Overview

Introduce a piece of living history to your landscape with our exquisite dawn redwood live plant. This remarkable species, scientifically known as Metasequoia glyptostroboides, is a fast-growing deciduous conifer that was once thought to be extinct. Rediscovered in the 1940s, the dawn redwood live plant is cherished for its majestic presence, rapid growth rate, and delicate, fern-like foliage that turns a brilliant coppery-bronze in the fall before shedding its needles. Each plant is carefully nurtured and shipped to you in a quart pot, standing approximately 6 to 12 inches tall, ready to establish itself as a focal point in your garden or park. This tree is a fantastic choice for those seeking a unique, stately shade tree that provides seasonal interest and a touch of botanical wonder.

The dawn redwood live plant is an excellent addition for gardeners and landscapers looking to create a lasting impression. Its distinctive soft green needles in spring and summer, followed by its vibrant autumn display, make it a year-round attraction. Despite its ancient lineage, it’s a surprisingly adaptable and hardy tree, thriving across a wide range of climates. Planting a dawn redwood live plant means investing in a tree that will grow with you, providing beauty and shade for generations to come. It’s not just a plant; it’s a living monument to nature’s resilience and splendor.

Key Benefits

The dawn redwood live plant offers a multitude of advantages for any landscape. Its unique characteristics and robust growth make it a highly desirable specimen tree:

• Rapid Growth Rate: This tree is renowned for its impressive growth, often reaching 2-4 feet per year. This means you won’t have to wait decades to enjoy the full benefits of a mature shade tree, making the dawn redwood live plant an excellent investment for instant impact.
• Stunning Seasonal Interest: From its fresh green needles in spring and summer to its spectacular coppery-bronze fall color, the dawn redwood provides year-round visual appeal. Even in winter, its attractive conical form and fissured bark offer architectural interest.
• Exceptional Shade Provider: With a mature width of 25-40 feet, this tree develops a broad, stately canopy, casting significant shade. It’s perfect for creating cool, inviting spaces in large yards, parks, or open landscapes, helping to reduce energy costs during hot summers.
• Hardy and Adaptable: The dawn redwood live plant is well-suited for USDA Zones 4-8, demonstrating remarkable resilience to various environmental conditions. It tolerates urban pollution and can adapt to different soil types, provided they are well-draining.
• Unique Deciduous Conifer: Unlike most conifers that are evergreen, the dawn redwood is deciduous, shedding its needles in winter. This unique characteristic adds an interesting dynamic to the landscape and distinguishes it from other trees.
• Conservation and Historical Significance: Planting a metasequoia glyptostroboides helps preserve a species with a rich fossil record, once thought to be extinct. It’s a living link to prehistoric times, offering a unique story for your garden.
• Low Maintenance Once Established: While requiring consistent moisture in its early years, once established, the dawn redwood live plant is relatively low maintenance, making it a rewarding choice for both novice and experienced gardeners.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your dawn redwood live plant is straightforward, especially when you understand its basic needs. This magnificent tree thrives with proper attention, particularly during its establishment phase. It prefers a location with full sun exposure, meaning it should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to achieve its best growth and fall color. While adaptable, it truly flourishes in consistently moist, well-drained soil. Avoid planting in areas where water tends to pool, as excessive standing water can be detrimental. Regular watering, especially during dry spells and in its first few years, is crucial for its vigorous development. Ensure the soil remains evenly moist but not waterlogged.

The dawn redwood tree care routine involves providing ample space for its mature size. With a potential height of 70-100 feet and a spread of 25-40 feet, it needs room to grow without encroaching on structures or other plants. It is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8, making it suitable for a broad range of climates across the United States. During late fall and winter, your plant will enter dormancy and become leafless; this is a natural and healthy part of its life cycle. Fertilization can be beneficial in the spring with a balanced, slow-release tree fertilizer, especially for young trees, to support its rapid growth. Watch for signs of stress like browning needles, which often indicate insufficient water. Proper care will ensure your fast growing shade tree develops into a stately and beautiful specimen.

Pruning is generally minimal for the dawn redwood live plant, typically limited to removing any dead, damaged, or crossing branches to maintain its strong central leader and overall health. The tree’s natural pyramidal shape is a key feature, so avoid heavy shaping. When planting, dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep, ensuring the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil. Backfill with a mixture of native soil and compost to enrich the planting site. Mulching around the base can help retain soil moisture and regulate temperature, which is especially beneficial for young plants. Understanding these aspects of dawn redwood tree care will allow you to enjoy a thriving tree for many years.

Size & Details

This offering includes one dawn redwood live plant, meticulously grown and presented in a quart-sized pot. Upon arrival, the plant will measure approximately 6 to 12 inches in height from the top of the soil. This size makes it ideal for transplanting into your garden, allowing it to establish quickly and begin its impressive growth journey. The quart pot provides a healthy root system, ensuring the plant is robust enough to handle the transition to its new home. As a deciduous conifer, it will display vibrant green foliage during the warmer months, transitioning to a striking coppery-bronze in autumn. During late fall and winter, the plant will naturally enter dormancy and shed its needles, appearing leafless. This is a normal and necessary process for the tree’s health and signifies its readiness for spring’s new growth.

The Metasequoia glyptostroboides is known for its remarkable growth rate, capable of adding 2-4 feet in height per year under optimal conditions. At maturity, this majestic tree can reach towering heights of 70-100 feet with a spread of 25-40 feet, making it an excellent choice for large properties where it has ample room to flourish. Its mature width ensures it will provide substantial shade and become a prominent landscape feature. The tree is delivered as a live, potted specimen, ready for immediate planting. Expect to witness significant growth and an increasingly impressive display of its unique beauty as it matures over the years, making it a valuable long-term addition to your outdoor space.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this dawn redwood plant get? A: This dawn redwood live plant is shipped 6-12 inches tall in a quart pot. At maturity, it can grow to an impressive 70-100 feet tall with a spread of 25-40 feet, establishing itself as a significant shade tree in your landscape.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The dawn redwood live plant comes in a standard quart-sized pot, providing a good foundation for its root system before transplanting to your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The dawn redwood live plant is an outdoor tree, best suited for planting directly in the ground in large yards, parks, or open landscapes where it has plenty of space to grow. It is not suitable for indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does the dawn redwood tree need? A: This tree thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and the best fall color. Consistent light is crucial for healthy dawn redwood tree care.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the dawn redwood live plant is relatively low maintenance. It requires consistent moisture, especially in its early years, but is otherwise quite adaptable and hardy.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your dawn redwood live plant will arrive as a healthy, potted specimen. During late fall and winter, it will be dormant and leafless, which is normal for this deciduous conifer and indicates its readiness for spring growth.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a dawn redwood? A: The best time to plant a metasequoia glyptostroboides is typically in spring or early fall, when temperatures are moderate, allowing the tree to establish its root system before extreme weather.
• Q: Will a dawn redwood survive winter in my zone? A: The dawn redwood live plant is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8. If your zone falls within this range, it should successfully withstand winter conditions, entering dormancy and regrowing in spring.
• Q: What kind of soil does this tree prefer? A: This tree prefers consistently moist, well-draining soil. While adaptable, it performs best in rich, loamy soils. Good drainage is key to preventing root issues.
• Q: How fast does this shade tree grow? A: The dawn redwood live plant is a remarkably fast growing shade tree, often adding 2 to 4 feet in height annually under ideal growing conditions.