i have a couple leuco ... got them from gary gee .....when gee visited with joy ... i pointed them out.. and commented on their lack of vigor but refusal to thrive.. he laughed.. and said something along the lines that he was fixated on them for a few years ... back then .. i collected any name not already in my dB ... as in the leuco part of the name ..... never figured out why they refuse to thrive ... i dont recall if it was an understock issue .... recollection is a tough nut.. i do not intend to put words in anyones mouth ... gary used to pop in and out of GW once in a blue moon.. i will defer to his knowledge.. and his recollection of any conversation we had .... resinosa aurea... is stunning.. to die for.. and incredible ... go for it ... i would suggest.. BK even for a few years.. over the ogon ... but the ogon for the decades ... i dont know your toe curling versus shock of loss/death quotient ... i guess if it were me... i would go small on BK ... less investment to lose.. if budget is an issue ... in other words.. a mall resinosa.. and a small BK ... being the same investment as one larger of either .... but again.. budget is yoru issue .. not mine ... maybe pix later.. if i am amused ... though i am not sure i was ever inspired enough to even take a pic of the leuco's .... and that has to tell you something ... ken

I have a few more good ones here: Picea pungens 'RM 203' Jerry Morris Red Mountain, Colorado. A place where many brooms were found, evidently. Picea pungens 'Edit' "aka 'Edith' -- written as exactly from Porterhowse Nursery Availability. I'm sticking to 'Edit' sorry guys -- Don Howse is just one of those special people like Edwin/coniferjoy is. He's an American Authority as is Bob Fincham and when Bob tells me he had lunch with Dr. Barabit and that Edit was his wife's name and that the plant was named by Dr. Barabit for his wife, I'm going to have to go with Bob on this one all the way. I won't debate it anymore, sorry. And sorry for bringing it up again. Picea pungens 'Mom' Chub Harper's garden. Picea pungens 'Regal Chub' Last one: Picea pungens 'Viola'

Have watched a local planting rapidly progress into a tree. I started to get the idea as soon as not very old, 5'-6' tall specimens began to appear in local outlets. The one specimen looks like it will come to resemble a typical non-dwarf Japanese black pine in time. As always, it's possible invigoration by grafting onto typical non-dwarf seedling root-stocks is causing propagules on the market to grow out of character.

Hi Guys, Had a few minutes and thougth I would check out the forums. Thought this was an interesting conversation. In the US we are not likely to find Pinus armandii or Pinus koreansis, at least not at a reasonable cost. I normally put 3-5 needle on P. strobus and 1-2 needle on P. sylvestris. As a rule, most pines are compatable initially. It's the long term that is a problem. I have heard that P. mugo is a good rootstock for P. parviflora although I have never tried it. I have very few problems with P. strobus in pots. If you are having problems with too much water just don't water that often. I have some that have been in 1 gallon pots for well over 6-7 years and while the plant looks bad and is pot bound. As soon as you put it in the ground it grows like normal. I think P. strobus is a good choice in most cases in the US. This year I put P. ponderosa on P. strobus and I was fairly successful. P. rigida and P. contorta seem to be picky about the rootstock. I have a large P. virginiana on P. sylvestris and there is a hugh difference in size at the union. I imagine that there will be issues at some point. Bill