Meet the plant
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
An ancient and interesting deciduous conifer with a very delicate, ferny appearance and a very tall, pyramidal habit of growth. Shaggy, reddish bark is rather appealing; beautiful apricot brown fall color and the hardiest of the redwood/sequoia family. In a residential landscape, Dawn Redwood will grow to be about 70-100 feet tall at maturity with a spread of 25 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of four feet from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more. Think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!
This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It is quite adaptable, preferring to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or soil pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates.
 | Blooms: June |
 | Exposure: Full sun to part shade |
 | Type: Tree |
It is believed that Redwood trees were very abundant during the times that the dinosaurs roamed the earth. However, now only nine genera and 15 species remain. Dawn Redwood was thought to be extinct and was only known through fossil records until 1941 when they were “re-discovered” growing in a remote valley in the Szechwan province of China. Seeds were collected by the Arnold Arboretum in 1947, and the species has since been distributed worldwide.