Nice when things are labeled isn't it.

Excellent pictures as always.

Abies procera 'Pesek' is a bright attention getter.

Hi Will,

I checked and the Tsuga canadensis is 'Stockman's Dwarf'. The 'J.W.Daisey White' WB is 'Spring Surprise' and I'll be dropping the J.W. I have three of them that size and I'm hoping to do about 100 grafts this winter.

I think the one you call 'Silberkugel' is actually 'Kristalkugel'.

Enjoyed your visit.

Bob

I enjoyed these pics very much, these are some very nice speciments Bob!

I never saw an Abies procera 'Pesek' that big ánd with a leader!

Bob, you're right, but 'Kristalkugel' must be written as 'Kristallkugel'.
'Kristallkugel' means "Christal Globe" and is also under that name availlable in the U.S.
The 'Silberkugel' does have shorter needles and is a true globose form.

Which Abies alba witches'broom is at the last pic?

Nice photos, looking forward to more. Hopefully hidden gems!

Thanks a lot,

Dax

I thought I recorded it's name(the dwarf alba) but it appears I deleted the photo. Bob may be able to help. Some more shots:

Pinus parvifloras from the Japanese garden

Cedrus libani 'Green Prince'

Abies balsamea 'Wolcott Pond'

Cedrus brevifolia 'Kenwith'. Super!

Picea abies 'Suncrest'. Great color from a Norway spruce.

Abies koreana 'Silberkugel'

Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb Gold'

Calocedrus decurrens 'Berrima Gold'. One of my favorite conifers, just look at that color, unreal.

Awesome color!

A few lacking IDs

Sciadopitys verticillata 'Perlenglonz'. Finally ID'd one of the mysteries from my gardens as well.

A huge hemlock over a nurse log.

-Will

Western hemlock gets way bigger than that. The two propagations I've seen of 'Bentham's Sunlight' had apical dominance, with Christmas tree shapes - I'm surprised the one shown here has apparently grown as a branch for years.

The ones I've encountered were grown by Iseli nursery, which although indicating it is the Haida tree sells it as 'Aurea'.

It's my understanding (I just finished reading The Golden Spruce), that cuttings for "Bentham's Sunlight" were taken from old lower branches of the tree and therefore would never show apical dominance. Once the tree fell cuttings were taken from the top portion of the tree and grafted by Luanne Palmer- so these would show upright growth.

There should still be apical growth from the scions that are staked until they go upward -- on their own.

Will, excellent run...
Fantasic more rather ...

Two name corrections (Pinus parviflora Goldylocks) (Picea orientalis Tom Thumb)

Thanks

Dax

Hi Guys,

I just never bothered staking the 'Bentham's Sunlight' to train a leader. It does respond to staking. Iseli is going by the older, incorrect name that describes an old, chlorotic appearing cultivar of the species. I saw a large 'Aurea' in Australia. The name 'Aurea' would have been illegitimate anyway.

The Picea orientalis is 'Tom Thumb Gold', not 'Tom Thumb'. Two men, who shall remain nameless, shortened the name for the labels when they offered it as the ACS plant of the year. When I told them one of them about it, the response was- "So sue me.". It is unfortunate that the ACS isn't more careful about how they handle names.

Bob

And the right name is:
Sciadopitys verticillata " Perlenglanz ".

Wolfgang

Sorry!

Sciadopitys verticillata ' Perlenglanz '.

>Iseli is going by the older, incorrect name that describes an old, chlorotic appearing cultivar of the speciesYes, I have read your account. They indicate they are offering the Haida tree but then label it with the Australian name. The second one I saw at a local retailer, this year showed they continue to call it "Aurea".

The other one I saw previously now resides in a stream corridor on Camano Island. The rootstock was terribly bound and I don't know what species it was, but I cut part of it and if a Sitka seedling was used it may like the situation quite well in time.

Wow! Thanks for the tour. I like the silhouette pic!

Edwin, why you tell me to change my Tom Thumb Gold to Tom Thumb ! :) Just joking.

Dax

The Picea abies 'Suncrest' looks more like a sitchensis to me! ..?

I was stricken immediately by how different 'Suncrest' looked too Stephen. Here is my plant(in Spring, and today). Perhaps Bob can shed some light on it's origins.
Spring.

Today(November). Maybe I should have included it on my top 50 list, it's great!

Also regarding Picea sitchensis 'Aurea'(as in Iseli's version of the upright 'Bentham's Sunlight'. Here is my 'Aurea' specimen, complete with tag from Iseli which suggested plant in 'FULL SUN AND GIVE IT A TON OF SPACE'. Perhaps branches from the top of the fallen legend grow faster and need full sun to color well. It will bear monitoring in my own gardens.

Picea sitchensis 'Aurea' - per Iseli tag, bought from a nursery which had it well shaded and thus no color. The shape is already clearly different then 'Bentham's Sunlight'.

-Will

Looks like mine. I am sure the difference in habit between the Iseli propagations and Bob's specimen is just how each specimen was handled by the grower, as Bob suggested. Since the cultivar is supposed to be prone to burning (brown areas can be seen on photos of the original tree, in the wild, despite all the dullness and precipitation there) I have planted mine in a shady position. It was more yellow when I bought it.

Finding a balance between enough light for the non-green color to appear but not so much that it browns out is not an unusual challenge with such plants.

Some years ago, I grafted these plant with the following name : Picea sitchensis "Gelb Iseli" (Gelb = yellow)
It is probably the first form named now "Aurea"

Picea sitchensis "Gelb Iseli" foliage

Clément

How is it possible that Iseli used a German name part (Gelb) for this cultivar???

The Haida tree was grown as 'Aurea' and var. aurea until B. Fincham saw another clone grown apparently for decades as 'Aurea' in Australia and New Zealand. He then gave the tree here the new name 'Bentham's Sunlight', after G. Bentham who propagated and dispersed it (as 'Aurea') before it was cut down.

Iseli is clearly growing and selling 'Bentham's Sunlight'.

The original, fabled "Golden Spruce" of the Queen Charlotte Islands....From original scion wood shared with Jean Iseli

Here is a link that might be useful: Iseli Nursery Photo Pages - Picea sitchensis 'Aurea'

May I asume if scionswood was taken in 1977 also the name 'Aurea' was given in the same time?
If so, 'Aurea' could never be used because it's not ligetimate to use a Latin name for a cultivar after 1959.

Why does Iseli still using the name 'Aurea' while the name should be 'Bentham's Sunlight'?
Was Iseli informed by Bob about this renaming?

Why is here 'Iseli Gelb' as a third name involved?
Were scions sent to a German nursery in the past who gave it a temperorary name because it was a golden Picea sitchensis from Iseli?

3 names for the same plant, what a big mess!!!

I look Picea sitchensis "Aurea" on Iseli web site, like my plant, like the plant where I cut a scion, like the plant showed by Will, all are right a single trunck, an erect pyramidal form.
However I never see at today 1 erect plant of "Bentham's Sunlight" but the yellow of "Bentham's Sunlight" are better than "Aurea"
Will note :Also regarding Picea sitchensis 'Aurea'(as in Iseli's version of the upright 'Bentham's Sunlight'
I consider my plant (named "Iseli Golden" probably for memory) a Picea sitchensis "Aurea"
And I think it's 2 different cultivar.According to Edwin the name aurea are illegitimate
Clément

Please read :
I consider my plant (named "Gelb Iseli " probably for memory) a Picea sitchensis "Aurea"
Clément

I think that while they are from the same plant, the nature of where they were grafted from is possible effecting the two cultivars. First, the top of the original tree was probably used for 'Aurea', while it looks like branches lower on the tree were taken by Gordon Bentham and eventually named 'Bentham's Sunlight'. I have several cultivar specimens here, four grafts from Bob Fincham, one graft(probably 'Bentham's Sunlight) from Whistling gardens and one upright 'Aurea' as shown above.
From initial observations(and some common sense), I might suggest the following:

'Aurea' specimens tend to grow faster, more upright(like a normal Sitka spruce, also while not burning in full sun, has a more dull yellow color.

'Bentham's Sunlight', grows slower, more prostrate and while the gold color is strong, even in part shade, it will burn in full sun.

If this is really the case, it's actually a good thing in my opinion as both have clearly seperate purposes and design attributes for gardens.

Again, I'm hardly saying this is factual, just my own observations and theory.

-Will

In 1986 I moved to Oregon and brought Picea sitchensis âÂÂAureaâ with me. While living on the West Coast, I was contracted to do some work for Timber Press. Part of that work involved a trip to Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 1993. While in Australia, I saw a number of old specimens of Picea sitchensis âÂÂAureaâ that must have been in excess of 80 feet tall. They were nothing like the plant I was given by Gordon. Obviously the âÂÂAureaâ on GordonâÂÂs plant was a misnomer*. Since Gordon was gone and I had no information on the plant and I did not see it in anyoneâÂÂs list other than my own, I put a new name into my catalog: Picea sitchensis âÂÂBenthamâÂÂs SunlightâÂÂ. I intended to honor Gordon for his making this plant available to all who desired it

*Emphasis mine

Here is a link that might be useful: Gordon and the Haida

I thought I'd let you guys hash it out for a while before chiming in. I believe you have gotten things pretty well straightened out.

The Picea sitchensis 'Aurea' is evidently an old cultivar and the name is legal since the trees I saw in Australia were quite old. They are the plant being marketed by Iseli Nursery (judging by the foliage color). 'Bentham's Sunlight' shows some gold even in 90% shade. The Iseli plant shows no sign of gold.

Gordon Bentham shared plants with John Mitsch and Jean Iseli so both of them probably got 'Bentham's Sunlight' but it may not have survived due to the sunlight intolerance. I know the one at Mitsch Nursery eventually died.

'Bentham's Sunlight' forms an upright tree even when bottom branches are grafted provided it is staked (just like most spruces). I never staked mine. Last summer a leader shot out of one and I tied a branch from my oldest tree to a pole. I decided it was time for it to go up. It has had a rough life, being moved several times around the country and in and out of pots. The UBC Arboretum in Victoria had one of the original propagations. In 1986 it was a scraggly tree about 6 feet (2 meters) tall and suffering from too much shade. It was offered to the tribe when the sacred tree was removed but they turned them down (impure roots).

Bob

The two examples of the Iseli stock I have seen, including the one I bought and planted were partly yellow and looked like the plant shown on the Iseli page I linked to above.

After I planted the one Iseli "Aurea" out, in a shaded position it turned all blue.

The complete Iseli depiction (at link, above) reads

The original, fabled "Golden Spruce" of the Queen Charlotte Islands had foliage such an unusual color that it stood out as a beacon in a mostly green forest. The iconic tree, revered by the native Haida Indians for generations, was felled by a vandal in 1997. Luckily, scion wood had been taken in 1977, so trees were propagated and one of the resulting offspring replaced the one lost to the tribe. From original scion wood shared with Jean Iseli, this classic, but slower-growing Sitka spruce will shine in a large, park-like setting