hey bunky .. is there a question here ....

or are you just looking for some enabling.. regarding what has apparently become .. an addiction worse than crack ... lol

pinus sylvestrus aurea .... is a poor mans version of chief jo that grows 3 times as fast ... and has 90% of the coloration ... jo is just a bit more orangish in winter .. IMHO ..... will get growing upwards of a foot per year ... i could buy a one gal ... for 25$ and have it to 4 feet inside three years ... i am going to highly recommend it to a garden visitor this lunch period ...

the only one that sounds like a bargain .. to me.. is the 6 foot picea abies pendula .... do not delay ... go buy it... google images for some magnificent versions ... like the angel at hidden lakes

there.. i enabled you ... now go do the right thing ...

ken

You can plant that one and do it the right way.

Dave

$200.00 for a 2.5' to 3' 'Sherwood Compact' Pinus longaeva is a bargain. A local nursery had some of these last year, in this same size, and they were almost $400.00.
tl³

Yowza! I've been paying wholesale pricing too long, those all sound pricey to me. Still, it sounds like you found some interesting stuff.

I guess I shouldn't think the tag of $399 for a 3 foot 'Skylands' Oriental Spruce I saw yesterday was that bad, but I did. I was too cheap to pay that much so I bought an 18" tree for $85. I'm still surprised I paid that much for such a small tree but, as most of you are aware due to my constant pining, I really wanted that tree!

I actually got to our local nursery literally as they were unloading the truck from Iseli. Needless to say, I got busy tagging all the best stuff for the landscape firm I work for.

Cool stuff I saw/tagged included a contorted white pine- the kind with the more or less straight central leader but twisted needles. Some gorgeous 8-foot tall Weeping White Pines. Another white pine (can't remember the botanical) that was sparsely needled and had a cool twisting trunk- perfect for hanging over a water feature.

Probably the coolest conifer was the Spanish Fir, Abies pinsapo. They had both the blue and the aurea cultivars. I so wish I could grow a fir but not in my clay soil. Sigh. I still tagged some for jobs we're doing in an area with sandy soil. I didn't tag a Picea omorika 'pendula bruns' but may go back and do so today. Oh- and the Picea mariana aurea was cool AND a bargain at only $99 retail for a 3-foot tree. That one will cost me around $70.

It's so fun to see these plants 'live'. It's a good thing no one was around when I found the 'Skylands' because I positively SQUEELED.

I really didn't have a question but just wanted to see if anyone wanted to comment on my observations and finds.

I agree that the only thing that really jumped at me as a good deal was the weeping norways for $125 ... which are easily 6-7' or more. Do these need to be sheltered?

I'm not sure its really a pinus sylvestrus aurea ... but I was drawn to it because of its nice color and interesting texture. I'm not sure how big those get either.

I know the prices are insane ... and I'm only quoting you the better deals I saw. So much of what it out there is like $200 for a 3' blue spruce. Makes my $99 5.5' Bakeri seem like the deal of a lifetime by comparison.

My wife likes the Bakeri so much, she told me yesterday to go get some more. Then is snowed about 10" (mostly melted as it fell) ... and that kind of cooled me down from my newfound addiction.

Anyone have any good/bad experience with those Japanese Red Pine Dragon (something) ??

I went to Tagawa Nursery in Centennial, CO on Sunday to check out some of their dwarf conifers. The prices all seemed high to me, but it was worth the trip; they had some nice conifers in stock and at least I got to gaze upon them. One of the trees I wanted to check out was the Japanese Red 'Gold Ghost' (Pinus densiflora 'Gold Ghost'.) They had it, but it was, again, too expensive for me. I think it was about $189, but I can't quite remember.

Anyway, with all of the trees on my wish list, I ended up buying only a Picea pungens 'St. Mary's Broom.' I also bought a Thuja occidentalis 'Golden Globe,' which wasn't on my list, but I have had luck with Aborvitae's here in
Colorado and this one caught my eye.

As much as I like the "instant gratification" of buying trees locally, I guess the Internet is my friend and I think I'll be buying on line from now on. The trees will be a lot smaller, but at least they will be affordable.

Holly

I agree with the pricing at Tagawa ... and most places in CO for that matter. Unless you want a Austrian Pine ... its a lot of money or small trees.

You can get 25% off starting April 18th ... if you donate $15 to the CTC, you get a 25% coupon good on one tree and up to a $100 value per tree.

You might do a search for Bakeri on the denver craigslist ... he has some nice trees for reasonable prices (50% off) till tomorrow ... but nothing really exotic. He does have foxtails, Bakeri, concolor fir, pinon, amazing selection of blues, huge austrians ... but thats about it. I'm going to pick up another $99 Bakeri tomorrow ...

you said:

if you donate $15 to the CTC, you get a 25% coupon good on one tree
-------

thats where an unknown disinterested spouse who doesnt visit the nursery with you all the time.. really comes in handy .. 2 coupons for one family ... aka addict ...

or a disinterested neighbor who wouldnt mind going on a short guy trip .. for a third coupon ...

and a brother.. or sister ....

and the cousins... co-workers .... before you know it... 10 coupons.. lol

ken

Your funny Ken ... but I like it.

Actually they said you can make multiple donations and get multiple coupons for multiple trees ... so I don't even have to invite all those friends ... unless I want to !

I'm trying to see if my wife will consider a hoopsi and a vanderwolf instead of (2) vanderwolfs. They are both the same cost, but to me the hoopsi I saw today (8') is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. They might also have a 6.5 or 7 one ... but pricy ($50 per ft!!)

"You can get 25% off starting April 18th ... if you donate $15 to the CTC, you get a 25% coupon good on one tree and up to a $100 value per tree." Is this at Tagawa Gardens, or...? I went to the CTC site (assuming the initials stand for Colorado Tree Coalition....?)and saw nothing about this coupon deal.

Holly

Yes, at Tagawa only ...

two differences between picea pungens and P. p. Hoopsi

first .. spring coloration ... on hoopsi absolutely stunning .. on others.. real nice.. on some.. just a plain old green tree ...

second .. winter coloration.. or in the alternative.. how long the blue hangs on to the leave ... some start greening immediately .. and others can make it through the heat of summer.. while others dull up in winter ... hoopsi is the bluest winter color .... or any of those listed in the next sentence ....

Hoopsi .. Thomsen and Endtz .... to my eye are basically look alike plants .... i have been told by some ... that there are differences.. and actually stood still for 10 minutes while Arrowhead bob detailed it for me ... i did not 'see'; what he showed me .. did not understand what he showed me.. and have no recollection of what he told me ... and i was sober ... but i am throughly thankful he took the time ... lol

pic of hoopsi in full spring flush below ... BUT IT NOW!!!

ken

note the dullness of winter to the new flush
{{gwi:677450}}

second tree .... yes i actually own two ... quite rare in my 'collection' .. to have more than one ....
{{gwi:677451}}

and another pic ....
{{gwi:664361}}

So I picked up the Weeping Norway (6' +) ... its a beauty.

I also got the sylvestrus aurea (5') also loving the yellow color, but its probably fading already.

I also picked up a 7'+ baby blue eyes ... and its one good looking tree.

Also got one last 'Bakeri' ... now my collection is nearly complete.

Found a good source for Vanderwolf ... and talked my wife into just one big one and got the baby blue eyes instead. She liked it as much as the (more expensive) Hoopsii ... so we did the blue eyes instead. Personally, I found the Hoopsii stunning ... much just need to grow one in the side yard as 'project tree'.

Scott

Scott, "Now my collection is nearly complete." Famous last words, sounds like you're hooked. Hopefully you'll be collecting conifers for years to come :). Dan