Metasequoia glyptostroboides - Dawn Redwood

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, also known as Dawn Redwood, is a tall majestic tree with a conical and regular habit, and one of the few deciduous conifers, a characteristic it shares with the Larch and the Bald Cypress. It grows very fast, and has finely cut fern-like foliage, soft to the touch, with a pleasant light green colour in spring. It blazes in autumn with tones of gold, bronze, and copper-pink. This light-loving and moisture-loving species requires space and deserves a prominent place in a large garden. It is a precious species which has become rare in its native country, and it easily acclimatises to our temperate climates. 

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, cousin of the Sequoiadendron, is a large conifer from the family of Taxodiaceae or Cupressaceae depending on the classifications. 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, whose origin dates back to a geological period called the Cretaceous, simultaneous with the extinction of land dinosaurs and the beginning of a glacial era. Its species name, glyptostroboides, refers to the cone-shaped fruits (strobili) that are very similar to the fruits of cypresses. In its natural habitat, it can reach a height of 40 m (131 ft 2 in) with a spread of 10 m (32 ft 9 in) under good conditions, and develop a conical and erect habit, sometimes almost columnar. This species shows very fast growth in moist soil, and it appreciates temperate climates as well as non-calcareous marshy soils. .

This conifer with high ornamental value has a ribbed trunk at the base, covered with a cracked reddish-brown bark. Its rapid growth allows it to gain 50 cm (19.7 in) to 1 m (3 ft 4 in) per year. Its branches are arranged oppositely and branch out into long persistent branches that bear short deciduous branchlets. The deciduous leaves, arranged in two opposite rows along a common axis and on the same plane, are linear, 8 to 15 cm (3.1 to 5.9 in) long and 1 to 2 mm (0 to 0.1 in) wide, flexible, flattened, and light green in colour in spring. They darken a bit in summer, then take on various shades of yellow, brown, orange, and light red before falling. The flowering occurs on mature individuals. The inflorescences are globose, scaly, and pedunculate cones, measuring 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) in diameter.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides should be planted in a garden large enough to accommodate it. If the appropriate conditions are met, it will be an exceptional tree, which will be the pride of any gardener who plants it, whom it will undoubtedly outlive, becoming part of the family and garden's history. It can be planted as a focal point, or in a hedge, by a watercourse, or at the edge of the countryside, placed in front of a curtain of Phyllostachys bambusoides, the giant bamboo. Such a massive tree requires a solid base; its location should be carefully chosen, in deep soil and in an open position. It requires little or no maintenance after the first few years, and goes well with other large deciduous conifers such as Larch or Bald Cypress. The true graphic qualities of conifers naturally come to the fore in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures to the dance of flowers. This one, due to its beautiful framework and its twisted trunk on mature subjects, loses none of its majesty in winter.