Metasequoia glyptostroboides Amber Glow - Dawn Redwood

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Amber Glow' is a golden selection of the Chinese sequoia that stands out for its vibrant colours and elegant habit. This deciduous conifer is appreciated for its foliage that changes shades throughout the seasons, ranging from bright yellow in spring to bronze in autumn. With a smaller growth than the species, this cultivar can be planted in a medium-sized garden. It is particularly attractive in winter, when it reveals its cracked reddish-brown bark. Provide it with a prime location, plenty of light, and moist soil.

Belonging to the Cupressaceae family, Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Amber Glow' 'WAH 08AG' is a horticultural variety from the United States. It was selected by William Head in 2008 in Seneca. This variety is characterised by its conical, layered, and regular habit, forming a dense and pyramidal silhouette. At maturity, around 10 years old, this Chinese sequoia reaches a height of 6 to 8 m and a width of 4 m. Its growth is rapid in moist soil, but it can be slower in limestone soil. Its foliage, composed of soft needles, is initially bright yellow in spring, then turns amber yellow with reddish highlights in summer, before turning bronze brown in autumn. The foliage is absent in winter. Flowering occurs on mature individuals. The inflorescences are round, scaly, and pedunculate cones, measuring 2 to 3 cm in diameter. The reddish-brown bark, which exfoliates with age, is an additional attraction. The straight and robust trunk of this tree, becomes wider and swollen at the base over time. 'Amber Glow' foliage offers better resistance to full sun compared to other varieties like 'Ogon'.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Amber Glow' is suitable for medium-sized gardens, parks, and large grounds. If the conditions are met, it will be an exceptional tree that will make the gardener who planted it proud, undoubtedly outliving them and becoming part of the history of a family and a garden. It can be planted as a focal point, isolated, by the edge of a watercourse, or at the boundaries of the countryside. It can be planted in front of a non-spreading bamboo curtain, such as Fargesia papyrifera Blue Dragon®, for example. The Chinese sequoia requires little to no maintenance after the first few years and pairs well with other large conifers with autumn colour, such as Larch or Bald Cypress.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, a close relative of Sequoiadendron, is a large conifer from the Taxodiaceae or Cupressaceae family, depending on the classification. It is native to China, specifically the western part of the Sichuan province, where it was only discovered in 1941. It is the only surviving species of a very ancient genus, dating back to a geological period called the Cretaceous, concurrent with the extinction of terrestrial dinosaurs and the beginning of an ice age. Its species name, glyptostroboides, refers to the cone-shaped fruits (strobiles) that closely resemble cypress fruits. This species shows very rapid growth in moist soil and thrives in temperate climates and non-calcareous marshy soils.