C. schraderiana is the only one I've tried so far apart from C. monogyna which doesn't really count on the flavour scale. The trees are hardy here, mine's on a north facing slope and had no problems under a canopy with only 3 or 4 hours of direct morning light a day. The canopy's gone now so it get's a full day's light. It has been slow to grow vertically so is much the same size as I bought it but bushed out and fruited very well in shade, the berries taste being a bit underwhelming off the tree. 1cm around with a large seed(s), sweetish with a nice tang, I would have loved to make a pint of the pulp to drink as that would be far from underwhelming. Better sunlight conditions this year should give the berries more flavour and I might just have enough for a half pint which I'm very much looking forward to. I think my C. pinnatifida var. major "Big Golden Star" will fruit this year. It shot to ten foot tall and branched high but has yet to fruit. My C. arnoldiana has stayed at 18" tall so It'll be a while before I get fruit. C. ellwangeriana is a possibility this year, the plant never gained much height at 3' and has just bushed out. C. durobrivensis has survived low light conditions in a hedge and has now found it's own light places. It should start growing well and fruit in perhaps 2 years time and C. pedicellata gave a lovely show of flowers the spring after it was planted and died from the top down before it fruited.

I'm with ya though. You commonly as people do refer to Juniperus virginiana as a cedar when in fact it is a Juniper that was commonly thought of as a cedar by early Americans because of it's aromatic wood. That Cedar reference should be stricken... however it's tough when nurseries also refer to them as cedars. You do list however 'Skyrocket' which is not species virginiana but it is a Juniper... it's actually of species scopulorum. Any of the scopulorums, omit them. They are disease magnets in humid climates. Then again you may live at a higher altitude. You probably do or you just made a simple error adding 'Skyrocket' to your list. The other cultivars you added, if virginiana I may have heard of 'Pyramidalis' otherwise, I don't know anything about the rest of those, and I am pretty aware of cultivars. I can tell you that a blue form called 'Taylor' is resistant. It was developed by the university of Kansas I believe.... 'Caneaertii' is very desirable. There's a photo on the American Conifer Society website 'Conifer Database'. 'Blue Arrow' is another that's very disease resistant and can be purchased through Monrovia as I recall. It's known in form as a hardy version of what an Italian Cypress looks like. I don't know much more about this. Grafting though, I can help you with. Generally speaking we don't graft conifers in the field except some people on the west coast, but I only say that because they have the ability weather-wise to be able to. However, the conifer grafters use hoophouses and greenhouses, heated. You need a chamber with near 100% humidity, can be a shelf structure covered and wrapped in "lightweight clear poly only" within a heated greenhouse I'll emphasize again with temps in the greenhouse between 50 and 70 degrees F. 60 being perfect. Your grafts are done on pushing bud break rootstocks only and your scions must be 100% dormant, so that means you must warm up the rootstocks for about three to five weeks until you see either white roots growing out of the bottoms of the pots or if the buds are swelling and breaking. The buds must be breaking. It is safe to graft all your scions and rootstocks when 2/3 of the understocks in a "block" are either pushing or showing white root growth. Usually pencil thick seedlings are used as rootstocks but if you know how to graft large scions to large rootstocks, then of course it does not matter. I've bought some conifer whips that were pretty big grafts but I have no experience working with wood of these calipers. The graft should be rubber banded but MI>ultimately sealed with paraphin grafting tape. The grafts are sealed into your shelves, with the clear lightweight poly using furring strips and are initially watered but the furring strip(s) is/are left in place (using screws) until you see signs of scions pushing bud break (commonly called "pushing.") This should take approximately 5-6 weeks. Once a majority are pushing, then remove the furring strips while still allowing the lightweight poly to rest and cover the entire structure to continue helping with maintaining humidity. 90-100% humidity is your range. Acutally 95% and up is what you really are trying to achieve. Never allow the plants to reach past 85-90 degrees F or they'll cook...for an extended period of time... however it does happen that some sunny days may bring temps into the 80's in a fairly large greenhouse and that is fine/OK. Just be aware. Seedlings/Understocks are purchased now and are sent to you for spring delivery where you will pot them up into 5" tree band containters or 12-16 oz. styrofoam cups, etc- although I do realize you'll be using seedlings right from the wild. All grafters find their way that works. This is pretty good information I'm typing here. It should help you immensely. Remember it's controlling three things no matter how you achieve them: Temperature Humidity Sunlight (the more the better without making things too hot). When Spruce push, they need more light than any other conifer so put them in the best place you have for available light... say for instance at the front of your shelves. As to your "pines" you mention above. Pinus virginaina. That's "scrub pine" and is a "hard pine". Pinus koraiensis is a "soft pine" such as a similar other commonly known soft pine because the needles are soft and also because the needles are in pairs of five. Anything with pairs of five needles can be grafted to one another (remember to try to match vigor as well) and anything that is a hard pine which has needles in bundles/groupings of two are graftable onto one another. All spruce are compatible. Same with Abies, same with Larch, etc- All Junipers are compatible. Most do root from cuttings however, virginiana must be grafted. You might get 1 in 1000 to root. They just don't root. Are you in the mountains or the lower valleys with heat and humidity? Dax

they say it is spread every where and it is on all most all of the conservations state lists as being important to reforestation projects but I can't find anyone actually selling bare rooted plants for such conservations projects like here http://www.fcgov.com/naturalareas/pdf/nativepl.pdf and it is on most all states and on Alaska's conservation list. and www.ncnhp.org both say it is "rare" or "uncommon " now. and no nursery had it at the fort collins site that I could find. I checked every web site with a viable link . well maybe it isn't very hardy, why would they stop selling it if it is hardy.

OK, correction; the apples on the branch are NOT King David, but Lady Williams (that's what happens when the Belgian Fence makes tracing the branch to the tag difficult). The King David in the hand are indeed runts, but excellent-tasting runts. I picked the Lady Williams today, also very nice, very marketable, but nothing close to King David. KD is still very firm when ripe, but in a pleasant sort of way, very sweet, with a distinctly winey taste, hints of Welch's grape juice, but also very spicy, appley, sweet-tart, matching the color. KD doesn't keep nearly like Arkansas Black unfortunately, but Lady Williams is reported to keep well and improve in ordinary storage, a plus where there is no refrigeration.