Trees worth a second look

American Forests, Wntr, 2005 by Ketzel Levine

At maturity, 'Spiralis' is a formal, conical evergreen, but in its early years it's somewhat wayward. The reason is this: New plants are grown from side-branch cuttings, so their inclination is to grow sideways.

"They need to learn apical dominance," says Oregon conifer wizard Don Howse. It takes a good four years for the plant to develop a central, upright stem (known as the leader), which will eventually become the tree's trunk.

Those early years, however comical, are likely to be misunderstood. Howse often sees young 'Spiralis' mislabeled and sold as a prostrate shrub rather than as a cone-shaped tree. His own once-gawky specimen is now 20 feet tall and eight feet wide, a proper and masterful landscape presence, flawlessly branched from head to toe.

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Now for colors: 'Spiralis' comes in two. With afternoon shade, it develops soft lime spring-like growth, while in full sun it tends toward yellow-gold and can even look a bit burned (contrary to appearance, though, this plant will not sun-scald). Its color is uniform throughout, but the twisted leaves give the impression of being two-tone; until this writing, I'd remembered it as variegated, such was the impression in my (fantasy-prone) mind's eye.

If you've got some big bored rhodies in all-morning sun, plant a lime-green 'Spiralis' among them to wake things up. If you don't have the room but still want the ringlets, consider C. japonica 'Spiraliter Falcata,' a probable sport of the spiral-leaved giant.

Maxing out at 5 feet by 5 feet (it's a slow grower), it's been called the 'Harry Lauder' of cryptomerias (a reference to the contorted filbert), with stems and branches that twist and curl. It's good for a light touch of whimsy in a not-quite-mixed-enough border.