Smashing! More please. Dax

super!!!!!!

ken

Hi bluespruce,

Stunning plants. Thanks for sharing with us.

I was wondering why they choose to graft everything to short/tall standards. Is this a common practice or is this the way this Czech fellow chooses to do it.

To bad we can't import these unusual conifers to the states.

Dave

Hi Dave,
Yes, it is a very popular way to grow dwarf conifers, especially the mini's on mainland Europe, and it is also starting to catch on here in the UK. There are several reasons - many serious collectors in Europe sooner or later concentrate on collecting the very dwarf or mini forms, more plants can be accommodated in any given space, for example you could grow say two plants on standards, one on full and one on half, and you can grow three more underneath at normal ground level, this can be achieved in little more than one square yard/metre without any serious overcrowding problems for many years. Also many of these plants are so slow and tight in growth that they can suffer from fungal problems, so growing them off the ground helps with air circulation and does help to somewhat alleviate this problem. As for nurseries I would guess the same reasons plus they would obviously be easier to work with. From my own view I think it gives a different dimension to growing and collecting conifers, although I doubt it's to everyone's taste.
Bluespruce

It's funny, I love conifers when grafted on a standard, but you don't find them offered this way very much at nurseries in the USA. I had asked one mail order grower if he produced any standards and his answer was no, because no one ordered them and they needed to be fairly short standards to ship them successfully.

I ordered a Picea glauca 'Cecilia' on a standard off of eBay a few years ago and it's great because, as BS says, you can grow more plants in an area because you are taking advantage of a number of growing levels in the garden.

Great photos, BTW, BS.
Thanks,
Mike

Awesome pics! Thanks for sharing!

I thought the idea with those tall standards was that after many years, the draping fronts would eventually form a big mound -- like for example Chub Harper's amazing 30-year old Juniperus squamata Blue Star.
Otherwise those miniatures would just keep hugging the ground, right ?
Can you imagine that Abies lasiocarpa 'Steven Blue' or Picea abies 'Brno' 40 years from now, when it has grown to cover the standard it was grafted on, all the way to the ground ?!

Jaro,
Not really the same thing, some prostrate junipers like procumbens 'Nana' and even Microbiota decussata when grafted up a stem will cascade down to the ground giving another dimension to growing these particular plants, and one that in my opinion looks very attractive.Abies lasiocarpa 'Steven Blue' and Picea abies 'Brno' although may well cover more of the stem after many years they are more likely to develope leaders and grow upwards if they (leaders) are not removed.