THE FIRST DWARF CONIFERS
During the past thirty years dwarf conifers have shown a steady rise in popularity. New selections are being made on an almost daily basis and the confusion over correct nomenclature has become commonplace. There are any number of opinions to explain this rise in popularity from conifer societies and their education of the public to the internet with its abundance of shared knowledge and the greater use of these conifers in public gardens along with a number of easily located sources for these conifers.
Along with the recent popularity of dwarf conifers has come a craving for the newest and rarest of this plant group. The older cultivars have fallen out of favor to all but a few knowledgeable people. The exceptions would be dwarf forms that grow fast when young and slow as they age (Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’ and ‘Pumila Nigra’ come to mind). These exceptions are ideal for the large wholesale nursery that wants a quick turnover of product. Of course the consumer then purchases the plant and uses it in a space where it soon becomes too large and has to be removed
Murray Hornibrook wrote a definitive book about dwarf conifers that was published in 1921, with a second edition following it in 1938. The corrections and updates present in the 1938 edition made it THE definitive resource for dwarf conifer information until Welch’s dwarf conifer book was published in 1976.
Much of Hornibrook’s text was about Picea abies, since they were the most common species of dwarf conifers at that time. The Norway spruce (Picea abies) has always been a difficult species to work with when trying to practice correct nomenclature and cultivar identification.
Hornibrook, who preferred the old Picea excelsa to the then new name of Picea abies, lamented many times over the mislabeling of Picea abies cultivars in the nursery trade. Much of his effort was directed to sorting out names and locating correct specimens for inclusion in his book’s descriptions.
This problem is one that just won’t go away. Mislabeled plants are common today and with the addition of so many new selections on a yearly basis, the problem becomes compounded.
In the 1930’s the selection of what might be considered dwarf conifers was relatively limited. In fact, a number of the selections from his book would not be included in a dwarf conifer book of today, unless a liberal definition of ‘dwarf conifer’ was applied.
Since Hornibrook was European, he focused more on genera native to Europe, especially since the majority of dwarf conifers in North America were also European in origin. The collections at Rochester Parks and Arnold Arboretum were also developed mainly around European selections. However, men like Arthur Slavin and Robert H. Montgomery, and Charles Jenkens were at the forefront of an emerging interest in dwarf conifers in North America (See Conifer Cultivars of North America from 1932 into the Next Millenium ).
The Picea abies discussed in Hornibrook's text were once widely available in North America from several large nurseries/landscape firms in the Northeast. Today many may only be available from a few online sources and seen in older conifer collections. There are some exceptions, such as Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’ and ‘Pumila Nigra’, which are widely available and aggressively marketed by a number of large, wholesale nurseries as dwarf conifers for smaller landscapes. Most likely because they are easily rooted and will rapidly develop into a saleable plant when given optimum conditions.
The history behind the plants discussed here makes interesting reading and may even convince the reader to search out one or two selections for his/her own garden. After all, even the smallest garden and can use some conifers that are able to fill in corner or anchor a bed.
You may scroll down through the complete article, or select a cultivar of interest and click on it to see that particular plant's description.
Picea abies 'Acrocona'
Picea abies
‘Barryii’
Picea abies
’Beissneri’
Picea abies ‘Capitata’
Picea abies
‘Clanbrassiliana’
Picea abies
‘Clanbrassiliana Elegans’
Picea abies
‘Elegans’
Picea abies
‘Clanbrassiliana Stricta’
Picea abies
‘Compacta’
Picea abies
‘Conica’
Picea abies
‘Echiniformis’
Picea abies
‘Ellwangeriana’
Picea abies
‘Gregoryana’
Picea abies
‘Gregoryana Parsonsii’
Picea abies
‘Gregoryana Veitchii’
Picea abies
‘Humilis’
Picea abies
‘Maxwellii’
Picea abies
‘Microsperma’
Picea abies
‘Mucronata’
Picea abies
‘Nidiformis’
Picea abies
‘Ohlendorfii’
Picea abies
‘Pachyphylla’
Picea abies
‘Phylicoides’
Picea abies
‘Procumbens’
Picea abies
‘Pseudo-Maxwellii’
Picea abies
‘Pseudoprostrata’
Picea abies
`Pumila Nigra’
Picea abies
‘Pygmaea’
Picea abies
‘Reflexa’
Picea abies
‘Remontii’
Picea abies
‘Repens’
Picea abies
‘Tabuliformis’
The picture to the right shows a specimen in the Gimborn Pinetum in Holland. A number of very old conifer cultivars may seen at this excellent public pinetum. The picture to the right shows how a shoot will sometime grow through a terminal cone. Al Fordham once told me that he felt this was evidence that the cone of a conifer was a modified bud.
This plant fascinated me the first time I saw it. I always liked having cones on conifers in my collection and here was a plant that not only consistently produced cones, but also produced those cones in a way that showed them off: at the ends of the branches. And to top it off, when the cones appeared in the spring, they were bright red, giving any flowering angiosperm a “run for its money”.
The first ‘Acrocona’ I saw was at the Arnold Arboretum. It is still at the arboretum in the old conifer collection, along with many of the plants discussed in this article. It must be approaching an age of one hundred by now. Especially since it is in an area where many of the conifers were accessed in the 1890’s.
According to the description written by Den Ouden and Boom, this cultivar is a low form that will become a few meters high, with stiff, horizontal to pendulous branches. Many of the side branches have normal cones while most of the longer shoots will have long, contorted cones. It originated as a seedling in the forest near Uppsala, Sweden before 1890.
While this description holds true today, I always considered the cones to be fairly normal and occasionally collect the cones for the seeds. They are often fertile and produce seedlings with the same characteristics as the parent. I would not expect 100% similarity since the cones are open pollinated from other spruce without the ‘Acrocona’ characteristic.
The feature of terminal cones is not uncommon in Swedish forests and occurs in ‘Acrocona’ seedlings. Thus it is highly probably that more than one clone is circulating under this name. But the growth habit of this selection would make them impossible to sort out.
A witches broom on Picea abies ‘Acrocona’ gave rise to a truly dwarf form that has been given the name Picea abies ‘Pusch’. It is a miniaturized version of ‘Acrocona’
Congested growth, a possible broom, on Picea abies ‘Acrocona’ at an Oregon nursery has produced a newly named selection with short, curled branches that end with smaller cones. It has been proivisionally name Picea abies ‘Medusa’ (pictured here) and will be available in the near future.
I am developing golden seedlings from Picea abies ‘Acrocona’ that were pollinated from Picea abies ‘Gold Drift’ . There may be two or possibly three selections from 29 assorted golden seedlings that are presently six years old and showing signs of terminal coning and dwarf to spreading to columnar growth habits. You can read more about them by clicking here (Golden Seedlings).
The left picture shows a specimen at the Morton Arboretum in Ohio. The picture to the right shows a specimen at Schovenhorst in Holland. It is a specimen from Hornibrook's collection. He left a number of Picea abies at Schovenhorst when he moved from the continent back to Ireland.
Hornibrook describes this plant as a strongly growing, pyramidal form that becomes a moderately sized tree. The ascending branches are thick and short with stout, radial leaves. Den Ouden describes it as vigorous dwarf form, which will often be globose as a young plant, and conical as it ages. The branches are long and ascending, with very large terminal buds on the branch tips.
They both appear to be describing the same plant but Hornibrook adds that it seems to be related in some manner to Picea abies ‘Beissneri’. According to Hornibrook, there are foliage similarities between this plant and the one named ‘Beissneri’ but the growth habits do differ.
Picea abies ‘Barryi’ is available from a number of sources, usually as a dwarf conifer. However, it is dwarf only as a young plant.
Beissner had described a selection of Picea abies under the name Picea abies ‘Maxwellii’ which was later determined by Hornibrook to be incorrect. He does not say how he came to this decision. Whatever his reason, Hornibrook renamed this plant as Picea abies ‘Beissneri’. He based his description upon a plant he was given by DenOuden as Picea abies ‘Microsperma’. This whole process sounds confusing but it just points out the state of Picea abies nomenclature.
Described as a dwarf form with a compact habit, its growth is flattened and compact much like that of Picea abies ‘Procumbens’. The foliage and buds are actually similar to those of ‘Maxwellii’, perhaps leading to Beissner giving that name to this palnt.
The origin of this plant is unknown. It resembles ‘Barryi’ but grows somewhat flatter. I wonder if both of these plants could somehow relate back to ‘Maxwellii’? I base that comment on a couple of facts. First, they both appeared after ‘Maxwellii’. Secondly, ‘Beissneri’ was originally called ‘Maxwellii’ by Beissner. Third, ‘Maxwellii’ has a tendency to develop differently in different climates and when different parts of a plant provide the propagation material.
It could easily be mislabeled. Since no one has been able to locate a plant fitting his description, it may be lost to cultivation, although plants with the name ‘Beissneri’ are sometimes found in collections. The Picea abies ‘Beissneri’ pictured here was photographed in Europe and does not fit Hornibrook’s description. Finding the plant Hornibrook described could answer a number of questions about this cultivar. Unfortunately it is not with the part of Hornibrook’s collection that can be seen growing at the Schovenhorst Arboretum, Putten, The Netherlands.
This selection originated before 1889 in the Croux Nursery at Sceaux, France. Hornibrook believed that it was represented in England by a plant growing at Kew Gardens, which was labeled as ‘Dumosa’. Welch believed this plant to be actually a selection of ‘Nana’. Since the description is fairly clear as to the growing characteristics of ‘Capitata’ and it is very different from ‘Nana’. I would tend to believe that Hornibrook would not have confused the two. However, since Welch did his work 30 years later, perhaps they were not looking at the same plant.
Picea abies ‘Capitata’ is a dwarf form that becomes broadly conical as it ages. The outline is irregular due to its distinctive growth habit of producing long shoots with clusters of buds at their ends that the following year develop into capitate whorls of many short shoots. This characteristic growth repeats itself with the alternating growth patterns creating a rather distinctive plant.
The plant pictured here can be seen in the Gotelli Dwarf Conifer Collection in the United States National Arboretum. It most likely came from an European source since Mr. Gotelli imported many of his conifers from overseas when it was still possible to do so.
Among the cultivars of Picea abies, this, the first of the dwarf Picea abies to be selected and named, has a reputation for being found under a wide variety of names. It is also difficult to locate the correctly growing form under its own name. Such things are hard to understand when the original plant can still be seen growing at Tollymore Park, near Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland.
A dwarf form with a growth rate of 2-5 cm per year, it takes on the shape of an old fashioned beehive. The shorter shoots have the tiniest needles while longer shoots produce distinctively longer needles.
Discovered about 1780 or earlier on the Moira Estate, near Belfast, N. lreland, it was brought by Lord Clanbrassil to his country estate of Tolleymore in County Down, where in 1920 it was about 3 m high.
It does occasionally develop coarser branch reversions that need to be removed when they occur. I have seen these reversions on very old plants at the Gimborn Arboretum in The Netherlands. They develop into a looser, globose plant that looks much like the selection commonly sold in America as ‘Clanbrassiliana’.
Picea abies ‘Clanbrassiliana Elegans’
This cultivar doesn’t exist and the name was mistakenly applied to other dwarf forms of Picea abies. In fact, it was apparently applied to a number of plants that were dwarf or just compact simply because the name ‘Clanbrassiliana’ was applied to dwarf selections of Picea abies like ‘Nana’ was thrown around throughout the 50’s and 60’s.
There is a Picea abies ‘Elegans’ that has nothing to do with this misnomer but became confused with it anyway. The plant pictured above left at Bernheim Forest in Kentucky and above right at the National Arnoretum are of the form known as 'Elegans' in North America.
This cultivar was selected soon after ‘Clanbrassiliana’ and was often confused with it (‘Clanbrassiliana Elegans’). Then another selection was given this same name (‘Conica Elegans’), further adding to the confusion. However, this plant can be distinguished by its dense, uniform development into a globose to squatly conical with a random branching pattern.
It is commonly called Knight’s dwarf spruce after the man who named it in 1850.
Picea abies ‘Clanbrassiliana Stricta’
According to Hornibrook, this selection, which originated in 1834, had been lost to cultivation. After 1876 it no longer appeared in any catalogs nor could he locate any in a garden or arboretum. However, when he purchased a specimen of Picea abies ‘Pygmaea’ from an old English nursery, it turned out to be ‘Clanbrassiliana Stricta’. It is little wonder he had such a poor opinion of nursery catalogs.
Welch thought this selection was not worth retaining as a separate cultivar since the form of some old specimens he observed was nothing special. However, a plant growing in the United States with a fastigiated branch structure caused him to reconsider his opinion.
A nice specimen may be seen in the Gotelli Dwarf Conifer Collection and is most likely the plant seen by Welch. I added this plant to my own collection from Layne Ziegenfuss when I lived in Pennsylvania. Layne used to cut scion wood at all of the East Coast arboretums and got his start from that plant. It was most likely an import from Europe, the source of many of William Gotelli’s conifers.
Picea abies ‘Clanbrassiliana Stricta’ was selected due to its narrow growth. The branches ascend at a narrow angle, creating a narrowly conical bush. The listed growth rate of about 4 cm per year is closer to 10 cm per year and although the foliage may be similar to that of ‘Clanbrassiliana’, it is coarser in texture with longer needles.
When I grew it in my collection, I never really considered it a narrow form of ‘Clanbrassiliana’. Perhaps in Europe, it shows more of that tendency.
This is one of those “catch-all” names that is used for any plant that exhibits a dense growth habit and has an unknown parentage. There are a number of selections to be found with this name, a problem that was first pointed out by Hornibrook in 1938. Since no one plant is the defining types for this name, it needs to be reduced from cultivar to varietal status- Picea abies v. compacta.
The plant pictured above is at Hidden Lakes in Michigan.
ln cultivation before 1847, an old specimen of this cultivar from the late 1800’s can be seen at the Arnold Arboretum. It is dense and narrowly conical. I believe it has never caught on in the nursery industry due to competition from the more narrowly growing selections of Picea abies ‘Cupressina’ and ‘Columnaris’. This particular specimen was planted in 1930.
This plant was introduced by the Lawson Nursery in England as a catalog listing in 1875. According to Hornibrook, no other name has been misused as much as this one. Over his years of collecting conifers, he received in excess of 50 different plants mislabeled with this name. That problem was greatly reduced by the time his 1938 edition was published. The plant was then (and still is) confused with Picea abies ‘Gregoryana’ and its variations.
Commonly called the hedgehog spruce, it forms a dense, cushion-shaped plant with irregular tufts of foliage. It is very slow growing and differs from Picea abies ‘Gregoryana’ in two basic ways. First, it is prickly to the touch and secondly, it branchlets have needles that are more widely spaced.
The irregular tufts of foliage are caused by a variable growth habit where some longer shoots of 2 cm have small terminal clusters of buds and widely spaced stiff and prickly needles. In other areas, clusters of buds produce masses of short shoots with tiny leaves and terminal clusters of buds. These large bud clusters are not always present but when they are, they are very distinctive with a confused mass of buds and very small leaves.
The plant pictured above is at Denenhorst Pinetum in Holland.
Originating before 1890 in Highland Park, Rochester, New York, USA, this selection is described as a dwarf form with a broad habit having ascending branches without a central leader and thick and stiff branches. It is also recommended that any coarse growth be removed as soon as it appears.
I have discovered that the coarse growth is relative to its growth rate and that it is most noticeable on grafted specimens of ‘Ellwangeriana’. This is one of those cultivars of Picea abies that shows accelerated growth when it is grafted and slower growth when it is grown from a cutting. The difference is only about a growth rate of 50%, meaning a coarse shoot will be 7cm instead of 5cm.
It tends to be narrow and can be used to add a vertical component to the smaller garden, even when produced by grafting.
Hornibrook describes this plant as being pyramidal with vigorous growth and an open habit, prone to reversions that result in it becoming arborescent. Then he goes on to say that the European specimens of this cultivar appear to be more like ‘Pseudomaxwellii’ and that the true form was probably not in Europe as of 1938. An old specimen in Rochester Parks as of 1938 was densely conical and less than 2 meters (6 feet) tall.
First described in England in 1867, this selection of Norway spruce is a very dwarf form that develops into a dense cushion, becoming a conical bush only with great age. It is very similar to ‘Echiniformis’, and has been regularly confused with it. However, ‘Gregoryana’ does not have faster growing shoots that alternate with slower growing shoots scattered throughout the plant. It also has shorter needles that densely cover the branchlets and are radially borne rather than flat along the shoots. Very old specimens will have clusters of globose masses scattered over the plant, producing an irregular outline to what was once a smoothly rounded cushion.
According to Hornibrook, it was very rare in Europe in 1938 with just a few older specimens found in gardens. Veitch Nursery was one of the major distributers about the turn of the century (see ‘Gregoryana Veitchii’ ). Evidently a number of nurseries must have been selling Picea abies ‘Pygmaea’ under this name since earlier authors had confused it with ‘Gregoryana’.
The picture at the left is from Pinetum Blijdenstein and the right is at Pinetum Denenhorst, both in Holland. The central picture shows the characteristic foliage.
There have been many old specimens growing at various locations on Long Island. Layne used to tell me the story of a double row of these lining a driveway to a former Long Island estate. They were almost two meters in diameter and perfect. They were ripped out and replaced with taller growing trees.
Picea abies ‘Gregoryana Parsonsii’
Introduced before 1923 by the S. B. Parsons Nursery in Flushing, New York, USA, it was mistakenly sold as `Clanbrassiliana’, although it is nothing like this particular cultivar. However, it does have similarities to ‘Gregoryana’. The branchlets are slightly pubescent and the foliage has a similar color. It is different in that its faster growth rate results in a looser, scraggling bush with pendulous branchlets. It develops into a broad conical plant almost twice as wide as high. The leaves are never perfectly radial and more widely scattered than those of ‘Gregoryana’.
It was grown in gardens throughout the eastern United States and not uncommon at the time of Hornibrook’s publication. That is not surprising since Parsons was a well known, and very active nursery in the early to the mid 1900’s. Its presence in Europe was minor with just a few specimens known to Hornibrook. Picea abies ‘Gregoryana Veitchii’ appeared to have been the plant of preference.
Picea abies ‘Gregoryana Veitchii’
This form was first introduced by Veitch in 1905. However, it was sold as Picea abies `Gregoryana’ and it was some time later that it was recognized as a different form. Since then, this form has become the more frequently found of the two. Since it has similarities to ‘Gregoryana’, but grows more rapidly, many nurseries consider it to be commercially more desirable.
It does grow considerably faster than ‘Gregoryana’ and the foliage differs in that the radial arrangement of the needles is found only on the leading shoots. The lateral shoots have thinner needles with a flatter arrangement. The longer branches also have a tendency to droop as compared to the shorter, stiffer branches of ‘Gregoryana’. The plant itself becomes larger and more conical due to its accelerated growth rate.
The plant pictured above is at the Arnold Arboretum near Boston in the old conifer collection.
This particular plant has been known since 1891, but often incorrectly labeled. This is a common problem with the Picea abies, which Hornibrook mentioned in almost every description of this species’ cultivars. Unfortunately, it is a problem that hasn’t gone away.
I first obtained this selection under the name ‘Picea abies ‘Pygmaea’. In reading early descriptions of ‘Humilis’, it is often compared to ‘Pygmaea’ and by some is thought to be simply a slower form of that cultivar. Others have ‘Pygmaea’ confused with ‘Gregoryana’ and have it as a dwarf, dense, rounded bush.
Picea abies ‘Humilis’ is a very unique plant. It is a dwarf form, very slow growing, that becomes acutely conical, often bulging outwards and irregular, with shoots that are quite variable in length. The needles are very thick on the coarser growth and very small and thin on the slower growth.
Older plants will often have at least three different growth habits, ranging from coarser shoots of up to several centimeters with thick needles to dense tufts of globose growth with small needles and short, thin branchlets. At first glance a specimen of this cultivar appears to have several witches’ brooms scattered about on its branches.
Early authors describe this plant as being broader than high, bushy and compact. However, it is more correctly described as being conical with different types of foliage as described above. The selection of propagation material will very likely play a role in the early growth of the plant produced.
The plant pictured on the left is in The Harper Collection at Hidden Lakes. The center picture is from Schovenhorst and was in Hornibrook's collection until he gave it to that Pinetum in the late 1930's. The plant to the right is in the Hillier Arboretum and the most likely source for Picea abies 'Wichtel'.
Early authors described three different dwarf forms by this name, thereby creating considerable confusion. It originated around 1860 in the T. C. Maxwell Bros. Nursery, Geneva, New York, USA. When Hornibrook was researching his conifer book, he observed that this cultivar was not to be found in Europe. The ones in Europe with this name proved to be the selections he named Picea abies ‘Beissneri’ and Picea abies ‘Pseudo-Maxwellii’.
Old plants were being grown at the Maxwell Nurrseries in Geneva, New York and at Highland Parks in Rochester, New York. There were also old specimens at the Arnold Arboretum. An assortment of old plants may still be seen today at public gardens throughout the Northeast.
The true plant is a dwarf form that grows into a dense cushion which is much broader than high. There are many short, thick shoots throughout the flat top of the plant. Lower, along the sides, the growth tends to be more elongated
When propagation material is chosen from this elongated growth, it tends to produce a faster growing selection of ‘Maxwellii’ that was given the name of ‘Pseudo-Maxwellii’.
When we moved to the Northwest, we brought several specimens of Picea abies ‘Maxwellii’ with us. It has always been one of my favorites. On return visits to the Northeast I was able to obtain additional scion wood from plants at the Arnold Arboretum and the U.S. National Arboretum. None of these plants maintained the character of ‘Maxwellii’. They all soon reverted into a fast growing form similar to ‘Pseudomaxwellii’. The climate in the Northwest wrecks havock on many of the dwarf selections of Picea abies. Those that just show an accelerated growth rate tend to resume their normal growth rate when planted in other parts of the country. Unfortunately, Picea abies ‘Maxwellii’ is not one of those plants and I no longer have it in my own collection.
In the pictures above, the very old specimen to the left is from the Arnold Arboretum while the one at the right is from the National Arboretum, Gotelli Collection. The center picture from Layne Ziegenfuss' Hillside Nursery shows the typical foliage.
This selection is listed as a dwarf conifer by many authors. To my way of thinking, that is a rather loose definition of dwarf conifer. I grew this plant when we lived in Pennsylvania as one of my early acquisitions. I got it from Layne Ziegenfuss and he told me the name referred simply to small cones and that it would get quite large as it aged. It did develop into a broadly conical specimen about 3m tall in ten years. It was dense and attractive but too large for our property.
I believe the growth rate slows considerably as it ages. A very old specimen at the Arnold Arboretum is growing about 6cm per year. I believe this plant was obtained soon before Bailey first described it in his text of 1923. The Arnold Arboretum plant, planted in 1919, is pictured to the right. The left picture is from Ossorio's Estate, The Creeks, on Long Island.
Discovered about 1835 by Briot in the Trianon-Garden, Versailles, France, this plant can be found growing in many older gardens and public arboretums. It can be considered as a dwarf compared to the species. It becomes a broadly conical shrub with a number of coarse branches extending beyond the edges of its silhouette. The branches point upward even though the plant itself cannot be considered to grow pyramidal.
The branches form cup-shaped whorls with very crowded branchlets. There are numerous lateral buds near the terminal bud. The terminal bud itself is very large due to its large bud scales, which are fringed and tightly appressed.
This selection is a nice addition to the larger garden. Unfortunately it is difficult to locate since few of us have larger gardens in today’s world. The plant and foliage above were pictured at our former home in Lehighton, Pennsylvania.
Discovered before 1904 in the Rulemann Grisson Nursery near Hamburg, Germany it was named by Beissner in 1906. It has come to be called the “bird’s nest spruce” due to its dense, broad growth with a nest-like depression at its center. The branchlets form tight layers, creating an exceptionally dense plant. The branches grow upward at about a 50o angle but have drooping tips. The needles possess sharp, curved hooks on their undersides, a unique characteristic.
Since it strikes easily from cuttings and grows quite fast when young, it quickly became the favorite dwarf conifer of many European and American nurseries. It is still one of the most common dwarf conifers available today, from the best retail garden centers to the giant retailers who are commonly referred to as the “big box stores”.
This selection is classified as a dwarf conifer but it can easily outgrow its allotted space. It appears to maintain its growth rate as it ages and it will eventually become quite large.
The plant pictured on the left is from Bernheim Forest in Kentucky while the old specimen on the left is from the deBelder Estate, Kalmthoop, in Belgium. Notice, it does eventually get quite large.
Developed between 1840 and 1850 by Th. Ohlendorff, Hamburg, Germany from seed obtained from Nikita, Crimea (USSR), it was iIntroduced in 1904 by Späth Nursery.
Having a globose shape when young, it becomes broadly conical with age. The branches are ascending and often arch over slightly. The branchlets grow at all sorts of angles and do not form flattened sprays. When the plant develops its conical shape, it has an irregular outline due to its production of many strong branches that stand upright all over the plant.
This selection is not easy to find in North American nurseries. It does become quite large as it ages and needs space to develop. The plant pictured to the left shows how large this cultivar can get. It is an old specimen in the Gimborn Pinetum, Holland. The younger plant to the right is in the Gotelli Collection at the National Arboretum.
The first time I saw this plant was in 1977 when I received a young plant from Gordon Bentham. Gordon, a retired butcher from Victoria, BC, was very generous with his plants. He had never corresponded with me and to introduce himself, he sent me a box with ten, 1 gallon rare conifers. When I thanked him, he told me that Picea abies ‘Pachyphylla’ was his favorite Picea abies due to its distinctiveness,
I still have that plant growing in my garden here in Eatonville. It is 35 years old and just over 1 meter tall.
Picea abies ‘pachyphylla’ is a dwarf form, exceptionally slow growing, irregular and open. The branches are very short with thick, stiff twigs. The buds are round and tiny with terminal buds being solitary. Often a branch will not have a terminal bud and it eventually shrivels and dies. The needles are very thick and fleshy with the upper surface indented and the underside keeled (kidney-shaped in cross section).
Hornibrook listed a specimen as growing in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland in his own collection as being one of the few known plants in 1938. Welch verified that the plant was still there in 1976 and had grown to less than 1 meter in height.
This selection has actually been confused in Europe with Picea abies ‘Lombartsii’, a fast growing tree with coarse foliage. I saw a block of these at a nursery that was labeled ‘Pachyphylla’, as if there wasn’t enough confusion in the conifer world.
The plant pictured to the left is my own while the one to the right was in the National Dwarf Conifer Collection in Windsor Great Park, England.
I remember when I first saw this cultivar. It was in the Gimborn Pinetum in Holland. It was so grotesque that I just had to have it. Its growth habit is very irregular at first. Later it becomes broadly conical while maintaining the random branch patterning. It has always been a rare plant, even though it was found and named in 1855. Hornibrook described it as a floppy shrub when young and very hard to find.
The plant pictured here was in the Gimborn Pinetum.
This plant has been around since 1855 and is fairly easy to recognize. It grows broad and flat with the branches ascending slightly at about a 250 angle. When it is 50 cm high, it will be well over 1 m wide. It does become slightly elevated in the center as it ages. The needles are long, becoming shorter toward the terminal bud. The terminal bud is usually surrounded by 3 lateral buds. If there is a fourth bud, it always points directly downward.
This plant may be seen in a number of arboretums throughout America and Europe but it is not so commonly found in private gardens.
The plant to the left was in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. The one to the right was in the Gimborn Pinetum.
Picea abies ‘Pseudo-Maxwellii’
Evidently this form resulted from the propagation of coarser growth on the original Picea abies ‘Maxwellii’ witches’ broom. However, it also develops from specimens of the true form being grown in the Northwest.
There was always a discussion between conifer experts in Europe about the origin of this cultivar. Many thought it was better growing conditions in Europe that led to Picea abies ‘Maxwellii’ taking on a looser growth habit, which led to this plant being sold under the wrong name and ‘Maxwellii’ having an incorrect description by early European authors.
Since both selections will maintain their growth habits under similar conditions, it does appear that they are distinct cultivars. However, ‘Maxwellii’ can be induced to revert to the coarser growth of ‘Pseudo-Maxwellii’, at least in the Northwest, and it maintains that growth habit.
I believe that by propagating faster growing shoots of ‘Maxwellii’, ‘Pseudo-Maxwellii’ results. Grafting vs. rooting has little influence on this dichotomy while growing conditions apparently does.
The specimen pictured above was growing at The Creeks, the former estate of Alphonso Ossorio.
Distributed by Hillier before 1923 under the name var. procumbens, this selection is inferior in most ways. Its growth is coarser with the branches standing at a higher angle. The overall shape is wide-spreading, almost completely prostrate, with upward standing terminal branches. As it ages, it does tend to mound up in the center.
The plant pictured to the left was at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia while the one to the right was at the Holden Arboretum. The center picture is from the Pruhonice Botanic Garden near Prague.
The selection, Picea abies ‘Pumila’, is said to have light green foliage, was found before 1875, and is very difficult to find in cultivation. I believe that is the case because color alone is a poor characteristic to distinguish between two related cultivars. I doubt that the plant selected as ‘Pumila’ even exists under that name any longer. Picea abies ‘Pumila Nigra’ is a very popular dwarf selection that grows about 2 cm per year, gradually developing into a low, broad, cushion-shaped plant with dark green foliage. It has a growth habit like the one described for ‘Pumila’ and darker, more richly colored foliage. Either ‘Pumila’ was the same plant poorly grown/described, or it was quickly abandoned in favor of ‘Pumila Nigra’.
Picea abies ‘Pumila Nigra’ is very common in gardens since it is a favorite among the large conifer producing nurseries in America and Europe. It easily strikes from cuttings and quickly develops into a saleable size. Grafting is not used since the plant immediately reverts into a fast-growing, open branched selection of no garden merit.
The grouping photographed above is from the Pruhonice Botanic Garden near Prague.
The form commonly sold in America as ‘Pygmaea’ is a dense, rounded bush and not at all like the description of Hornibrook and most other authors. It is generally described as a dwarf form becoming globose to broadly conical. The twigs range from a bright yellow to gray-yellow, with glossy bark, and are thick, and flexible.
The left picture is of a plant growing at Pinetum Blijdenstein while the one to the right is from the deBelder Estate, Kalmthoop, in Belgium.
This selection is a very old form and is commonly sold under the incorrect name of Picea abies ‘Pendula’. It is a weeping form that tends to grow along the ground, occasionally producing an upright shoot that knuckles over, becoming prostrate. If it is trained upright, it will grow as high as the stake and then grow straight downward and form a mat around the base of the tree. It was first described in 1890 and Hornibrook described it as the “best pendulous form”.
The Hillier Arboretum had a specimen trained up to about 3 meters that had knuckled over and created a very broad skirt on the ground all around the trunk.
The picture above is of a plant growing at Pinetum Blijdenstein in Holland.
Although this form has been in cultivation since the late 1800’s, there were a number of plants being circulated under this name. Basically, it is a dense, conical bush with the branches growing upright at a very narrow angle. It has thick branchlets and large terminal buds. The needles are shorter toward the ends of the branches, creating a little cone of foliage on each branchlet.
This cultivar does make a good alternative to Picea glauca 'Albertiana Conica' because its growth rate and shape are very similar.
Historically confused with ‘Procumbens’, this selection develops at a slower rate into a dense, flattened plant. It will mound up in the center as it adds annual layers of new growth. The new growth appears as flattened sprays of foliage since two lateral buds form every year just beneath the end of each shoot. When they grow in the spring, they produce the annual flattened sprays that are a characteristic of this plant., resulting in branches that are layered from the middle of the plant outward, regular, dense and evenly formed.
The two pictures to the left are at Pinetum Blijdenstein and the specimen is approaching 100 years old. The top right picture was a plant at Longwood gardens near Philadelphia and shows how it may be effectively grown over a wall. The lower right picture is a plant at the RHS Wisley Garden in their world famous rock garden, The center picture is another old specimen at Pruhonice Garden near Prague.
Found as a witches’ broom before 1865 in Trianon, Versailles, France, as the name implies, this dwarf selection has a wide-spreading habit, mounding as it ages, but maintaining a flat top at all times. Even as it mounds up, the distinctive layers are easy to see. They develop from the overlapping of shoots forming a dense mat of foliage that smothers the foliage beneath. The thin, flexible shoots are held at a 50o angle to the branches and demonstrate this property throughout the plant.
The plant pictured at the left is at the Hillier Arboretum. It is one of the oldest specimens in Europe and demonstrates how even a dwarf conifer can become large enough to provide shade. The plant to the right was at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia.
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