A deciduous tree, it’s useful for casting shade and adding privacy to decks, patios, and other outdoor living areas during the spring and summer months. When strategically placed, it can help shade your home and reduce your air conditioning bills. Even though it has needles, it’s not an evergreen—so dawn redwood isn’t a good choice for windbreaks or privacy during the cold-weather months.
Caring For Dawn Redwood
Because of its size, dawn redwood needs a spot in full sun—otherwise it will outgrow and shade other trees around it. It does best in moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter (such as compost, coconut coir, or peat moss). If your soil has a high clay content, give it the best-possible start by amending the soil liberally with organic matter at planting time, then topdress with 2 inches of organic matter over the soil underneath the tree’s canopy in late fall or early spring. Easy to grow, dawn redwood is a prehistoric tree and has been growing for more than 50 million years in Asia. As such, it holds up to a wide range of conditions. It’s best to avoid drought, however—especially dry soil slows its growth and can cause the foliage to go brown in summer, dropping early. Be sure to provide this tree with good irrigation during the spring and summer months. Dawn redwood typically doesn’t require any pruning if you put it in the right spot. Take care not to shear it back; it doesn’t take to pruning as well as most other deciduous trees. It’s a fast-growing tree on its own, but if you’d like to encourage your dawn redwood to reach lofty heights quicker, fertilize in spring with a timed-release fertilizer (follow the directions on the product packaging). Any general-purpose type will do. Follow these tips to create privacy in your yard.
More Varieties of Dawn Redwood
Weeping dawn redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Miss Grace’ bears cascading branches cloaked in soft green needles. It’s slower-growing than other types but can reach 40 feet or more in time. Zones 4-8
Golden dawn redwood
If you thought it wasn’t possible to enhance this tree’s beauty, take a look at Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Ogon.’ It bears stunning chartreuse foliage in the spring and summer months and turns a lovely shade of bronze in autumn. It can reach 100 feet tall. Zones 4-8
