Will, I just hope to open a new window to a conifer world, which we went by till now. It's long ago known, that a lot of Abies species with their vertical root system are more tolerable for droughts, as any other conifers. If they tolerate hard frosts too, the success may come. Last years Abies selections (and some NOT forgotten old cultivars) Abies concolor Argentea Published Detrichée 1903 as Abies concolor var. candicans Breeder/Found Niemetz 1903, Temesvár HUN, now ROM Introduced Description Photo documentation Abies concolor Argentea Photo author Jiri Holata CZ Abies concolor Bella Published 1995 Mesterházy Zsolt in the Conifer Treasury Breeder/Found 1975 Barabits E. HUN Introduced 1991 Zwijnenburg Nurs., into HOL as Biella Description A nice conical dwarf blue selection. Some specimen exported to Holland. Photo documentation Abies concolor Bella Photo author me at Orlóci, László Abies concolor Bella Photo author me Abies concolor Globosa Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Tresury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 1905 Niemetz, Temesvár HUN, now ROM Introduced Description as to be seen Photo documentation Abies concolor Globosa Photo author me Abies concolor Globosa Photo author me Abies concolor Globosa Photo author me Abies concolor Hordó Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2009 Mesterházy Zsolt in the cemetery of Pécs HUN Introduced 2010 Mesterházy Pinetum HUN Description A dense upright blue dick clon, grows as usual Photo documentation Abies concolor Hordó Photo author me Abies equi-trojani Akseki Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2004 Hódi Tóth József HUN from sport of Irmasan Gecidi, 1600 m Toros Mts., TUR Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description A hardy, conical habited, well shaped, long needle clone. Photo documentation Abies equi-trojani Akseki Photo author me Abies equi-trojani Irmasan Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2004 Hódi Tóth József HUN from sport of Irmasan Gecidi in Toros Mts., 1600 m, TUR Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description A hardy, conical habited, bright darkgreen, long needle clone. Photo documentation Abies equi-trojani Irmasan Photo author me in Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies grandis Citromkoktél Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 1986 of seed by Mesterházy Zsolt HUN Introduced 2010 Mesterházy Pinetum, Erdõtarcsa HUN Description Light lemon-green leaved, slow growing seedling, 1,5 m in 23 years Selected for droughts, heat and hard frosts up to -30 Celsius Photo documentation Abies grandis Citromkoktél Photo author me in the Mesterházy Pinetum Abies grandis Citromkoktél Photo author author me in the Mesterházy Pinetum Abies grandis Citromkoktél Photo author author me in the Mesterházy Pinetum Abies lasiocarpa Florin Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 1998 Hódi Tóth József HUN of seed of Sheffields Seed, USA Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description Quite slow growing, blueish foliage, regular conical habit. White-gray bark, soft cork. Drought tolerant, needs place in a greater rock-garden. Photo documentation Abies lasiocarpa Florin Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies lasiocarpa Florin Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies nordica x - A. nordmanniana x A. pinsapo Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2009 Hódi Tóth József HUN from sport of a garden in Budapest, HUN Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description A fast growing clone between two parents with gray shoots and very deep green needles, nearly around the axis, very little buds. A. nordmanniana x A. pinsapo Photo documentation Abies nordica x - A. nordmanniana x A. pinsapo Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies nordica x - A. nordmanniana x A. pinsapo Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies pinsapo Bell Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2004 Hódi Tóth József from sport in Pesthidegkút, HUN Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description A regular habit with quite long, soft needles, deep green with a blueish touch", slow growing. Photo documentation Abies pinsapo Bell Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies pinsapo Névtelen Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2004 Hódi Tóth József HUN from sport of a garden in Pesthidegkút, HUN Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description A regular habit with quite long needles, fast growing, insignis-like". Photo documentation Abies pinsapo Névtelen Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies pinsapo Zöldike Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2004 Hódi Tóth József HUN from sport of a public park in Budakeszi, HUN Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description 1 cm long grassgreen needles, bright, green-yellow buds, growth as usual. Photo documentation Abies pinsapo Zöldike Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies pinsapo Vax Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 2004 Hódi Tóth József HUN from sport of a public park in Budakeszi, HUN Introduced Arizonica Nursery, Csákvár, HUN Description Glauca-like, however short and tight needles, slow growing. Photo documentation Abies pinsapo Vax Photo author me in the Arizonica Arboretum HUN Abies pinsapo Zrínyi Ilona Published 2010 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury of Hungary 1.0 Breeder/Found 1983 received as a seedling by Mesterházy Zsolt HUN Introduced 2010 Mesterházy Pinetum, Erdõtarcsa HUN 2011 Tóth Gyula Nursery Gödöllõ, HUN Description A lemon shaded blue conical compact fir, 2,5 m in 23 years Photo documentation Abies pinsapo Zrínyi Ilona Photo author me Abies pinsapo Zrínyi Ilona Photo author me Abies savonlinnensis x Abies alba x Abies lasiocarpa Published 2005 Mesterházy in Conifer Treasury 2.0 Breeder/Found 1991 Mesterházy wild found in Savonlinna, Finland Introduced 2010 Mesterházy Pinetum, Erdõtarcsa HUN Description A short leaved narrow, conical tree, 2 m in 18 years. Cones reminding more to Abies lasiocarpa. Photo documentation Abies savonlinnensis x Abies alba x Abies lasiocarpa Photo author me Abies savonlinnensis x Abies alba x Abies lasiocarpa Photo author me Abies savonlinnensis x Abies alba x Abies lasiocarpa Photo author me Zsolt

I was in southwest Germany (Freiburg) in April of 2010. There were fig trees growing in that region, as it is one of the mildest parts of Germany. By the cathedral there is a market. One of the vendors was selling potted herbs and other plants. I asked her if she sold fig trees. She said that at her nursery they only sell one kind of fig and to her knowledge it was the only variety grown in that area. She said the name of it is "Bauer" (which means "farmer" in German). She said that it had to be protected the first few winters and then is ok after that. Not sure if it is the same variety being grown near Munich, but it might be. Joe

Nate, I'm really ko because of the strange characters what gardenweb makes. Kekfesto - or Kékfestő- is the correct name. This means "painting blue", an old hungarian job to prepare clothes in cooking blue colors. Finally Toth Gyula prepared the O series grafts of my all new cultivars. Next week I plant them in a topsecret place as a mother plantage. I hope really, some of them may loved trees later. Zsolt

lemonhead, thanks for picking up on the research paper/project question. I find the responses very interesting and informative. I'd bet that you still remember more about Bonnie Prince Charlie than many of us ever learned. If I hadn't had a brother who loved Sir Walter Scott's Waverly and anything by Robert Louis Stevenson, I would have gone through elementary and secondary school without hearing a thing about the Jacobites. I took an anthropology class in gender language differences and found it both fascinating and dismaying. For instance, females often have a 'voice' they speak with around other females, but if a male enters an otherwise all-female group some of the gals' voices change immediately (often becoming breathier), no matter if the females are eight or eighty years old. I already knew this from observation and often found it annoying; but that it is largely an unconscious thing on the part of some females irritated me even more because I had thought it was a matter of choice, a mere affectation or a bad habit. elliottb: I'm intrigued how and why myths come to be, though the myths themselves don't interest me much. I will take a look at the 'Unhistory'. I know what you mean about anything "that holds interest" -- so in furtherance to your dilemma and mine, I will respond to woodnymph: woodnymph, I would enjoy a nonfiction thread and I would certainly contribute. Nonfiction seems to get short shrift here at RP. I know you mention the NF you read, Mary, but I'd say the "What are you reading?" thread runs something like 70/30 or 75/25 percent, favoring fiction over nonfiction. I can never keep up with all the bestselling fiction -- sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm only one person while there are dozens of people here at RP (and multitudes elsewhere) following the fiction trends. Yet nonfiction is even wider than fiction, so it's hard to comprehend that reading through post after post and there's hardly a mention of it. Maybe a thread devoted entirely to NF would bring more of it out -- I hope it would.