Wollemia nobilis

[MartinNicklin]

I’ve finally succumbed and bought myself a copy of the RHS Encyclopedia of Conifers (incidentally for anyone who doesn’t have this, it is magnificent. I’m not sure it is still in print and have seen it on the internet, including Amazon and EBay, commanding prices between £200 and £600! NHBS have it for £70 and mine arrived in pristine condition).
Anyway, I was reading the section on Wollemia and was interested in its hardiness information. It suggests that -16/17 is the limit. I know in my last garden the thermometer close to the pine recorded -18 and that appeared to kill the tree. When I noticed three tiny buds at ground level, I cut it back to ground level and they have subsequently produced a superb three trunked tree over the years since 2010.
I bought a new plant for my current place. It was approximately 80cm tall and cost, I think, just over £100 about 6 years ago. It amazes me how quickly it grows:



I had a look on line and was flabbergasted to see the prices these are now commanding. A 6 footer with a price tag of almost £2K???!!! What is this all about? Even the seeds are stupidly priced. Has there been an issue with these meaning they are in short supply? I cannot see otherwise why people are asking such outrageous prices. How expensive are they in the US, or Germany or even in its native Australia?

Anyhow, after seeing the prices being asked, I think I’ve come up with a way to pay off my mortgage!!!!! Mine is a lovely single stem (just started to fruit) but there is a substantial second branch emerging from near ground level:






It is about 3 ft long and perhaps 1-2cm thick. Would this make a suitable cutting and how should the cutting be taken - timing, length, type of medium, heat, heel, sections ??? Who has experience of this? I don’t particularly need 2 plants in my relatively small garden but a back up plant would be good just in case of another 2010 or until the second plant grows large enough for me to sell and retire in luxury.

[Chad]

I have no experience with this species, but for a 'cutting' of that size I would air layer it, starting after your last expected spring frost.

Chad

[MartinNicklin]

Thanks Chad. That’s interesting. I was going to try a method Neil (I think?) suggested for my Podocarpus henkelii. It’s a nice plant and I don’t want to lose it in a bad winter so was reluctant to plant it out in the ground. The suggestion was to root in water. I took two cuttings months ago (last summer). No roots appeared so, being very impatient in these matters, I potted one up and left the other in water. Both are still green so I’m hoping they will make it. Still no roots on the one in water but the base has expanded and I’m wondering if this is the start of the rooting process?









I wondered if the water method might work for the pine but as you say the cutting is very large, not to mention valuable. The Podocarpus is perhaps a little too tender for my area but I’d willingly plant out a cutting from it.

One plant which has surprised me is Mucuna sempervirens. It is growing stems outside the greenhouse now and hasn’t been blackened by the very cold weather we’ve had so far - despite other plants nearby like Acacia dealbata which have been crisped!

[Stan510]

I just saw the other day a YouTube of growing them in the UK. ' Australia's Dinosaur Trees are Thriving in England' The channel is called 'Leave Curious' Looks like he has at least a couple of dozen-24 or so going in ground.

[Paul S]

I just saw the other day a YouTube of growing them in the UK. ' Australia's Dinosaur Trees are Thriving in England' The channel is called 'Leave Curious' Looks like he has at least a couple of dozen-24 or so going in ground.

The wollemi forest featured in those videos is at a garden in north Essex called Mark's Hall and they have around 80 trees - which is about as many as there are left in nature. The place is an hour's drive from where live - I have been a few times, last time 3-4 years back, and it is quite a spectacle to see so many in one place.

There are some inaccuracies in those reports - no really, an internet report is inaccurate! The genus Wollemia is indeed 200 million years old but the species Wollemia nobilis 'only' around 2 million. Not bad but not dinosaur food. The wollemi pine was discovered in 1994 and immediately propagated. It was first available to buy in 2005 and there are many places that have plants of that vintage growing, including those at Mark's Hall but notably at Kew and Wakehurst Place. At first they were eye-wateringly expensive but the price came down as availability grew until they became cheap enough for a tightwad like me to buy one. :P But since then the price has soared again.

The bush fire that threatened the population was in 2020 but propagation was well underway before then, not as a result of it. One thing I read that made me giggle was that in an attempt to collect cones/seeds the helicopter hovered too close and chopped the tops off several of them. :D

[MartinNicklin]

That’s hilarious Paul.

Do you know why all of a sudden they are so expensive again? I haven’t seen any in centres recently.

My original tree was bought lustfully after seeing one of the very first ones being ceremoniously planted in the UK on the TV (I think it may have been at Trentham Gardens but I’m relying on memory from, as you say, over 20 years ago). Anyway, even then, I think I paid about £150. Why people are now asking thousands and why I haven’t seen any lately is a mystery to me.

The ones at Kew are beautiful.

[Fof]

A plant very close to my heart.
Many years ago, when I lived in Australia, a group of us were canyoning in the Wollemi NP, in the days when GPS was still controlled by the US military. This meant all readings were jittered, causing your location to be within a circle of error.
Our target was Starlight Canyon, which 'our trusted leader' and his GPS had previously been to, and had way points stored. However, due to the inbuilt errors, we missed our path at some point. During the trip, I noticed a patch of trees, which looked a bit like one of the Araucaria, of which there a few species in Oz.
A couple or so years later John Noble discovered Wollemia nobilis, and a major exercise was mounted to study and propagate it. The exact location was kept a closely guarded secret, but people, being people, managed to hunt down the location, and posted the GPS coordinates online. This led to the biosecurity measures, that had been put in place, being breached, with the inevitable introduction of pathogens. I believe the original 3 stands are now showing symptoms of dieback but new stands have been established in other remoter canyons.
When I first saw one at Sydney Botanical Gardens, my first reaction was "I've seen you before, somewhere!" Did I 'find' it before John? I'll never know.
When they became available, I managed to get hold of one, without having to take out a mortgage.
Some of the Wollemis I have found:

Sydney Botanical Gardens, locked away like a convict

My Wollemi, surrounded by Grevillea 'Superb'

Morrab Gardens, Penzance. they have 2 of them

Eden Project - Very unhappy plants

Burncoose Gardens

Trellisick Gardens, near Falmouth

Glendurgan Gardens, near Falmouth. Only one I've seen with such marked tiering. They have 3 specimens

Fox Rosehill Gardens, Falmouth

Gyllyngdune Gardens, Falmouth


Still looking for others. :D :D

[MartinNicklin]

That was interesting to read and some nice plants there. Wollemi pines are starting to make decent little trees in the UK now they are maturing a little. I couldn’t find my Kew pictures but last year I found this offering in the Harris Garden of the University of Reading:

[Stan510]

I remembered National Geographic had them for sale and going over the internet I found that in 2006 a post was made about that offer. Not sure if the post was the same year as the offer, but NG said for $99 and $18 postage and handling they will send you that tree. I tried the link and of course it did not exist in the present. Look for it on a Dave's Garden post.

[MICHAEL]

You should think yourselves lucky that the grow this well for you up there; they don't do well in my neck of the woods at all. In fact, I can't think of a single one I've seen anywhere here (except for a few up at the botanic gardens). Yours all look lush and green and very happy.