Conifer Collection
The
JC Raulston Arboretum (JCRA) has long led the push to diversify the selection
of conifers that are available for planting in southern gardens. This conifer
collection was one of the first research collections in the Southeast to show
the adaptability of a wide range of conifers to the hot, humid climate and heavy
clay soils of our region. Prior to the establishment (and subsequent promotion)
of many of the conifers in our collection, southern landscapes did not contain
such now-familiar conifers as Chamaecyparis (the thread-leaf and plume
falsecypresses), and Cryptomeria (the Japanese cedars), for example.
Today, the JCRA conifer collection continues to push the bounds of gardening in the southern United States, and we are actively working to expand this collection. In January 2001, our collection contained a total of 569 taxa, 45 of which comprised the Cryptomeria collection, a feature group within the larger overall group of conifers. A wonderful array of different textures, sizes, shapes, and colors can be seen in this collection.