Dawn Redwood Seedling JUMBO Plugs

(Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

A living fossil, the increasingly famous Dawn Redwood was plentiful across the northern half of the globe when dinosaurs walked the Earth, and was presumed extinct until the 1940's, when an impossibly small stand of mature trees was discovered in China and reintroduced to the rest of the world. The species is well over 65 million years old.

The Dawn Redwood is a fast growing tree [especially when young], is excellent for shade and other ornamental purposes, and is easy to plant and care for due to it's high resistance to pests and disease and it's ability to grow in various soil types, including clay. Although it prefers moist soil, it will do well in drier locations. Incredibly, the Dawn Redwood will grow in standing water just like a cypress tree, meaning it can handle flooding situations, ponds and swampy areas.

Dawn Redwood often reach well over 100ft, with a spread of 25 feet or more, and some specimens reach over 150 ft. Trunks of mature trees [50 yrs or older] can sport diameters of 10 ft or more. Although it can be difficult to get Dawn Redwood seed to germinate, cuttings taken from the branches of an older tree and inserted into warm, nutrient rich, moist soil will result in the slow birth of a new tree...no seed required.

This conifer species is deciduous [not an evergreen conifer], meaning it's needles turn bright yellow, orange and red in Autumn and begin dropping just before Winter.

Note: Dawn Redwood shipped from November through March will have little or no foliage, since they are deciduous [unlike the California Redwood]. They'll look like dead sticks with their tops trimmed, and we're pointing this out so that you are not disappointed when you receive them. If you look closely at your Dawn Redwood seedlings, the tiny buds sport a tiny amount of green color, just waiting to break open in the Spring

Estimated height: trimmed to 12 inches tall [due to fairly common winter die-off] - height does not include roots [?]
Zones 5-8 (see zone map)

Prefers full sun

Pictures of mature Dawn Redwood

These pictures are for general identification and description only. As your trees reach maturity, they may vary slightly in size, color, and general appearance.