Correction: 'Bush's Lace'

Beautiful plantings and layout in your garden.
Please can you show a picture of your Picea omorika 'Riverside' (I seem to recall that you have one).
Thanks.
Richard

Dave, I've been enjoying your pictures...inspiring!

Kathy

Great pictures Dave. I really like your Bush's Lace - also, nice view of 'Niemetz' in the background there. That one really glows.

One of the special aspects of your garden Dave is how it really has that personalized "sense of place". I can't think of a better way to say it but it's the sense that, if I saw a picture of your garden in some random venue, say garden magazine or website, showing a bed or view which you've never shown us before, that it would still be instantly recognizable as Dave's garden.

Nice specimen Dave, about the same size as a mine. This is certainly one of my favorite conifers, I have too many planted for sure. Eventually this turns into a fairly large tree, it grows FAST here, maybe two feet+ a year.

Dave, I too like this spruce.
Here is a 12-year-old specimen.
I am still on the fence about whether it might be a P. pungens x P. engelmannii hybrid... Any thoughts?

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-Sam

Bob Fincham thinks it is Sam, more then good enough for me.

"I am still on the fence about whether it might be a P. pungens x P. engelmannii hybrid... Any thoughts"?

A new one to me. I have no idea. Until someone steps forth with definitive proof I will leave the name as is.

Dave

Your style is superb. I totally agree with Alex. The plants "kick" around like a super ball in my mind. Each one, the hosta, the next and the next, "compliment" the other.

Dax

"I am still on the fence about whether it might be a P. pungens x P. engelmannii hybrid... Any thoughts?"

I'd be very dubious. Hybrids between P. engelmannii and P. pungens are often claimed, but in reality are as rare as hen's teeth. There are strong reproductive barriers between them (e.g. Daubenmire 1972, Canad. J. Bot. 50: 733-742; Taylor & Williams 1975, Canad. J. Bot. 53: 2547-2555), and natural hybrids may not even exist at all (e.g. Rehfeldt 2004, Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-134 "the phenotypic resemblance between these species is so close that hybrids have been reported, careful studies have failed to uncover incidences of natural hybridization"). They have also proved difficult (though not impossible) to cross artificially ("Controlled crosses between blue spruce and Engelmann spruce obtained up to 2 percent sound seed set when Engelmann spruce was the female parent" - USFS). In practice, "hybrids" are very likely to prove not to be so.

Resin

Thank you for sharing this research, Resin. I am now more skeptical about its hybrid possibility. I will keep it as engelmannii in my mind.

Once again, beautiful tree you have, Dave.

-Sam

Dave, beautiful pics, on both sides your 'Bush' Lace does have other pretty Picea companions as the 'Perry's Gold' and the 'Niemetz'.

Will and Sam, also in this case a thinking or a story isn't enough...also here counts "seeing is believing".
During our U.S. trip Henk and I saw a stressed 'Bush's Lace' at Gee Farms and it had some cones.
Henk showed a pic of those cones in another topic from a while ago.
Resin pointed out that it was a Picea engelmannii cone...

Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace' cone
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Dave, in my eyes you are a conifer rock star. Your arrangements are spectacular conifer artistry.

I thought I would toss in a picture of mine too. It kind of looks like a sad clown compared to the others lol =)

I haven't had mine for a full growing season yet but I think it's going to be a fast grower like Will said his are. It looks like it grew a foot last year.

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Hi Dave, Your 'Bush's Lace' looks great as does everything around it. As always your photos of your beautiful garden are a real treat for eyes.

Dan