Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns'

New Miniatures in New Bed

When I Grow Up

We had some snow fall this morning in Tennessee and that's a great excuse to take pictures. The above photos of are a large Picea abies that's about 15-18ft tall and the image of conifers in the snow gives me chills literally and figuratively.

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Here's how the American Conifer Society describes Picea abies.

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Norway Spruce; 1-1/2" long, dense, dark green needles; branches droop gracefully as plant matures; fastest growing spruce; full sun; 6-8' in 10 yrs, grows to 150'; z3 northern & central Europe

Crazy for Abies

For the non-crazy conifer fans, I present to you the species of abies. The common name for these are firs and the two above are some favorites of mine.

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The top three photos are of Abies firma 'Gold Hue' which if you live in a warmer environment many botanist feel abies firma will do better in higher humidity areas.

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The bottom three photos of are Abies koreana 'Siberlocke'. The curled needles expose the silvery white underside of the needles and is one of the most striking conifers in the world, IMO. If you're a new gardener I would suggest 'Siberlocke' as a must have.

Bronze Winters

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Filicoides Compacta' is a hinoki cypress. The hinoki cypress is a conifer that really stands apart from pines and spruce trees with it's fan like branches they make quite a striking addition to the garden. I've heard from conifer collector's that these plants are borderline zone 5, so they may not make it through super cold winters.

I had heard that many of the hinoki cultivars turn a "bronze" color in winter. Up until the above plant all I had seen were plants that looked near dead in winter and then looked revived in spring. This 'Filicodes Compacta' does really have a true "bronze" color and is hard to miss even at it's small size.

I have over 40 hinoki cypress cultivars in my collection and they offer great diversity and year round color. Some like the above pictures show may even add a touch of bronze to your garden.

Conifers Show in Snow

I know this wouldn't even be considered snow to many of you who live in colder climates. Here in my part of the US we're getting a very light dusting of snow, maybe a half an inch. We've seen very little snow fall this winter but even this light dusting shows off the greatness of conifers.

The snow falls and this picea abies looks just as good if not better then it will look in June. Conifers for me represent the best value of all plants offering 365 days a year of color and beauty.

Here a Nana There Nana

Pinus cembra 'Nana' (above and below)
Picea omorika 'Nana' (below)

I love 'Nana', this is a phrase that could go in many directions, some good and some not so much.

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The 'Nana' I'm referring to is the many conifers that are named 'Nana'. The translation of 'Nana' from Latin is small or dwarf. The conifers carry that same growth habit of being smaller then the standard growth rate of the species of plant.

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As an example, the above photo of Pinus Cembra 'Nana' is a tree that at ten years will only be 3-6'. A standard pinus cembra, Swiss stone pine, will reach 6-15' in ten years. This slower and smaller growth habit of 'Nana' named conifers is great when you have limited space available.

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From pines to spruces there are a lot of cultivars named 'Nana'. Each one of those is waiting for a special spot that needs a tree that doesn't get that big or that small and is just right, Goldilocks style.

Papoose

Picea sitchensis 'Papoose' (above and below)

I like words that are fun to say. Just sharing that fact.

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'Papoose' is one of those words I find it fun to go around thinking and saying, 'Papoose'. A few days ago I posted about a number of different spruces. One of those was Picea sitchensis 'Papoose. This is a plant that could get lost in the mix of the hundreds of different varieties of spruce in the world but the name and habit make it unique.

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Many people have seen a blue spruce tree but 'Papoose falls in to a unique category of having both blue and green needles all year long. Iseli nursery in Oregon has great photos and a description on their site. It's a nice addition to a space where you want a touch of blue color with out a towering upright form.

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Papoose to you all.

Mugo the Evil Henchmen

Pinus mugo 'Mitsch Mini' (above)
Pinus mugo 'Pot O'Gold' (above)

Pinus mugo 'Aurea' (above)

Pinus mugo 'Donna's Mini' (above)

For those of you not familiar with conifers there is a group with the botanical name pinus mugo. The name mugo has always sounded like some kind of evil villain or henchman in a soon to be made comic book movie to me.
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The name mugo comes from the latin word for where the pine originates in the European alps region. It's also sometimes referred to as a Swiss mountain pine.
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Now, here's where it gets interesting. Mugo pines grow in many different forms and rates of growth. From the very slow and small growing miniature plants that only grow 1/2 inch per year to the larger more upright growing forms that can grow up to a foot per year.
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The pictures above are some of the smaller plants available. Some of the upright forms available also have great names like 'big tuna' and 'tannenbaum'. No matter if you're just getting into plants or an avid collector mugo pines work in any situation.

On a last note, if there was a holy grail of pines to me it would be a dragon eye or 'oculis draconis' (the needles of a dragon eye pine seen above) version of a mounding mugo pine. That would be super cool.

The Spruce is Loose

Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa' (above and below)
Picea pungens 'Saint Mary's Broom' (above)

Picea purpurea (above)

Picea pungens 'Straw' (above and below)

Picea orientalis 'Bergman's Gem' (above and below)

Let the cavalcade of spruce talk begin.

The List...

In February I'll be receiving a very large shipment of conifers and Japanese Maples. How large? The freight shipping kind of large, over 70 plants in all. The sizes will range from 2ft up to 9-10ft in size. For me this will be like Christmas in late February. When the truck comes down our driveway I'll be giddy like a school girl. Below I'm going to put the list of plants I'll be receiving, if you have any of them and would give me any opinions or comments that'd be great.

Abies concolor Compacta 21"-24"
Abies koreana Glauca 30"-36"
Abies magnifica Nana 24"-30"
Acer palmatum Boskoop Glory 6'-7'
Acer palmatum Diss. Nigrum 30"-36"
Acer palmatum Nuresagi 7'-8'
Acer palmatum Red Spider 5 1/2'-6'
Acer palmatum Shaina 3 1/2'-4'

Cedrus atlantica Horstmann 4'-5'
Cedrus deodara Divinely Blue 15"-18"
Cedrus deodara Glacial Blue 15"-18"
Cedrus deodara Miles High 5'-6'
Cedrus deodara Snow Sprite 15"-18"

Cupressus glabra Raywood Weeping 4'-5'
Cupressus macrocarpa Fine Gold 5'-6'

Picea abies Aurea Jacobsen 21"-24"
Picea abies Rubra Spicata 7'-8'
Picea bicolor Dwarf Tigertail 18"-21"
Picea engelmannii Bush's Lace 6'-7'
Picea mariana Aureovariegata 30"-36"
Picea mariana Blue Tear Drop 18"-21"
Picea omorika Berliner's Weeper 4 1/2'-5'
Picea mariana Doumetii 24"-30"
Picea omorika Bruns Pendula 3 1/2'-4'
Picea pungens Deitz Prostrate 30"-36"
Picea pungens Fastigata 5'-6'
Picea pungens Golden Feather 21"-24"
Picea pungens Glauca Pendula 30"-36"
Picea pungens Hunnewelliana 18"
Picea pungens R.H.Montgomery 15"
Picea pungens Rick's White Tip 30"-36"
Picea pungens Taponis 12"
Picea pungens Wood's #2 8"
Picea pungens Foxtail 30"-36"

Pinus banksiana Broom 21"-24"
Pinus banksiana Schoodic 21"-24"
Pinus banksiana Uncle Fogy 3'-3 1/2'
Pinus cembra Chamolet 24"-30"
Pinus densiflora Aurea 3'-3 1/2'
Pinus densiflora Golden Ghost 4 1/2'-5'
Pinus densiflora Jane Kluis 15"
Pinus densiflora Umbraculifera Compacta 30"
Pinus leucodermis Aureospicata 3'-3 1/2'
Pinus leucodermis Compact Gem 21"-24"
Pinus leucodermis Green Bun 15"-18"
Pinus mugo Big Tuna 18"-21"
Pinus mugo Honeycomb 24" Specimen
Pinus mugo Sherwood Compacta 12"
Pinus mugo Teeny 10"
Pinus mugo White Bud 15"-18"
Pinus nigra Black Prince 3'-3 1/2'
Pinus nigra Caperci's Golden Cream 24"-30"
Pinus nigra Obelisk 3'-3 1/2'
Pinus parviflora Hagaromo 10"
Pinus strobus Golden Candles 30"-36"
Pinus strobus Verkade's Broom 18"
Pinus thunbergii Aocha-matsu 21"-24"
Pinus thunbergii Ogon 3 1/2'-4'
Pinus thunbergii Shirome Janome 3'-3 1/2'
Pinus thunbergii Thunderhead 30"
Pinus uncinata v.rotundata La Cabanase 15"-18"
Pinus uncinata v.rotundata Novak 12"

Tsuga canadensis Gentch White 18"

It's a Ghost

There is always one plant that's really difficult to find for that perfect spot. I've been longing to replace two very boring red maples. These maples sit in front of our home in a prominent spot. They have shown absolutely uninspiring fall color two years in a row and aren't that exciting the rest of the year.

I've wanted to replace them with two larger lacebark pines. The particular tree I want is 'silver ghost' . Lacebark pines have a really striking bark and the 'silver ghost' cultivar has a brilliant silver patched bark that's an eye catcher all year long.

Here's the problem, large 'silver ghosts' are a ghost. I can not find any large specimens available. I can find large lacebark pines but those are 'compacta' which wouldn't fit my need for larger growing trees in this area. As I continue my hunt I'll have to settle for the small 'silver ghost' I have pictured above.

Fe Fi Fo 'Tom Thumb'

One thing you'll learn very quickly if you choose to allow the plant collecting bug to bite you, choose..ha...as if you have a choice, there are so many cultivars/plants with great names.

Above is one of my favorites Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb'. The American Conifer Society describes it as "A witches' broom discovered on a garden specimen of 'Skylands' in Nyack, NY. A dense, bright gold cushion with an extremely slow growth rate. " Translation - it's a little baby version from a large growing tree that will always stay pretty small.

'Tom Thumb' is another conifer that adds stunning color after the party ends for annual and perennial flowers. If you live in a warmer climate you might want to give it some afternoon shade. As always, every growing condition is different we all have our own micro climates. The fun part is finding a plant with a cool name and trying to grow it in your garden.

Evergreen...er...No

Pinus strobus ‘Gold Painted’ (above & below)
Pinus strobus 'Winter Gold' (above & below)

Pinus mugo 'Aurea' (above & below)

Many people see a pine tree and refer to it as an evergreen. I was no different until the gardening bug surprisingly bit me.

Pines, as any conifer geek will tell you, are not all so called "evergreens". Many conifers turn a brilliant gold color in the winter months. The photos posted above are just a sample of the wide selection of pines that offer fantastic winter interest. There is nothing better then on a cloudy winter day to walk in the garden and see the great glowing golden pines.

No Label ... No Problem

I'm sure this has happened to anyone that buys plants on a regular basis. You see a nice plant. One that you think would fill a perfect spot in your garden.

Problem...no label. Sure you might have a basic idea of what species the plant is but in the case of conifers that's a wide range of guessing. Is it a dwarf globe shape or will that little globe eventually throw up a leader and reach for the sky.

The above example is such a plant I found at a local nursery and my guest is it might be a picea omorika but the cultivar name I'm not sure on. Any help would be appreciated.

New Arrivals

In my never ending want/need to add conifers to my property I received a very nice shipment of plants today. For those of you that love conifers let the photos begin.

Pinus Densiflora 'Red OD Burke' (above & below)

Pseudotsuga Menziesii 'Seattle Mtn' (above & below) Picea Omorika 'Nana' (above)
Pinus Sylvestris 'Sentinel' (above)
Pinus Parviflora 'Gimborn's Ideal' (above)