"Emerald", My Butt: Emerald vs. Brandon Cedars

I’d like to offer a public service to anyone in Saskatoon considering the purchase of an Emerald cedar for their yard, in the form of a bit of shocking news. You’ve seen them offered by the hundreds this year, from the Real Canadian Superstore to Canadian Tire. They’re beautiful, lush, green, and reasonably priced. And…

…they are NOT recommended for our climate!!!!!

Emerald cedars (Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd') are rated for Zone 4. Saskatoon, like it or not, really is not Zone 4—it is Zone 3, at least when it comes to the planting and caring of pyramidal cedars. The Brandon cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is the one you want—if you can find it. For some reason or other, most of the major chains are carrying only Emerald cedars this year. Don’t buy them. Don’t, don’t, don’t. Some of those Emeralds, in fact, are already dying in the store’s lots.

I do own four of the things, lovingly nurtured for over a decade (note, however, that the ones in the photograph are the much more successful Brandons). If you do as I have done with my Emeralds—fertilize, water well, prune carefully—you too can have a nice crop of wilted brown lopsided monstrosities. Or you can pick up some Brandon Cedars, plunk ‘em in the ground, and watch a lush hedge sprout up in your yard. On my own property, I’ve got over two dozen Brandons, mostly purchased at end-of-season sales for three or four dollars. The older ones are taller than me now, and even thicker.

Why are so many places offering only Emerald cedars? One website I came across mentions the possibility of a breeding mix-up, coupled with a limited number of growers. There may be hope yet, though: http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/pnw0152/pnw0152.html says we may be able to start new Brandons from cuttings.

I did find Brandons at Wilson’s this year, so you might still be in luck. If all you can find are the Emeralds, do yourself a favour: keep your money in your wallet.

Also, Alberta Dwarf Spruce: despite the name, really only good for a warmer clime.

[Update, 4 October, 2010:  This past year has devastated even mature cedars across Saskatoon, either Emerald or Brandon.  I lost much of a row of my Brandons, some of which were 3 metres tall. It appears the better taken-care of ones went first, probably because of the bizarre heat wave last fall (lilacs blooming in September?) followed by a sudden death deepfreeze. Instead of taking their autumn soaking into their roots for winter, they put it into fast autumn growth. The resulting shock to the tender shoots destroyed many mature trees.

Sadly, with the shortage of real Brandons about, I've had to break my own rule and replace them with Emeralds. Lots of Emeralds. Lots and lots of them, in the hopes that some will survive to maturity.]

Parkade

Only I would write a blog entry about a parkade, but this one seems worthy of mention.

I’ve shown the newly converted Hudson Bay Company building, as well as the newly converted King George across the street. Across the alley from the King George was what could possibly have been the grossest parkade I’ve ever had the misfortune of using. The place looked like it was about to cave in. There were no lights over the ticket machine, the crumbled floors dripped consistently, the railings were sketchy at best, and the whole place had an unsafe feel about it. Even the few businesses in the retail strip beneath it looked run down—or closed shop entirely.

A development company—I’m afraid I don’t know which—got hold of this pile of misery, and attempted to renovate it. Good luck, many of us who work downtown said. Better just to knock it down.

Again, we should have believed. The parkade has been transformed from end to end. They literally spent months on this (and who knows how many dollars). I’m not saying it’s an improvement to the downtown core, it’s an immense improvement. The car exit even features a keystone above the door—that’s elegant.

There’s new businesses in there too, much cleaner and more respectable ones. The railings have been replaced, the walls dismantled and rebuilt, new lighting, wiring…what a work of art.

Kudos to whoever did this. Another blight in downtown Saskatoon has been transformed into something good.