They grow till they die.

If it grew for 50 years I guess at a given time frame in it's life, if measured, a correct answer is possible. Then again that would only be for that tree, Depending upon micro climate, rain fall and a multitude of other variables growth will vary.

I have one planted 8 years ago at 6 ft.tall. It is now 12 ft. tall and 6 ft. wide.

Dave

I guess I look at the 10 year time frame, starting at let's say 12". Everything I see says it is going to be a narrow tree. I have seen 2-3 ft at 10 years. Will it vary with the tree?

It's not columnar, just partly yellow. The typical green tree grows quite large. This is a little slower growing, as yellow forms often are. If you don't have room for a tree, maybe plant something else.

ingeborgbot

This is one conifer that needs adequate space for it to grow in. Also one that you would never want to take out later because of space limitations. Although quite common in the trade now it remains very unique and desirable in the landscape setting.

If you buy one then screening for several years is a must to insure its survival. Once it is acclimated then it requires no further attention.

Dave

Taken from the ACS database.

Record Details: Picea orientalis 'Skylands'

Index #: 101980
Botanical Name: Picea orientalis 'Skylands'
Plant Patent#:
Common Name: Oriental Spruce
Status: Established, Registration Unknown - ' ' added.
Origin: Unknown
Form: Broad Upright or Oval
Size: Large: > 12" (30cm) per yr, > 15' (4.5m) at 10 yrs.
Color: Yellow or Gold
USDA Zone: 4 (-30 to -20 F / -34.4 to -28.9 C)
Description:
(Distinctive
characteristics.) [Excerpt from Dwarf & Unusual Conifers Coming of Age A Guide to Mature Garden Conifers
By Sandra McLean Cutler]
aka Picea orientalis 'Aurea Compacta'. Golden yellow when young; interior dark green as it matures, contrasting against new golden growth; prefers partial shade when young; rich yellow-green foliage when grown in partial shade; beautiful red cones in early spring; slow-growing pyramidal form; 6-12"/yr, 4'H/3'W

A slow growing oriental spruce, with bright yellow-gold foliage that is finer and softer than most spruce.
Introduction:
(Who was first to
intro and when?) 1979 - Found at Skyland Gardens a part of the New Jersey Botanical Gardens at Ringwood, NJ now known as Ringwood State Park.
Publication:
(Date and location
of publications.) 1993 The World Checklist of Conifers by Welch and Haddow.
Submitted By:
(And source info.) (Barger); Robert A. Obrizok - A Garden of Conifers: Introduction and Selection Guide; Second edition (1994); Capability's Books.
Record Added By:
Revision Date: 12/22/2006

Why are there so many different size variables listed?

hey inge

the key to what dave provided is this:

Size: Large: > 12" (30cm) per yr, > 15' (4.5m) at 10 yrs.

in other words.. its annual growth rate.. once ESTABLISHED ... is in excess of 12 inches ..

ergo.. in 10 years.. in excess of 12 feet ... [minus the reduced growth rate prior to establishment] ...

the one at hidden lakes is at least 30 to 40 feet high.. and no.. i dont know how long it took ...

as to tags?? ... that is a mystery left to the ages ... who knows..

when you find a name.. google the latin plus 'annual growth rate' ... to get info like daves.. and come to your own conclusions about size at whatever number of years ...

ken

So the skylands grows more than 12" per year and over 15 ft? I think that sucks. No where did I find any info on a skylands that grew that fast.

i googled: Picea Orientalis Skylands annual growth rate

which led me to this:

http://www.google.com/search?q=Picea+Orientalis+Skylands%3F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=7YO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&sclient=psy-ab&q=Picea+Orientalis+Skylands+annual+growth+rate&oq=Picea+Orientalis+Skylands+annual+growth+rate&aq=f&aqi=q-w1&aql=&gs_l=serp.3..33i21.2005.4694.0.4821.19.19.0.0.0.0.204.2551.0j17j1.18.0...0.0.KtPAXDIKFwE&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=979bd29791388247&biw=974&bih=954

which led me to the link below ...

and you might want to read it carefully and find out what is in front of it ...

you have the world wide web at your finger tips.. and as you have found.. relying on advertising .. which is what labels are.. is going to get you nowhere ... fast ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

So, for me, unless I have wide open area and about 30 or more square feet don't plant it. I will probably just plant it and just pull it out when it gets too big I guess. I have had an a. spicata for around 10 years now and it is just at five feet. I bought it at 3 ft. Maybe I'll get lucky and get one of the plants that at 17 years is only at 42" like one of the articles posted and then maybe not. I have an 8' area that I am going to try it in. Sure hope I get lucky.

I meant 300 square feet.

Relatively speaking it is a narrow growing selection. If I was you I would use the dimensions Dave gave you since he is likely in a similar climate.

Sounds like over the course of 16 years his plant is now 12' x 6'. Typically plants slow down as they age. So lets double that as a worst case scenario. So at the age of 32 years this plant will be 24' x 12'.

If its being planted in a clay like soil (well drained of course) and its exposed to lots of wind you won't get anywhere near that.

I rarely go off posted growth rates. I always try to find someone growing the cultivar in a similar climate as me. Looks like you have accomplished this in this post.

I will be the only one in my region for probably hundreds of miles growing this so I won't be able to check others. I hate to do it but if it does get too tall in 15 years, I'll just get rid of it. In 32 years I'll most likely be dead anyway so, I'll just let the people that buy my house worry about that.:)

Now you finally hit where I live. While I did try to leave decent growth space around the conifers in my garden, ultimately at almost 60 now I figure I'll be dead and gone before any of the really big size issues come into play.....so I don't care.

Ultimately I just wanted my own pretty little forest in Oklahoma.

mark

I like your thinking. I love my forest also and want to create more. Why should I not have something I want? I have some plants of at least 15 years old and they are growing everyday. Some, I trim the lower branches that don't look as nice and plant smaller conifers or groundcovers underneath. It looks pretty nice, but no where near as nice as the pictures of the gardens from people in the northwest. And some of you guys have so much stinking room to work with, it is just crazy. People from all over come to take a look at mine but if they would see some of the pictures of the gardens on here they would drool over these like I do. There is some nice stuff on here and I am going to get some more of it in my back yard. :)

I say get what makes you happy now and if needed cut it down once it gets to large. Some of the ones I planted will have enough room to grow for many decades before they have a space problem. Some may have a space problem as soon as 10 years from now. So I'll have to do some thinning out when time comes, but at least I can enjoy them until then.

I think almost everyone on these forums have done some thinning out or will need to do some in the future. Unless you own many acres and plant everything 50' apart.