One thing that may be relevant here is habit produced by grafted conifers varies with location of scions on stock plants as well as characteristics of rootstocks used. The latter phenomenon is for instance why certain dwarf kinds may rather often be seen having produced large shrubs or small trees after enough time has elapsed - they have been invigorated by placement upon seedling stocks genetically programmed to reach the mature size of the typical wild species. For instance a gardening friend's two Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Lutea Nana' were measured as being 18' tall some years ago, I know of numbers of local Pinus strobus nana that have produced leaders to form trees, and so on.

Otherwise at least this example (below) of the 'Sky Trails' definitely looks like it is going to have a broad habit - as far as the species goes - and so a 16' spacing may not be adequate for long term development (unless you are trying to produce a solid effect). For instance a Serbian spruce of similarly irregular growth I once measured in my area had - as I remember it now - an average crown spread of 21 ft.

https://conifersociety.org/conifers/picea-omorika-sky-trails/

You can find older images of that specimen and it showcases a broad spread nothing near what you see here

https://www.westernevergreen.com/catalog.html/material/2560967/1/Sky%20Trails%20Serbian%20Spruce

I Have a feeling the one shown in the link in your post is not the actual cultivar Sky Trails.

If sky trails is In deed 3 feet wide after 10 years I’ll be waiting 60 years before they touch - at that point I would be the oldest man alive

Will, Do you have a photo of the 3 you planted? I'd like to grow one but our heat in full sun has gotten unbearable these last few yrs. Not sure if one could stand it.....

They’re only 18” tall or so it’s not clear what habit they may have.

since they are screening not sure I want to wait a few years to see what they have in store. Good call though to see what it habit it may be displaying

I'd consider it more likely that the enthusiast whose specimen is shown on the ACS site has the correct plant than that the picture used by the nursery is showing the same exact kind. All the more so because the same grower's description even says the cultivar is different primarily for having upturned branch ends. Which is something that can be seen on the ACS example and not so particularly on the one in the photo used for the catalog.

Every spring the past few years I've looked at 'Sky Trails', but it appeared to me they wanted to be broad from. All of these were from Iseli and in a 10-gal. container (or larger). Personally, I think Western Evergreen's is the more desirable of the two forms, but I suppose it's what you want them to do in the garden that matters most.

For what it's worth, I've got some decent-sized seedlings here that have what I believe is a naturally narrow profile. Well, I think they're P. omorika. ;)

The one Embo linked to is from Dave's garden in 2006 which was always stellar.
What's interesting is if you Google Po 'Riverside' You can find another photo of Daves from 2006 that looks almost identical. I don't doupt he may have planted 2 that look extremely similar but w different cultivar names....any other observations?

To clarify further what I am talking about the photo on the nursery web site could be a generic Serbian spruce picture from a stock service that the nursery used just to have a picture of the species on the page. And not be showing an example of 'Sky Trails' at all. I have seen what were clearly other instances of such fudging on other wholesale nursery web sites. Sometimes the photo used isn't even the same species as the item being described and offered. Sometimes not even the same genus.

if you recall , Dave sold and moved to retirement

he changed screen names

I have one link to his conrad ... something

and another to dennison ... something

ron

dave

edit

here is a link to a link to his facebook page

FB

Good links Ron, thanks
He sure grew some pretty conifers!

Picea omorika does very well around here. ‘Aurea’ and ‘Nana’ are Serbian selections added to to the garden this past summer. Could ‘Nana’ also have a couple of forms available in the nursery trade? I’ve got two, with one having a definite leader, and the other being more shrub-like.

My concern is if the photo is incorrect is the size estimate incorrect also? It states 3' wide after 10 years which aligns with Monrovia's esimates as well.

Dave's specimen on the site is closing in on 10' wide on what I believe is a 15 year old plant.

Someone has the size estimate wrong or the plant shown on ACS is incorrect.

Surely I can just drop an email with Jason @ Western

I wouldn't expect understock to impact width that dramtically in a short period of time.

Maack, Picea omorika usually starts out looking like a globe and starts to put up a leader as it ages. Mine started out as a globe and by the time it hit 12 years or so it was more of a squat pyramid.

Many Picea pungens cultviars do this as well - ie R.H. Montgomery and Waldbrunn