Funny you should bring this up. I am having a problem remaining faithful to a couple of plants. Picea morrisonicola, pictured, just doesn't excite me at all; not even the new growth is interesting. I'm wondering if its mature shape will be worth waiting for... but I don't really think I have the space to wait.

I've actually been meaning to ask an opinion about this one - is it an interesting enough specimen that one should try to find it a worthy home if one did not want to keep it?

KarinL

I dunno...I guess I find plants such interesting organisms and of course conifers more interesting than most that I tend to enjoy them for what they are. I even see intrest in each of the plants pictured above. (shrug)

tj

"Picea morrisonicola, pictured, just doesn't excite me at all; not even the new growth is interesting. I'm wondering if its mature shape will be worth waiting for... but I don't really think I have the space to wait. I've actually been meaning to ask an opinion about this one - is it an interesting enough specimen that one should try to find it a worthy home if one did not want to keep it?"

Botanically, it is of interest as a species very rare in cultivation (outside of Taiwan, anyway!). Aesthetically, it doesn't have a great deal going for it, a rather 'average' spruce. If you don't have enough space, donate it to a botanical garden where it will be better appreciated.

Resin

Funny how we all think different. The Picea morrisonicola does interest me. I especially like the color. With the right setting and space it would be an eye catcher.
You should have Dax copy and past that conifer into the ACS data base as they are with out a photo or information regarding this one.

Hey tsugajunkie, you have a valid point, all conifers have value. Some just have a better appeal and are more collectible then others. For what it's worth I do acknowledge these three with a shrug when I pass their way. :>)

Dave

"The Picea morrisonicola does interest me"

One point to bear in mind, it is only zone 8-9 hardy

Resin

"I especially like the color"

And another point - KarinL's plant has some sort of nutrient deficiency in that pot; mature specimens I've seen have much greener foliage than that, similar colour to Norway Spruce.

In terms of hardier relatives, it is very similar to Picea wilsonii, to which it is also very closely related.

Resin

Yea Resin, I am aware Taiwan is a sub-tropical island that does have alpine areas. Even with the alpine regions my zone 5 is not applicable.

It is an interesting conifer though.

Dave

Many thanks for the feedback on this plant. Yes, I was wondering whether it would be botanical garden worthy. Interesting point about the colour; it has always looked about like this from purchase to being put into this pot with reasonable (even if not fantastic) soil just last year. Could it be mislabelled? I bought it at a local nursery after there was apparently a local conference of conifer people, and most of the other fairly unusual items appeared to be labelled correctly. It would be a little embarrassing to give Dax incorrect info!

And TJ, your outlook is one I actually share, but as Dave says, "with the right setting and space..." and those are two things that a gardener has in limited quantities and that is probably why he is critical of his not-quite-perfect contributors that I too find quite adequate in theory! Space constraints force us all to make choices (as do money constraints, come to think of it).

Anyway, I probably shouldn't have bought it, but I found the foliage fascinating up close (it has these rogue upright needles that I liken to guard hairs on a cat) and I wasn't sure yet what I could work into my emerging landscape and what I couldn't.

As for your Sungold, Dave, I think that falls into the category of serviceable landscaping plant, one that performs a form function from afar but has no up-close value. Kind of the opposite of mine! I guess either extreme is hard to accommodate.

KarinL

The foliage looks right in needle layout (those "rogue upright needles" are a documented character of the species shared with only a few others*), etc., so I've no reason to think it is wrongly labelled. It's at least 6 or 7 years old; a specimen that age in the ground would have roots spreading at least 3 or 4 metres radius, maybe more, with vastly greater nutrient-gathering opportunities than it does in a pot. Hardly surprising it isn't doing too well in a pot.

Resin

* The others sharing this are P. obovata, P. wilsonii, and sometimes P. schrenkiana and P. smithiana

Karin, I think your quote: "As for your Sungold, Dave, I think that falls into the category of serviceable landscaping plant, one that performs a form function from afar but has no up-close value", applies to all three.

In time as I find correct replacements for these given areas I will yank them.

The Pinus cembra came from Stanley. His remarks: A Swiss Stone Pine. A broad conical dwarf plant. Leaves range from green to blue. Takes forever to get a 12 ft. tree. Very nice pine due to low maintenance. Perfect cone and dwarf.

I was impressed with his description. I had the perfect place for this conifer. In my case a photo would have been worth a 1000 words. I should have resourced this conifer a little more. I can't blame Larry. Maybe he has the perfect dwarf in this cultivar and is describing it as he sees it.

In this world of imperfection I'll just count my losses as knowledge gained and go from there.

Dave

As for poor old 'Sungold' it might help if you start of with the true plant, I doubt Dave's plant is so.
here is mine at 20+ years old, 3 feet high by about 6 feet wide the colour is a good gold all year ,one of the best threadleaf pisiferas in my opinion.
{{gwi:745250}}

Thanks for the photo of what this conifer should look like. I could never tie in the name 'Sungold' with what I was growing. Kind of like the commercial on TV in the 90's, where's the beef...I was always wondering where's the gold.

Chamaecyparis pisfera var. filifera 'Sungold' is what the tag reads.

Cuttings...sure would be nice to have some.

Dave

Dave, have a chat with Dax, I'm sure he knows where to find some.

Thanks again Resin. I'll see what I can do to find it a better home. Even if it's better off than in its sale pot, it's clearly not good enough.

I also wonder if your Pinus cembra is the plant you think you have, Dave. I thought long needle retention was characteristic of these, and mine - a bit younger than yours - is really fuzzy, even on the trunk. Also, yours looks grafted - why would a species need to be grafted? To me this is more reminiscent of a plant my daughter has... something with umbellifera in the name I think. Its bare stems seem to me to be a feature one might actually buy the plant for, but that would frustrate someone looking for the opposite characteristic.

KarinL