Sam, nice find which ofcourse is worth propagating!
The last pic shows us that some nice scions are availlable ;0)

The quantity of dead wood in the crown makes it lok decidedly scrawny and not very attractive.

Also if you did propagate the lower crown shoots, they'll just form a shapeless sprawling mound with no leader. To get anything resembling the original, you'd have to climb to the top and get some material with strong apical dominance (i.e., any forked leader, or an epicormic shoot with erect growth).

So, all in all, I'd say not worth propagating.

Resin

Not true Michael, these branches in the crown aren't dead but a typical characteristic for weeping forms.
A little while ago Dave shows us some pics of a Picea abies 'Cobra' and a weeping douglas fir (second pic, right side) which both shows us the bald upper part of their branches.
Please see the link.

Another thing is that propagation material from weeping forms don't have to be taken from the top which shows a strong apical dominance.
Material from sidebranches is also possible but you have to stake these young plants for several years till a strong leader will appaer and the stake could be cut loose.

Nursery men should have a very big problem if they only could use grafting material with a strong apical form.
If they deppend only from these branches they never could make bigger amounds of the same cultivar.
From my own experiences I can tell you that 90% of the propagated weeping forms are taken from side branches.

You're the species expert here at this forum, please keep it that way and don't mention things from which you don't have the knowledge about...

Here is a link that might be useful: Dave's weeping forms

I'd say you're both right in some regards. The side branches that I would be grafting would not be a good apical leader.
However, as Coniferjoy stated, it could probably be trained to form a leader.
Who's to say Resin can't explore outside the realm of his expertise?
Here are a few more pics. The trunk jogs incredibly in this one:
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-Sam

That amount of dead twigs would, in fact indicate the tree had experienced a problem. But the main reason not to name it and put it on the market would be that it does not depart markedly from other introductions already there.

Propagating for personal use only, different story.

Sam, I'm to say that Michael is wrong in all his comments this time, but he may explore whatever he wants as long as he keeps his comments to hisself when it comes to conifer cultivars (which he hate) and the way they have to be propagated.
This isn't his field, conifer species is.

The thing is that weeping conifers with an upright leader can be successful propagated from side branches because it's in their DNA to grow upright.
As I mentioned before, young plants of these cultivars have to be staked for a while untill they can grow upwards by themselfs, mostly this is a matter of a few years.

For instance my Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Filip's Golden Tears'.
I found this one as a seedling selection from the 'Dik's Weeping'.
The leader of the original plant has never bin touched, all propagated ones derived from side branches.
Young plants will be staked till 2 metres and then the stake will be removed and from then on these plants will grow upwards by themselves.
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The dead twigs in Sam's pic is of it's old age and the bad location it is standing in a lot of shade.
I bet if it was standing in a free location without surrounding trees, it condition would be a lot better.

In my opinion this weeping form is a fantastic one because of it's slender habit, the other I'm familiar with aren't growing this way certainly not when they're older.
Get it propagated and give it a name...

Here is a link that might be useful: Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Pendula'

Alright. Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'll post some pictures to the thread if I get it propagated.

-Sam

I really like the way that trunk noodles its way toward the sky!

And so a name is born... Pseudotsuga menz. 'Noodle'. Nice description, Nate, for a nice plant, Sam.

tj

Well, I finally got some cuttings from this tree which is now officially going to be named (drum roll...........
Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Albers Elegant Weeping'
My reasoning for naming this tree as such are: (1) to honor Dr. John Albers who gave me a great start in conifers and dedicated a portion of his garden to Sam's Conifer Reserve & (2) to emphasize its graceful and elegant weeping form!
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Here are some pictures of the scions waiting to be grafted in refrigerated Ziploc bags.
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I will post grafting updates in the coming weeks.

Happy New Year and happy conifering, everyone!

-Sam

Looking forward to growing it Sam. It's interesting if not beautiful quite yet. :)

-Will

Sam, I think it will be a wonderful tree! Currently, it's agony in this narrow place. You'll give him a new life and a his own name. You will save him. It's wonderful:)

Ireena

I think it's quite nice. I want one! :)

Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Albers Elegant Weeping'

===>>>>

let me beat joy to this one..

i must be written ... Albers' .... lol ...

to be honest.. i dont know if the possessive is requisite.. i am just goofing around ...

but if you had transposed the name to something like

Albers Weeping Elegance ..

we could have all just used A.W.E. for the name.. lol ...

congrats ...

ken

ps: i didnt know there was actually a MR/Dr/professor albers .. go figure. ...

This is a perfect example of mindset. If this tree had been on my land I would have targeted it for cutting to prevent it from spreading its gene-pool and contaminating future tree population with inferior genetics. Always looking to improve existing tree population for timber, etc. Interesting that someone else looks at this tree and sees a different potential and uses I would not have thought of.

I like your 'Albers Elegant Weeping' quite a lot, Sam, and I hope I can receive a scion or two one day. I also am impressed with your diplomacy and maturity in these forums. You will go far, young man.

Would love to have this one in my collection, let me know how grafting goes ;)

Hi Treeguy,

be aware that this is a cultivar of the Coastal Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. Menziesii. As such any potential for magnificence is regrettably limited to the Pacific Northwest.

Seems that the Rocky Mountain variety (var. Glauca) is better for the majority of the country.

However, if you're like me, you'll try anything once. Good luck if Sam gets a plant to you.

~Dave

You Go Sam!

be aware that this is a cultivar of the Coastal Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. Menziesii. As such any potential for magnificence is regrettably limited to the Pacific Northwest.

==>> it figures..

put it on the LIST .. take it off the list ...

and you guys save me lost money .. the best part!!! ...

ken

I thought it would sound good with the 'Dr.' added if you didn't mind it sounding a bit like 'Dr. Alber's Excellent Elixir' lol.

Great find and be sure to name the next one after your accomplished self!

Love the funky structure,and the slender growth

Yeah, the coastal variety would be less likely to do well here. . . I would be willing to try anything once though!

I read with interest this posting with pictures showing curvatures in the trunk of the tree describing it as 'noodle' and 'funky structure'. Could someone explain please how such repeated curves are created? That tree seems to be at least 20 ft tall, and is still doing it. Is it simply weak wood? These are permanent kinks in the stem.

I have a 5ft Picea orientalis 'Skylands', 8ft Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns' and 4ft Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst' which twist similarly after planting them in 2010 and 2011. Skylands seems to be straightening out, I staked Pendula Bruns. All 3 turned away from the sun the first year, Pendula Bruns is still doing it.

Bernd

Bernd, it is natural for Pendula Bruns to continue with a narrow, weeping form and a slightly bending trunk. The others should straighten out. (You want them to so that they can attain their true forms.)

'Albers Elegant Weeping' has been grafted.
6 scions were grafted traditionally about 2 cm from the base of the rootstock.
5 were grafted 45 cm up on the rootstock to make a graceful, cascading form.
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-Sam

Nice grafting job Sam!
I hope all will grow into nice trees.
Please inform us later on about your result...

Let me guess, it's the one along Hwy 16 north of Gig Harbor. I was never enthusiastic enough about doug fir to stop and look closely at it, but I look forward to seeing how it does in cultivation.

Yes, Ian, that is the one. Good thing we didn't both propagate it under different names!

-Sam