Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees Dawn Redwood Tree By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on November 9, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Dawn Redwood Tree Overview Description Dawn redwood is one of the most beautiful trees in North American gardens and makes a good addition to your yard if you have the right spot. That spot needs to be able to accommodate a large tree—dawn redwood is fast-growing and can reach 70 feet tall, or more. Though it looks like an evergreen during the growing season as it's clothed in mid-green needles that are soft to the touch, the foliage turns russet-red in autumn before gracefully falling from the branches. Genus Name Metasequoia glyptostroboides Common Name Dawn Redwood Tree Plant Type Tree Light Sun Height 20 to 20 feet Width 20 to 40 feet Foliage Color Blue/Green, Chartreuse/Gold Season Features Colorful Fall Foliage Special Features Attracts Birds, Low Maintenance Zones 5, 6, 7, 8 Propagation Grafting, Seed, Stem Cuttings Where to Plant Dawn Redwood This easy-to-grow tree adds a soft, elegant look to yards and landscapes with its lush needles, graceful pyramidal form, and elegant branching pattern. It can easily put on more than 3 feet of growth in a year. A deciduous tree, it's useful for casting shade and adding privacy to decks, patios, and other outdoor living areas during the spring and summer months. When strategically placed, it can help shade your home and reduce your air conditioning bills. Even though it has needles, it's not an evergreen—so dawn redwood isn't a good choice for windbreaks or privacy during the cold-weather months. Caring For Dawn Redwood Because of its size, dawn redwood needs a spot in full sun—otherwise it will outgrow and shade other trees around it. It does best in moist, well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter (such as compost, coconut coir, or peat moss). If your soil has a high clay content, give it the best-possible start by amending the soil liberally with organic matter at planting time, then topdress with 2 inches of organic matter over the soil underneath the tree's canopy in late fall or early spring. Easy to grow, dawn redwood is a prehistoric tree and has been growing for more than 50 million years in Asia. As such, it holds up to a wide range of conditions. It's best to avoid drought, however—especially dry soil slows its growth and can cause the foliage to go brown in summer, dropping early. Be sure to provide this tree with good irrigation during the spring and summer months. Dawn redwood typically doesn't require any pruning if you put it in the right spot. Take care not to shear it back; it doesn't take to pruning as well as most other deciduous trees. It's a fast-growing tree on its own, but if you'd like to encourage your dawn redwood to reach lofty heights quicker, fertilize in spring with a timed-release fertilizer (follow the directions on the product packaging). Any general-purpose type will do. 15 Simple and Effective Private Backyard Landscaping Ideas More Varieties of Dawn Redwood Weeping dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Miss Grace' bears cascading branches cloaked in soft green needles. It's slower-growing than other types but can reach 40 feet or more in time. Zones 4-8 Golden dawn redwood If you thought it wasn't possible to enhance this tree's beauty, take a look at Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Ogon.' It bears stunning chartreuse foliage in the spring and summer months and turns a lovely shade of bronze in autumn. It can reach 100 feet tall. Zones 4-8 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit