Nice Dax, super, it is time to do some grafts....
Jan wbgarden
PS. BTW, can you send me some scions...???

Here is a link that might be useful: Witch´s brooms hunts.

"PS. BTW, can you send me some scions...???"

Note that the EU prohibits the import of live conifer foliage from North America! Too high a risk of transfer of potentially dangerous disease organisms (including the possible causative agent of the witch's broom).

Resin

Quote:

"General Prohibitions :
PROHIBITED IMPORTS

These prohibitions concern the import into the EU, or spread by human agency within the EU, of specified commodities.
...
Plants of Abies, Cedrus, Chamaecyparis, Juniperus, Larix, Picea, Pinus, Pseudotsuga and Tsuga originating in non-European countries
...
Cut branches of Abies, Cedrus, Chamaecyparis, Juniperus, Larix, Picea, Pinus, Pseudotsuga and Tsuga originating in non-European countries"

Resin

Here is a link that might be useful: EU Plant health regulations

Rock and Roll Mad Man!!!
Very nice shape. Will you have some for 08 grafting?
'Nancy' is still MIA.

Gran...

I remember this debate. It's like "Russion Roulette" with a minute but "serious" 'one'. ...:>) If that makes any sense whatsoever.

Jan and Resin went a few rounds once already.

Dare I say anything this time gentlemen!

Regards,

Dax - professional grafter.

Hi Resin,
you are right...
Jan wbgarden

Here is a link that might be useful: Dwarf conifers garden

Please forgive my ignorance, but could you explain the significance of the witches' broom? what it means? how it happens? how rare is it? what do you do with it? what is the desired outcome? Thanks!

If you collect shoots off them, and graft them onto seedling rootstocks, you get new dwarf cultivars.

Jan will post you some of his pics soon, I guess! (or take a look at his website)

How they happen: various causes, some by fungal or mistletoe infection, others perhaps viruses, but for most, not known.

Generally, they are moderately rare, but keep looking in treetops, and you'll find some sooner or later.

Resin

Thanks Resin. That must be an intriguing experiment, creating new dwarf cultivars. I'm nearing 50 and finally have my first (and last) house and am impatient for huge trees. Wonder if anybody is trying to cultivate a very fast-growing gets-enormous-quickly type of tree? Looked at Jan's site, all these cool little conifers are perfect for a terraced rock / ground cover garden. If I were 17 years old on already-established land it would be a delightful pursuit. Will keep my eyes out for witches' broom and post location for all you avid dwarf grafters.

"Wonder if anybody is trying to cultivate a very fast-growing gets-enormous-quickly type of tree?"

Yeah . . . they get called things like "Leyland Cypress" and "Green Giant" . . . and most of the time, they're not very highly rated ;-)

Could anyone take a stab at it and give the approx. age of this broom.

kmanzfive, hard to say from the pic, some dimentions would help, but at a guess I would say around 12-15 yrs.
Bluespruce

Bluespruce,

it was about 4' wide x 20" to 24" tall

could be about 20 yrs+ then.

It's a beauty!

If you can visit the broom when the candles are developing you should be able to tell how fast the broom is growing and take an estimated guess on how old the broom is.
Mike

Cascadians, the type of tree you seek is what most species of trees are naturally. You live among some of the biggest, fastest growing trees in the world out here in the Pacific Northwest. Cultivars mostly reduce the scale, which is handy for gardening purposes, not to mention kind of cool. Some cultivars also toy with colour (Larix 'Blue Rabbit' perhaps?) or density (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Erecta' perhaps?) or droopiness (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Green Arrow' perhaps?) or other qualities. But if it's big and fast you're after, you don't need to navigate through the amazing selection of cultivars available; look no further than various species trees. And maybe then indeed you can find cultivars for others.

By the way Kman, nice find!

KarinL