D5

Bob Osborne

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Although the once colourful maple leaves now lie soggy and rotting, there is one remaining tree that splashes the forest with bright beacons of iridescent yellow.

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The larch, sometimes known as the tamarack or hackmatack, is a stately tree that offers vivid fall colour.

The last hurrah of fall belongs to the larch or tamarack or hackmatack, depending on your source. Strangely enough, this tree has often been maligned as a weed, a useless tree of boggy places. There is an unfortunate habit among many of us to label plants as 'good' or 'bad,' 'beautiful' or 'ugly.' Such labels are passed on from generation to generation and are usually the result of a plant not being 'useful' to humans.

Someone got it entirely wrong when it comes to the larch.

The larch is an exceptional tree from many standpoints. For those living in wet areas, the larch can provide a stately tree that not only has vivid fall colour but soft lime green needles in spring and deep green needles in summer. Its seed cones in May are a stunning shade of purple. Even for those to whom usefulness is confined to dollar value, the larch will provide rot-resistant dense lumber with green and yellow shadings, perfect for flooring and furniture. In Europe it is used in vineyards to support the vines and in mines as props to stabilize the shafts.

There are three common species of larch in commerce. The native larch (Larix laricina) is found throughout Canada right to the Arctic Circle. The European larch (Larix decidua) is likewise found growing northward to the Arctic Ocean. Even the Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) is a tough and reliable species for the northern gardener. Over the years, many wonderful varieties have been chosen for their unique forms.

Perhaps the most famous is the weeping larch (Larix decidua 'Pendula'). The tree has no uprightness. If staked, as it is usually grown in the nursery trade, it will flow down from the top of the stake, forming a shape comparable to 'It' from the Addams Family. If placed on the top of a hill or on the edge of a wall, it will creep downward, a living river or waterfall of soft green.

There is a relatively new variety of the Japanese larch called 'Diane' (Larix kaempferi 'Diane'). This gem grows twisted spiralling stems that give it a fascinating silhouette, particularly in winter. If you love blue, try 'Blue Rabbit' (Larix kaempferi 'Blue Rabbit'), a variety with striking bluish needles.

A new form that is now hitting the market is called 'Varied Directions' (Larix decidua 'Varied Directions'), a most curious name until you see it growing. It does, indeed, grow willy-nilly in various directions, forming a tree that is both vertical and horizontal and pendulous all over. If you have ever seen a picture of the lovely but tender 'Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar,' you can get a picture of how this odd variety behaves. There are, as well, several dwarf forms, most discovered as 'witches' brooms' on regular trees. Cuttings are taken from these original congested growths and propagated by grafting onto larch rootstocks to maintain their tight rounded form.

Too often we disregard what is literally in our back yard. The larch is the perfect choice for those wet clay soils that most other conifers shun. They will also grow in well-drained soils. They are lacy and elegant trees. While they do lose their needles in winter, so do many of our most beloved trees. Besides, if they didn't, we would not have the spectacular show they are giving us now.

* Bob Osborne is the owner of Corn Hill Nursery Ltd., a member of Landscape New Brunswick, an author, farmer and gardener. His column appears each Thursday.