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Help me shop for a conifer please

gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago

7 years ago

Zone 5, 30 miles SW of Chicago. I want a pyramidal shaped conifer for full sun, no size limitation. Clay soil. Leaning toward Norway Spruce or a fir?. Also, is it OK to plant this fall or better to wait for next spring. Thanks.

Featured Answer

Naughtilus

7 years ago

I would plant x3 Abies magnifica (California red fir) in a tight irregular triangle pattern. That way you get a small forest in the space of one large tree. If you plant more in a group, they look even better.

For a single tree I'd go Picea abies (Norway spruce) or Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir).

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Comments (16)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
early fall would be great ... or after ground thaw in spring.. april ...

are you willing to mail order a prime specimen ... or willing to drive across Chi. and visit a place for some great ideas??? .. see link ... best afternoon you could ever spend .. even if you dont buy anything .... i would call ahead.. and make an apptmnt for a guided tour ...

the two options you mention sound like bigboxstore options ... blehhhh ... lol ...

btw.. they make telephone poles out of Norway spruce ... they really are forest trees .. given decades .. unless you find some dwarfer variety ...

see potential here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Picea+abies&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwja1pK_kY_OAhVn7YMKHQsUA2wQ_AUICCgB&biw=951&bih=745&dpr=0.9

good luck

ken

http://www.richsfoxwillowpines.com/
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
7 years ago
Google Metasequoia then Metasequoia Ogon. A friend ofbmine in Chicago has two species trees I gave him which are growing well. I wouldn't think they would have 100 foot potential up north but they seem to grow well.
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Ok, what is it with these plants - more often than not, I see a nice photo of a beautiful evergreen and it takes my breath away! I'm liking the looks of Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'glauca pendula'. It doesn't look particularly blue in the photos I've seen. Any thoughts on how it will look next to this pyramidalis stuff? Gosh I would love to get rid of those (they don't take my breath away!). The textures seem like they could be too similar. Green arrow is probably a bit too narrow - but maybe it is just because I am seeing pictures of juvenile plants? I will definitely have some mini conifers in the area in front of the house. I have been known to leave the nursery with those cute little ones that fit great in a winter pot (but get quickly buried in a summer pot). Maybe someday my 6" dwarf hinoki nana lutea will be big enough to go in the garden... I saw a Picea Omorika "Riverside" a few weeks ago. It was a nice tree, but it looks like the spread is up to 15, which might be a bit much for me. A lady I was talking to at the nursery said she really likes the Vanderwolf Limber Pine. It was a very soft tree, 15-20 high x 8-10 wide the tag said. I've been looking for pictures of some of the cedrus deodar narrow forms - in particular, quiksilver was one I read about but haven't seen anywhere. What about cedrus atlantica's here in the PNW? Do they do ok? I see the weeping blue atlas cedar everywhere, but fastigiata looks interesting... So, I have to laugh about the "how to move a rhody" discussion. I have never been "gentle" to them when moving them. I stick that shovel in wherever I can get it through the roots and then lever them out and drag them across the yard by whatever means I can to a better spot. I started out moving them in the fall or spring, but have done a couple in the height of summer. I swear you can't kill those things here. One of them blew over in an ice/wind storm while I was out of town and was sideways for a couple weeks before being put back in the ground. It didn't even blink. I have to believe there are people in the PNW that consider them weeds they are so tough! And I love them for that!
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kentrees12
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gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for the tips. I checked the Metasequoia; not really the look I have in mind.
Garen Rees
7 years ago
How about Picea engelmanii 'Bush's Lace'. It's one of my favorites and grows quite fast. It's a weeper with a very strong central leader so you won't have to stake it unless it's a young graft.

Here's mine
gardener365
7 years ago
Beauty, Garen.

Gracie, I live in the same climate as you. I really like my Canaan firs and Serbian spruces.

Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis

Picea omorika

You can't go wrong with these.

Dax
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago thanked gardener365
Mike McGarvey
7 years ago
What is the purpose for this tree? Shade, specimen, privacy?

Why just one?

Mike
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
Original Author
7 years ago
miketann, speciman for front yard.
gardener365
7 years ago
Probably the best price you'll find for a Serbian spruce:

Evergreen Plant Nursery: Picea omorika 2-gallon

They have 1-gallons also for 5.95.

I've bought many trees from them and they are of good quality roots and the trees themselves. They have many other spruces for the same price. They lack in firs though. Abies koreana is choice and they sell them but it's going to be extremely slow to grow. And you don't want to plant Douglas fir which is the only other fir (not true fir) they offer.

Dax
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago thanked gardener365
plantkiller_il_5
7 years ago
dax , why not douglas in north IL. ?

ron
maackia
7 years ago
Garen, your 'Bush's Lace' looks almost identical to mine. Nice conifer!

Dax, I couldn't agree more with your Korean Fir and Serbian Spruce suggestions. The only difference I might have would be growth rate of the Korean Fir. Following the disastrous winter of '13-'14, this seedling has grown 4'. It's not super fast, but not exactly slow either.
gardener365
7 years ago
Ron, needle cast.

Bob, I've never heard of a Korean fir growing that much. That's interesting to me. I gave a 1-gallon (beautiful seedling) to a friend in WI with wonderful, rich, black-loam; this was I'd say five-years ago and she told me it "has really grown." Apparently, from a foot to now 2.5' she 'approaching 3''. I thought that was a ton considering the first 4-5 years trees put a lot of energy into the roots - as their priority.

Here, on loamy clay after 8-years I have Nordmann firs now 3' tall or 3.5' I'd guess. I also have Canaan firs going on 10-12'; Serbian spruces going on 9'; These all being from a 12=16" bare-root seedling pl. 2008.

What size root-system was your Korean fir and what year planted?

Dax
maackia
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
It was planted spring of 2013 from either a #7 or #10 pot. Oregon Pride was the grower and it was very, very healthy. I couldn't believe my good luck when I ran across it at a nursery in Duluth, MN. BTW, you can see where it suffered winter damage above the snow line that first year. The dead needles are still hanging on. Does Korean Fir ever lose its dead needles?

This has been a exceptional year for firs, with most (fraseri, concolor, and koreana) putting on 20"-28" vertical growth.
plantkiller_il_5
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Gracie , here is a nice one,,,picea abies 'argenteospica'

medium to large,,, imagine dark green , couple weeks in spring ,,POW

Ron

this is just a small guy,,,available from conifer kingdom
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago thanked plantkiller_il_5
plantkiller_il_5
7 years ago
other specimen worthy,,,all norways

Perrys gold

a few other spring flush ones I can't remember

RED spring flush,,,Rydal , Rubra spicata

ron
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago thanked plantkiller_il_5

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