Common name: Amber Glow Dawn Redwood

Description: This striking cultivar of the dawn redwood features spectacular golden-amber foliage that creates a luminous effect in the garden. The soft, feathery leaves emerge in spring with a bright golden-yellow colour, maturing to a warm amber tone before developing rich coppery-orange and russet hues in autumn prior to leaf fall. Unlike most conifers, Metasequoia is deciduous, dropping its foliage in winter to reveal an attractive architectural branching pattern with reddish-brown, fibrous bark that exfoliates in thin strips. 'Amber Glow' has a naturally conical to pyramidal form with a strong central leader and horizontal branching, growing more slowly than the species but still developing into a magnificent specimen tree over time. This ancient species, once known only from fossils until living trees were discovered in China in the 1940s, combines prehistoric heritage with modern ornamental appeal.

Other benefits: spectacular autumn colour, attractive winter silhouette, fast growth rate for a conifer, conversation piece due to its status as a 'living fossil'

Wildlife attraction: provides nesting sites for birds, some cover for wildlife

Height & spread (approx.) at 10 years: 5m x 2.5m

Position: full sun to partial shade; foliage colour is most vibrant in full sun

Soil pH: adaptable to most soil types; prefers slightly acidic to neutral conditions

Moisture: prefers consistently moist, well-drained soil; tolerates occasional flooding; not drought tolerant when young

Winter hardiness: very hardy; cold hardy to -25°C