Gardens Unlimited - The Official Thread

[rockm]

One of my favorite trees is a native collected hackberry. It's in the background on the right hand side of the sixth picture in the thread of the pond cypress. The tree has a complex, intricate and highly ramified canopy that you have to see leafless in the fall to appreciate. Every bit as good as a Japanese zelkova...

 

[rockm]

I fight aphids in winter on my tropical hibiscus. What ratio per gallon of water do ones mix it? I would be interested in giving it a go.

1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water every two weeks.

 

[rockm]

Stunning photos...thanks for taking the time to post up this thread!

Edit: Bald Cypress is the most impressive base I've ever seen! The Sea Grape...also impressive. I compare all to Barb Hiser's Sea Grape that just took Best Medium at Epcot the other day.

That bald cypress is just beginning training. They go it as just a branchless stump. All of the branching has been grown out in three or four years--which is why it's so straight. In the coming years, it will be hard pruned back to push character and taper into it. It's a big heavy tree too.

 

[rockm]

Why have I not heard of this place!, can someone send me the address must plan a trip!

You have to call to make an appointment to come by. They don't take walk ins anymore as they travel a lot with Japanese garden work.
PM me.

 

[VAFisher]

I found an old thread about their place back when I first joined the forum that said they were open on Saturday's. So, I looked up directions and just showed up. Something didn't seem right when I got there because the place was empty, but I wandered around for about an hour anyway. Finally one of them showed up (don't know if it was Bob or Todd). I asked if they were open and he informed me that they were only open by appointment. I apologized for not calling ahead and thanked him for not calling the cops on the strange guy walking around their place. Then he walked around with me for another half hour or so and showed me the place. I ended up buying a couple small ficus and 2 pots from him. I still have the pots but I killed the ficus. He couldn't have been a nicer guy considering I was basically trespassing on his place.

I was very new to the hobby and wasn't really experienced enough to even appreciate what I was looking at back then. I must plan another visit sometime soon.

 

[rockm]

I was on my way back home from Richmond today when I thought I'd give Bob and Todd at Gardens Unlimited a call. They said they'd be around, so I stopped by. I'm SO glad I did. They easily have one of the best collections I've visited.

They've been into bonsai longer than I've been alive, at least 25 years. They used to do wholesale but have since given that up and install gardens in Richmond. This is the place @rockm stores his Live Oak during the winter, and now I understand why.

They have three greenhouses, the first is kept at 35F and above during the winter, perfect for Mark's Oak. The second greenhouse is the true greenhouse, it houses the Ficus, orchids, Koi, and some other tropical plants. The third greenhouse is full of nothing but pots.

Since they used to do wholesale, they've got pots on pots on pots. They literally received them by the shipping container. I wanted to buy one or two, but Bob wasn't having any of that

So now it's time for the trees. As I said, this is easily one of the best collections I've visited. Let's start with their huge Chinese Elm, a tree called "The Emperor" that is over 300 years old...
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And now some various shots of their collection...
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The piece of stone under the shohin maple in the last pic is slate that I shaped out of an old civil war-era roofing tile and gave to Bob a few years ago. Just noticed that.

 

[Lazylightningny]

Very nice, thanks for posting. I like the plants, the stands, the fence, the whole works.

 

[rockm]

I was down there this weekend. Thought I'd add a couple of recent photos. The twin trunk tree is a Yaupon holly. The other shots are of the grounds and a kurume azalea collected out of a garden long ago.

 

[Carol 83]

a kurume azalea collected out of a garden long ago.

That is spectacular.