaller "baby starts" are cheaper at some of the other nurseries, but with this species you get a lot of tree for your money, no matter how mature the plant. 










Advantages: incredible variations in colour and form. Disadvantages: the plants are dense, so you will not get "see-through" views of a train when you shoot photos near them, like you will with open-structured trees. 










Ulmus parvifolia 'Hokkaido' or Hokkaido Elm is one of nature's most marvelous creations. I now have eight on my layout and i may try to find room for a couple more. If you want the "old oak" look, this is your tree. Every building looks better with a Hokkaido elm shading one corner. Every park, every farm yard -- these things are amazing! Each one is an individual with its own twisted, gnarled, picturesque personality. Nothing breaks up a view across the railroad tracks any better, and these trees are so open in framework that you can shoot pictures right through them, for super-realistic effects. They are pricey -- Don's start at $50.00 each for the plain ones in buckets and go on up to $100.00 for well pruned bonzais and $350.00 for the choicest 35 year old bonzai specimens. The bonzais can go right in the ground -- they do not have to stay in their flat pots. 










The only trouble Hokkaido Elms will give is their fragility. The branches -- even large limbs -- will snap clean off if you put pressure on them. Plant them inside the layout, not along the edges. Keep them away from dogs or children. And watch your big fat derriere when you squat down near them to weed.


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