Coast Redwood – Growing

Q: Can I grow a redwood tree here?

A: The coast redwood requires constant moisture from the fog banks along the California coast, so it would not grow here for very long.

On the other hand, the dawn redwood grows just fine in Atlanta, if given moisture in the summer. It is a rapid grower, 80 to 100 feet tall, so plant it well back from the house. It is deciduous but its form and color are beautiful in winter or summer.

The tree is sometimes called a living fossil, since its leaf prints have been found along with fossilized animal remains. The first living tree was found in 1948!

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