Blue, not until you said no. I'd like to visit it and really look around the arboretum but the last two times I spent too long in their plant center (incidentally where I bought the GS). I'm ridiculously confused by the pines I see roadside as I drive my lorry up and down the country. I seem to see varieties of possible p.sylvestris in colours from aqua blue to dark green and forms from very regular 'fingered' (generally the bluishish/greeny greyish) to the classic bare trunked with upward clusters - also massive fully branched specimens. Does p.s come in such variety or am I seeing entirely different trees?

I think your plants may not have been acclimated that much direct sun. It could be a disease, but looks like sunburn to me. I've had one of these in a pot for a few years and every time sun shines directly on it except the very first or last rays of the day, it burns. I gave up trying to acclimate it to any direct sun since it looks fantastic in all shade, very red leaves with an occasional pink stripe, made flowers about a month ago inside the house.

I live in Arkansas, now. I fell in love with these plants when I lived in Oregon. I also bought some Deerfoot Vanillaleaf seeds from a seed bank and am going to try keeping them as houseplants, too. Maybe I'm insane, but I have to try. You seem to know a lot about these ferns. I have looked everywhere for instructions on them, but no one else seems to be growing them as houseplants. I've just got them in some moss on top of ordinary planting soil in clay pots. I don't have any shade at all in my current rental. It is encouraging to think that perhaps I have not killed it. Come to think of it, the smaller of the plants did already shed the top part of the plant, but seems to be growing back. I figured it was just the stress of having been partially eaten by a beetle, while in transit. Ultimately, I'd like to propagate them and have lots and lots of them around my home.

Forgot to mention, I'm in NY so it's been pretty cold. It went into the 20s on Friday, which is why I think the heat may help