Metasequoia glyptostroboides Miss Grace - Dawn Redwood

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Miss Grace' is the first dwarf weeping form of this large deciduous conifer also known as Water Fir or Chinese Sequoia. Of small size, it charms with its original, graceful and sculptural habit: staked, it will straighten up, but otherwise it will form a low and bulging pyramid, almost prostrate. This variety has fine and soft foliage, with needles shorter than those of its wild parent, which change colour throughout the seasons and fall in autumn, revealing a decorative bark that peels off in winter. Well-suited for ornamenting small gardens, 'Miss Grace' is a conifer that thrives in moist to wet non-calcareous soils and makes a great impression near a water feature.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, cousin of the Sequoiadendron, is a large conifer of the Taxodiaceae or Cupressaceae family according to classifications. It is native to China, specifically the west of the Sichuan province, where it was only discovered in 1941. It is the only surviving species of a very ancient genus, dating back to a geological period called the Cretaceous, concurrent with the extinction of terrestrial dinosaurs and the onset of an ice age. Its species name, glyptostroboides, refers to the cone-shaped fruits (strobiles) that are very similar to the fruits of cypresses. In its natural habitat, it will reach a height of 40m (131ft) and a spread of 10m (32ft 10in) under good conditions, developing a conical and upright habit, sometimes almost columnar. This species shows very rapid growth in moist soil, and it prefers temperate climates and marshy, non-calcareous soils.

The cultivar 'Miss Grace' originates from a 'witch's broom' discovered on the vegetation of a classic metasequoia cultivated in a New York nursery. This natural phenomenon, quite common, is the result of a disease induced by viruses, fungi or bacteria. It manifests as a cluster of dwarfed branches and twigs. 'Miss Grace' is of modest size, grows slowly, and develops weeping branches. This small tree naturally forms a very flattened, irregular pyramid, but can also be trained in an upright shape. It will reach a height of about 2.50m (8ft) and a spread of 3m (9ft 10in) at ground level. It develops a grooved trunk at the base, covered with a cracked bark of reddish-brown colour. Its branches are arranged in an opposite manner and branch out into woody twigs that themselves bear short and deciduous branchlets. The leaves, arranged in two opposing rows along a common axis and on the same plane, are linear, 4 to 6cm (1.6 to 2.4in) long and 1 to 2mm (0 to 0.1in) wide. They are flexible, flattened, and soft to the touch. The young shoots are light green, the needles turn green-grey in summer, then change to yellow, orange, bronze, and copper in autumn before falling off.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Grace' deserves a prime location, so it is best placed as a focal point, especially at the edge of a natural pond where it will thrive. It requires little to no maintenance after the first few years and pairs well with other conifers with autumn foliage such as Larch, certain Thuja species, or Bald Cypress. The true graphic qualities of conifers naturally stand out in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of blooms. Although it becomes bare in winter, it loses none of its majesty due to its beautiful structure and twisted trunk on mature specimens.