“New” Conifer Cultivars

Eleven years ago garden writer Rita Pelczar produced an article for American Gardener, a publication that I know nothing about. She was recently asked to submit an updated version with “newer” conifers to recommend. She writes: “Talon, I've attached the old article, but honestly I think we'll include many different selections based on suggestions from current conifer experts like you.”

So, I guess I'm a “current conifer expert.” Maybe I was too young or not current eleven years ago, and probably eleven years into the future I'll be too old or dead to participate, so I'd better help out now. I don't want to steal her or the magazine's thunder, but since I'll likely have to provide more information on recommended plants, I'll present my two-cent's worth in this Flora Wonder Blog.

Larix kaempferi 'Twisted Sister'

Original witch's broom of Larix kaempferi 'Twisted Sister'

University of Idaho Arboretum

One plant that's very new – we haven't shipped any yet – is Larix kaempferi 'Twisted Sister', a dwarf or slow-growing deciduous conifer that was discovered as a witch's broom mutation on Larix kaempferi 'Diana'. The mother tree was selected in Germany in 1974 and is noteworthy for its curiously twisted twiglets. It is fast-growing and will become large and less interesting as it matures. The new witch's broom was discovered by Paul Warnick, Director of the University of Idaho Arboretum, and he shared the scionwood with me. Paul was a former employee at Buchholz Nursery until he moved ahead to a better position. He calls the selection 'Twisted Sister', but maybe 'Twisted Daughter' would have been more appropriate. New grafts are luxurious in my greenhouse, and the important question is how twisted the grafted plant will be out in the dirt, out in the real world. I will plant at least one at the nursery and another at Flora Farm and we'll see what happens. The 'Twisted Sister' story is offered as an example of a “new” cultivar that is too recent to receive recommendation, so we'll just hold our horses for now.

Abies koreana 'Alpine Star'

When I discuss new plants I should qualify that by defining them as “new to me,” for my uncle Albert Einstein reminded us that “everything is relative.” Uncle Al is long gone, but he would probably have been fascinated with the new Abies koreana 'Alpine Star' ('Alpin Star' for the Euros). This slow-growing dense conifer displays dark green needles – drab really – but like in a clear night sky the twig ends feature prominent white buds, and the best word to describe the starry effect is “cute.” This charmer can take full sun when established and one specimen recently endured 116F without damage. Growth habit is squat-globose, but as with most dwarf fir spreaders a leader can eventually develop. More vigor can be attained if 'Alpine Star' is propagated by grafting onto seedling rootstock, whether A. koreana or virtually any other Abies species. Also it roots readily with cuttings in the winter if a slower, more compact form is desired, as in when used for bonsai. The nurseryman appreciates 'Alpine Star' because one can acquire a single young 6” plant, and within ten years he can be propagating by the thousands, and secondly, it is a tough little critter that doesn't develop die-back or some of the other dwarf fir problems, or at least that's our experience at Buchholz Nursery.

Abies balsamea 'Piccolo'

Another cute, hardy Abies is A. balsamea 'Piccolo'. I have grown it in full sun, but as with the faster A. balsamea 'Nana', it does appreciate some PM shade during our 100F-plus scorching summer afternoons. According to the Dutch Conifer Society's Promising Conifers, 'Piccolo' was discovered in 1975 – so it's definitely not “new” in Europe – when the German Fa. Berno Carstens from Varel was producing “A. balsamea 'Nana' and found five plants with a more compact manner of growth. They were probably cuttings taken from a mutation of 'Nana' [but] the original mutation has never been noticed.” Originally it was introduced (1982) as 'Nana Compacta', but fortunately that invalid name was changed to 'Piccolo'. The latter name is appropriate as it is Italian for “small,” and some suggest it is from the same etymological origin as French petit.

Sciadopitys verticillata 'Picola'

On Mount Koya

Sciadopitys verticillata

Be careful with the spelling of Sciadopitys verticillata 'Picola' which is different. I don't know its name origin but it has been used as a girl's name. Again, according to Promising Conifers, 'Picola' was “selected from seedlings before 1980 by G.D. Bohlje Tree Nursereis of Westerstede, Germany.” If propagated from cuttings it will grow to about 4' tall by 3' wide in 10 years, but that size is possible in my lush garden. I suspect that if it was grafted on more-vigorous rootstock it would grow faster, but I don't because I prefer the dwarf form. 'Picola' didn't even wince during our 116F heat record, the waxy green needles fending off any scorch. The Japanese name for their “Umbrella pine” is Koyamaki. Maki is the name for the native Japanese conifer, while Koya is a place name south of Osaka in Wakayama Prefecture, as Mt. Koya (Koyasan) is known for great stands of the Umbrella pine. The generic name comes from Greek sciados meaning “umbrella” and pitys meaning “pine,” while the specific epithet verticillata means “whorled.”

Picea pungens 'Ruby Teardrops'

Picea pungens 'Ruby Teardrops'

Picea pungens 'Ruby Teardrops'

Picea pungens 'Ruby Teardrops is a new dwarf “Colorado spruce” with a low spreading form. It is famous for a preponderance of small, erect ruby-colored cones in early spring that mature to light brown and dangle with age. The cultivar name is certainly catchy but not really apropos since the cones are no longer red when they develop into “teardrops.” That's nitpicking though, and since the vibrant spring cones pair well with the rich silver-blue foliage one can overlook the nomenclatural details, as did Fisher Farms of Oregon when they discovered (as a seedling) and named it in the early 2000s. With 'Ruby Teardrops' I took the opportunity to provide my young children with a fun botanic lesson, that erect cones are more likely to receive pollen as do the “true firs” (Abies). Furthermore, the kids see that the cones persist for up to three years before disintegrating, beginning with a ruby color at first...then drooping to a rich brown later in the season, then to a khaki-brown in the second year, and finally a straw color before withering away completely. I have also grown similar Colorado dwarves that produce cones, such as 'Herman Naue' and 'Early Cones', but 'Ruby Teardrops' has the better blue foliage compared to those other two.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba fossil from North Dakota

If you want to look up Ginkgo biloba in reference books, such as in The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, you won't find it in the Trees and Shrubs section, but rather in the Conifer listings. I won't go into the botanic rationale for why it is thusly placed – I've explained it before – but it has puzzled many a gardener, even some who are quite knowledgeable. It is a deciduous tree with leaves, and though unlike any other genus, it certainly doesn't appear to be more aligned with the conifers than with say, maples or magnolias. The name ginkgo is derived from Japanese gin kyo meaning “silver apricot,” but its name was actually a misspelling by Engelbert Kaempfer in his Flora Japonica, then the error was repeated by Linnaeus with his God-like certainty. In any case, when my daughter H. was only two-and-a-half years old she could easily recognize the leaf, and spouted in her baby voice, “geenko biloba.”

Ginkgo biloba 'Troll'

Ginkgo biloba 'Troll'

Ginkgo biloba 'Troll'

Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold'

Female fruit of male 'Autumn Gold'

There are a number of dwarf Ginkgo cultivars which we have grown: 'Mariken', 'Spring Grove', 'Gnome', 'Jehoshaphat', 'Troll' and others, and they arise as witch's broom mutations and more or less look alike. Without a focused labelling program we would mix them all up. Nevertheless, I fell for 'Troll' when I discovered an interesting picture label in a Dutch nursery, but I always though of a troll as a large ogre rather than as a diminutive caveman-like creature. The word troll comes from Old Norse and means “giant” or “demon,” and the dim-witted creatures seem born to make life difficult for travellers. The Ginkgo version was “found as a witchbroom in Krefeld, Germany by Mr. Johann Wieting, and was introduced by Maarten and Jo Bommer,” according to MrGinkgo.com, and maybe at Bommer was where I first saw the label. At Buchholz Nursery the little dwarf will grow to approximately 30” tall by 30” wide in 10 years as a graft onto seedling rootstock, or even less if propagated as a rooted cutting. As with all Ginkgoes, whether dwarf or large-growing, the green leaves turn to butter yellow in autumn. For what it's worth, I have never seen female seed produced on any witch's broom Ginkgo, but that doesn't guarantee that they are always male. Also, for what it's worth, I actually have seen female fruit develop on supposed male clones, the large-growing 'Autumn Gold' being one.

Thuja orientalis 'Franky Boy'

Thuja orientalis 'Franky Boy'

I have grown thousands of Thuja (Platycladus) orientalis 'Franky Boy' since I first encountered it at the Kools Nursery in Deurne, The Netherlands about 18 years ago. It caught my eye in his garden, and when I approached the thread-leaf conifer I asked, “What is this?” He replied unenthusiastically, “Well, it is a Thuja,” and allowed the conifer to speak for itself. According to Promising Conifers, it has “sort of an egg-shaped to broad pyramidal manner of growth,” and we are warned that if we don't prune it back every spring “the plant gets a messy look.” I don't know – I don't have time to prune my stock but the cultivar never looks messy to me, maybe because I take plenty of cuttings in winter. A dozen years ago I got the bright idea to grow 'Franky Boy' on a 3' standard, and I imagined that I was the first nurseryman to even dream of such a thing. They grew well and were quite interesting presented that way, but then later I was reviewing my slide photos of another Dutch nursery trip when I was reminded that I had previously seen standard grafts at the Weil Linssen Nursery, so the Wooden Shoe had beat me to the punch. Promising Conifers informs us that 'Franky Boy' “was selected out of 3,000 seedlings of Platycladus orientalis 'Elegantissima' by Tree Nursery Frank from Heiligen Eiche, Austria in +- 1990-1992” and was “introduced in 1999.”

Cryptomeria japonica 'Little Champion'

Cryptomeria japonica 'Little Champion'

Cryptomeria japonica 'Little Champion' is a neat, dwarf “Japanese cedar” when propagated by rooted cuttings, but one must be careful if it is grafted onto vigorous rootstock, as that might push it onto larger, more abnormal growth. I have seen older specimens look awful when a leader bolts, as growth can arise 2' above the otherwise compact, round ball. Again, according to Promising Conifers, “This cultivar...was found by Wout Huizer in Boskoop, Netherlands as a witches' broom in Cryptomeria japonica 'Gracilis' in 1985. He introduced it in 1992.”

Picea abies 'Dandylion'

Picea abies 'Dandylion'

Picea abies 'Dandylion'

Picea abies 'Gold Drift'

Picea abies 'Dandylion' is a mounding golden dwarf with a dense habit, or it can be staked into a small weeping tree. Bob Fincham of Coenosium Gardens intentionally crossed P.a. 'Acrocona' with his selection of P.a. 'Gold Drift', and he chose a seedling that was more dwarf and refined than the latter, and due to the 'Acrocona' parentage, 'Dandylion' can produce small cones which are red in spring. A sister seedling was named 'Gold Finch', but without labels I can't tell them apart. The 'Gold Drift' parent is a vigorous weeper, and the yellow foliage tolerated our 116F heat blast last June remarkably well. For me 'Gold Drift' grows at least 5 times faster than either of its offspring, but I have gladly found a place for both in the Flora Wonder Arboretum. Hats off for these three cultivars with their catchy names, and I am producing them in relatively large numbers compared to other Picea abies cultivars.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chirimen'

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chirimen'

Nandina domestica filimentosa 'Chirimen'

Nandina domestica filimentosa 'Chirimen'

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chirimen' is a dwarf hinoki with curiously twisted thread-like foliage. It can be grown as an irregular upright, or pruned into a more rounded shape. We produce it from rooted cuttings in winter, or as grafts onto Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' rootstock, with the latter method resulting in much faster growth. It is also attractive when grafted onto a short standard, and the supporting trunk bulks up quickly. The cultivar name is derived from a traditional Japanese fabric, a weaving technique developed in the 16^th century that gives the fabric a finely wrinkled, yet smooth feeling. We have also grown an Acer palmatum 'Chirimen' and a Nandina domestica 'Chirimen', both very slow-growing plants with unusual foliage.

Pinus mugo 'Sunshine'

Pinus mugo 'Sunshine' is a brightly variegated “Mountain pine” with bands of cream-yellow appearing on green needles. However, my older specimens growing in full sun saw the variegation turn to white, which was even more spectacular, and never did even one needle burn in our Very Hot June. The aforementioned Weil Linssen (former owner of Libo Nursery) discovered it as a seedling, and he named and introduced it in the 1990's. At Buchholz Nursery it will grow to about 2' tall by 3' wide in 10 years, just about mid-range in size compared to other mugo cultivars.

When possible I have given dates for the discovery or introduction of these “newer” conifer cultivars, and you can see that some go back 20, 30, to even 40 years ago. And yet they are all considered relatively new in the American trade. Well, at least they have stood some test of time; they're plants that have helped to define my career, and thanks for the memories.