hey will ...

now that they are mostly fully established... and given that you are in the PNW ... do you really think you need the drip irrigation???

i understand.. when the were all new babes.. simple volume.. necessitated you have an easy way to insure they were all watered...

but now.. how many years later.. are you really irrigating them all that much???? .. arent they theoretically free range by now????

thx for the pix

ken

Last year Ken for most of my beds. This front street bed was created a little less then eighteen months ago so this is it's second Summer. I'll probably water/drip irrigation one more year after this and then the hose will come up. Very few new plants in here though as I intend on many of the hard to reach places staying 'as is' as far as new introductions so that my hand watering is very limited.

So far I have three garden 'beds' that are in their first 'free range' season(fourth year), but there are new plants in them so I'll water for one more year to be safe and then hand water as needed.

One thing to remember that though our temps don't compare or even come close to the Midwest, we do get MUCH less rain then even places like Texas in Summer. Even Bob Fincham with plants in the ground for many years still has watering processes for some beds during especially warm/dry stretches.

-Will

A couple more 'large' Picea abies specimens from my gardens. Note this is to indicate they will eventually be large, not necessarily today!

Picea abies 'Aarburg'. A giant, mutant cultivar. Tends to snake off in different directions, occasionally weeping, sometimes laterally, always irregularly. This specimen is in about 3/4 shade. Seems fine.

'Aurea Jakobsen'. No gold this year despite a full-sun setting as our Sun-less Spring rendered a lot of golden cultivars quite green.

'Reflexa'. Many similar cultivars with weeping habits.

'Cupressina'. Straight up. Fast.

-Will

here are a few of the big boys I had the pleasure of viewing while at the ACS conference a couple of weeks ago. These shots will give you an idea of the potential of these specimens. . . .

Picea abies 'Aarburg'
Will wasn't kidding when he said that this baby likes to sprawl and wander. Here's a big one from The Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon.

Picea abies 'Cobra'
I like this one waaaay better than the run-of-the-mill Picea abies 'Pendula.' Must be my affinity for all snake cultivars. Courtesy of Iseli Nursery's specimen garden in Boring, Oregon.
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Now the tricky part. If I had room for only one more big tree in my landscape, which one should I pick. Between a big Aarburg and a big Cobra, which would have the most impact? All input appreciated.

Dave

After early training, the 'Aarburg' shouldn't need staking to grow taller. I got a small one from Stanley two years ago and I may need to give it a hair more room based on your pic. Those are both nice pix you have there, BTW.

tj

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Inversa

Picea abies 'Weeping Blue'.

Iseli sold these to nurseries for about 3 years starting about 2005. All were 5-6 ft. tall. When they sold out, what I am told, that was it. Hopefully some scions were taken for those who want this conifer in the future.

I will share a few for those interested.

I see a few nurseries offering them now on the internet. Most are grown in the prostrate form.

On my top 10 list of very narrow weepers.

Dave

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Cl�ment

another set of picea abies from my garden

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Alpenhexe

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Bary Mazayta

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Buchlov

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Czadeczka

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Dan's Dwarf

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Diffusa

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Dundanga

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Formanek

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Four Seasons

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Gregoriana WB

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Numer one for me

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Honenstein (or Pygmaea Honenstein)

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Klucenice

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Kral

Will,

You had better get that 'Reflexa' staked up or you will need an acre to grow it in.

rispetto..Beautiful dwarf/miniature cultivars of Picea abies. Thanks for posting them. Perhaps they should have been inserted in the Picea abies photo gallery 2011 on this same page as they will never qualify as large Picea a. cultivars.

I am not sure about 'Four Seasons'. It could possibly slip in there and qualify. I see nothing out there to know either way.

Dave

Damn! Dave you're of course right! Wrong topic. Sorry.

Clement, I LOVE the 'Rothenhaus'. I sure hope mine turns out like that some day!

My young specimen: 'Rothenhaus'.

Another weeper, cultivar name unknown.

'Aurea'. A great gold color, most of the year, with no burn in full sun. FAST growing, this will have to be limbed up some day soon.

-Will
'Pendula'. I've let this one ramble down the rocks for the last three years. It's happy, coning and easy to grow.

'Pendula'. Another specimen. Growing like crazy.

'Acracona'. A classic, though mine is just establishing, and thus only coned slightly crazy this year instead of totally crazy like this cultivar usually does.

Picea abies Cobra
at Iseli Nursery Display Garden

Picea abies Gold Drift
PORTERHOWSE Farms Nursery display garden

Both places were visited during the American Conifer Society National Conference.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: ACS

rispetto -

In your eleventh photo, which you indicate is number one for you, what is its name?

Thanks!

It's picea abies Hana (or Hanna)

Rispetto, the true and full name for this one is Picea abies 'Hana-Chutes'...

Picea abies 'Loreley'