Tallest living trees on earth. Native to isolated areas in Central California. 

Fast growth. Uniform pyramidal form when young. 

Bluish green needles, deep red bark.

Sequoiadendron giganteum's natural pyramidal form and pest resistance makes this a low maintenance landscape feature.

TYPE: Evergreen tree 
FORM: Pyramidal 
GROWTH: Medium can get up to 300 ft. tall (more than 100 years)
LIGHT Sun to part shade
MOISTURE: Medium 
SOIL: Well drained 
ZONES: 6-8 

SITING: This majestic, columnar evergreen is dense and pyramidal to oval shaped in youth. Old trees lose their lower branches and become more flat topped with age. In cultivation, giant sequoia usually grows no more than 60-100' tall and retains its lower branches. In its native habitat of the Pacific Northwest, it can grow- to 300' tall. 

Its rich reddish-brown buttressed trunk stands out in any- landscape. The deeply fissured rusty red bark of mature trees is thick, protecting it from all but the most intense fires. 

The bright gray-green leaves are scalelike, sharp pointed, 1/2 in. long, overlapping one another, and completely covering the twigs. The egg-shape cones are 1 1/2 to 3" long and remain on the tree for up to 20 years. 

Unlike the related California redwood, giant sequoia does not sprout from the roots. Giant sequoia makes a magnificent specimen tree if you have the space. It prefers moderately fertile, deep, well-drained soil. Seedlings and young saplings do best in partial shade. It can tolerate slightly alkaline soils and is slightly drought tolerant once established. It likes a cool, humid climate yet does much better in the eastern United States than California redwood. Protect it from cold winter winds. It makes an excellent specimen tree or it can be grouped in a buffer strip. 

Trees planted 20' apart serve as an excellent windbreak. General Sherman" is a giant sequoia growing in Sequoia National Park in California that is said to be the largest living thing on earth. It is 275' tall, and its crown is 107' in diameter. 

CARE: Transplant container-grown specimens into soil that retains some moisture through the summer in a spot that receives at least 3-4 hours of sun per day. Trees grow rapidly for the first few centuries, then slow down as they surpass 150' in height. The average precipitation in the natural range of giant sequoia is 45-60' per year, mostly from snow. Water young specimens deeply and often until they are fully established. 

PROPAGATION: Giant sequoia is fairly easy to grow from seed. Take cuttings in winter. 

PESTS AND DISEASES: None are serious.