The forests have something to say

[Mapleminx]

But seriously, really liking the ideas and visions in this thread. I’m very interested to see how things turn out. Please keep updated.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Aspen grow beside Limber Pine and Firs at Great Basin Natl Park only slightly below Bristlecones 9000-10000 Feet.

 

[penumbra]

I don't think a valid argument can be made for not doing it.

 

[sorce]

Cuz "it might not work" is for .....(insert your own unpolitically correct term here).

Sorce

 

[penumbra]

I wonder if it would be easier the other way, one larger pine with a lower mix of flowering/deciduous

I think this is also valid and worth considering.

 

[penumbra]

Since this is a project that I will put off until late winter / early spring, I am trying to come up with an idea for a combination using tropicals. I think Portulacaria afra would pair up well with dwarf Haworthia or another dwarf succulent but I can not think of a tropical that would give a conifer look to use with something like a black olive or a brt.

 

[Kanorin]

I think this is also valid and worth considering.

Agree. I've placed an order for 25 shortleaf pines and 25 wild plums, so I could try arrangements both ways.

The neat thing is that the balance of interest within the display will shift with the seasons. In the spring, the eyes will be drawn to the flowers. In the winter, the eyes will be drawn to the needles remaining on the conifers in contrast with the bare deciduous. In the fall there will be another period of interesting contrasts in colors. If the trees can thrive together...which is obviously a big if.

 

[penumbra]

If the trees can thrive together...which is obviously a big if.

They not only do in nature but with most plants it is imperative for their well being.

 

[LittleDingus]

They not only do in nature but with most plants it is imperative for their well being.

Yes, but in nature the trees don't have to deal with being repotted.

I want to do a mixed planting with the 3 redwood species. But all all 3 require different growing conditions to be optimal (though there are several places along Avenue of the Giants where all 3 are planted in the ground for demonstration purposes). What I'm currently doing is commissioning pots that can coordinate and display together so the end product _looks_ like a single(ish) planting but can still be isolated for optimal care and repotting of individual species.

I wonder if it would be best to do something similar for a mixed deciduous/conifer forest? Either 2 pots that join/meld together somehow, or a single pot/slab but with a root impenetrable divide between the species?

 

[penumbra]

Yes, but in nature the trees don't have to deal with being repotted.

Actually, in a mixed tree planting this is a positive thing, not a negative thing.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Since this is a project that I will put off until late winter / early spring, I am trying to come up with an idea for a combination using tropicals. I think Portulacaria afra would pair up well with dwarf Haworthia or another dwarf succulent but I can not think of a tropical that would give a conifer look to use with something like a black olive or a brt.

For a tropical species forest, consider she-oak, Casuarina species. Has photosynthetic stems & no leaves, the stems look like pine needles. You could mix Casuarina (also Allocasuarina species) with BRT, blak olive, or with Bougainvillea, or any other tropicals you want. Casuarina will survive only a degree or two of frost. They are an invasive weed species in FLorida.

Google Indonesian & Philippine bonsai, they use Casuarina and Allocasuarina species in very pine like styles,

 

[LittleDingus]

Actually, in a mixed tree planting this is a positive thing, not a negative thing.

How so?

 

[penumbra]

How so?

Because in a mixed planting a major concern could be that the root system of one species could be more aggressive that a neighboring species and this would be evident at replanting time. This would give a clearer picture of the individual root systems of different species. I learned this years ago when growing a dwarf rhododendron in a pot with a cluster of white spruce. The spruce was in need of fairly frequent, albeit light root pruning in order for the rhododendron to establish itself. It was a nice planting for about 6 years and looked like a natural forest until we got to about 14 degrees F below zero and the rhodie died.
It is really different in the true forest though. Plants there form bonds for natural benefit. There are many books on this subject.

 

[LittleDingus]

Because in a mixed planting a major concern could be that the root system of one species could be more aggressive that a neighboring species

That was my exact concern and why I suggested that maybe it would be better to have some separation between the two species. Either a dam of some sort the roots can't cross or, as I'm opting for a group planting project I'm working on, by putting them into separate pots that can be placed in proximity to present as a single composition. The pot walls could be covered in soil/moss/etc...when showing but the two individual plantings could be manage independently.

 

[penumbra]

That was my exact concern and why I suggested that maybe it would be better to have some separation between the two species. Either a dam of some sort the roots can't cross or, as I'm opting for a group planting project I'm working on, by putting them into separate pots that can be placed in proximity to present as a single composition. The pot walls could be covered in soil/moss/etc...when showing but the two individual plantings could be manage independently.

There are multiple ways to get the job done.