Dax Arb updates are welcome in any forum.

Thanks much.

tj

You're all too kind.

I have 'Kaktus' and I'll get some photos of other mugo's.

Those giant Sequoia's perished during summer. I've given up trying to grow them after several attempts upon which they always die during summer.

No Ron, my dog's name is Goldilocks. She does all the grafting and lives in my greenhouse.

Dax

Sweet! Everything's looking so well at your place, Dax, it's a pleasure to see the progress in your plantings. It must be very satisfying watching these plants which you grafted yourself grow into prime specimens in your arboretum.

I'd like to graft your 'Chillin' Phil' next winter if it's large enough to spare a few cuttings, I like the looks of that one. Did you ever locate a scion source for your 'Sherrie'? Would be sad if that one was lost from cultivation.

Always a pleasure to see your photos, man.

-Alex

Pinus koraiensis 'Avocadra'

Acer japonicum 'Ogurayama' & Dixie - neighbor's dog.

Pinus strobus 'Greenfield'

Pinus strobus 'Uconn Gold'

Picea pungens 'JM3C'

Acer griseum

Pinus mugo 'Kaktus'

Pinus mugo 'Sonnenburg'

Pinus strobus 'Horsham x Contorta'

Pinus strobus 'Horsham x Contorta'

Picea pungens 'Filip's Blue Compact'

Pinus parviflora 'Gimborn's Ideal'

Pinus mugo 'Viki'

Pinus mugo 'Carl Fricard'

Dax

Hi Alex, I found one person with Sherrie. His plants are small but he has two. I'll get scionwood next year.

Likewise, always a pleasure to hear from you. Ask for scions of anything you would like anytime.

Dax

Everything looks awesome! Really cool to see the progression of your Arboretum... I recall you mentioning long term plans of starting a business selling conifers? Is that still in the works? With your grafting skills and access to such a vast array of scion wood, you could be the next Conifer Kingdom...

Nice pictures, I particularly like seeing the Abies "flowers" LOL.

Abies usually take the cake. They're most folks favorites (who can grow them har har ;-)))

sc77: I'm grafting nut trees now. I have a whole new interest in pecans, hicans, some cultivar hickory; heartnuts & English walnuts; persimmon and paw-paw; and fruit trees. I grafted several fruit trees too this year.

Raspberries, blackberries, jostaberry... I planted 14 varieties of grapes, last year - all these things have been going into my property. And I continue to have an interest in other woody ornamentals, too.

I guess you just keep on learning & experiencing - and continually moving with horticulture & ultimately replacing some things you never thought you would with new found interests. It's happening to me.

Dax

The Abies fraseri x koreana are grafted right? If so what is the root stock?

Correct. I didn't hybridize it myself. I purchased it from Stanley & Sons as a grafted cultivar of Abies nordmanniana which it clearly isn't.

Since I didn't graft it, I have no idea what the rootstock may be.

Dax

Edit: I purchased it as A.nordmanniana 'Trautmann'. It just hit me.

Yes it has been awhile Dax...too long...

Always enjoyable to catch a fresh glimpse of your amazing collection!

Al

Thanks Dax! Pinus mugo 'Kaktus' sure lives up to it's name. Wonderful pine.

What's the story behind the whopping big trunk on 'Carl Fricard'? By design or short on rootstock? Reminds me of the penchant in East Europe for sturdy standards.

More pics of your beauties please!

Also, good to see your Pinus contorta 'Asher' has fully recovered from the deer damage and is on it's way. Very few pictures on the net, mostly yours.

I knew you'd remember the 'Asher'.

Carl Fricard is so slow-growing and now approaching probably 5-7 years old that the trunk has thickened up. That's how the trunk would be on any graft that old I would imagine.

It may be a few days or more but I'll start up some pics.

Dax

Thanks Dax, I like a sturdy trunk, makes for a more mini tree like proprtion.

Just like any good arbouretum you remember what you liked and where you saw it.

Looking forward to the nords, purple pungens and more hard pines ;)

How about your Pinus mugo 'Maja'? Looked at your photobucket and remember liking that one when you previously showed it.

Btw. I just bought the last remaining Pinus mugo 'Kaktus' available here ;)

'Maja' is doing well.

I had a sidetracked thought about the caliper of that rootstock on 'Carl Fricard' and do remember that it was a beefy seedling to begin with.

I'll show you my 'Kaktus' again after the needles unfold.

Dax

Hey Dax - couple things. from whom did you acquire your Fire Dragon? My sis who lives in a 40ft motor couch brought me one from that fellow south of Dallas who seems to be the driving force for this culivar. It was container grown and seemed to have an OK root system. Lasted about 4 years before I pulled it out and it had absolutely no root system left. I may have been part of the cause as it was planted in an area that can be rather wet in the spring. However, there's a Pinus koraiensis 'Nana' planted nest to it that is doing fine. So who knows.

Mulch - have you ever considered tree trimmer chips? They are usually free. I've taken some from the arboretum pile and ran them through my 6.5 hp MTD chipper/shredder and they worked fine. And I know other folks that use them as is and they don't look too bad.

Marshall

Hi Marshall,

I bought 'Fire Dragon' when that fella in Texas was offering shipping. It was years ago and however many, I do not recall.

I asked the tree trimmers to dump as much mulch as they ever could but they never did.

If you're ever going to get another 'Fire Dragon' you'll have to watch when Sooner Plant Farm has them available. That's the only place I know of online that sells and ships them.

Dax

More pics to come but rain has stopped me in my tracks. It may not be another week until things have dried up here with more projected rain, and, my ability to mow. Dax

Mow slow Dax, remember (how could you forget) Sticky Whiskers?

Sorry if you were trying to bury that memory.

It was out of sight out of mind. You sure caught me off my guard though.

Tomorrow is mow day. You should see this place. It's a dump!

Dax

Morus 'Kukoso' (field graft)

Morus 'Kukoso' (field graft)

Acer griseum

Azalea 'Golden Lights'

Quercus x 'Firecracker'

Picea pungens 'Wendy'

Picea engelmannii 'Compacta'

Pinus mugo 'Maja'

Pinus heldreichii 'Azte Saule'

Abies concolor 'Heard'

Picea engelmannii 'Blue Angel'

Pinus parviflora 'Yatsubusa' with 'Dax's Stunner' witches broom

Pinus parviflora 'Dax's Stunner' ortet witches broom growing on 'Yatsubusua'. 'Dax's Stunner' produces lots of cones - so will be excellent for hybridizing. Growth rate is 1/2"-3/4" annually.

Pinus parviflora 'Yatsubusa'

Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis

Picea orientalis

Abies nordmanniana - typical of all seedlings recovering from winter 2013

Fagus x 'Prince of Darkness'

Pinus reflexa 'Extra Blue'

Picea abies 'Aurea Jakobsen'

Abies x arnoldiana

Abies x arnoldiana

Pinus jeffreyi

Quercus nuttallii F2 New Madrid

Quercus nuttallii F2 New Madrid

Betula uber

Acer japonicum 'Ogurayama'

Thuja occidentallis 'Frizz' - seedling selection of Hetz Wintergreen (D. Herbst, USA)

Thuja occidentallis 'Frizz' - seedling selection of Hetz Wintergreen (D. Herbst, USA)

Abies koreana 'Silberlocke'

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Silhouette'

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Silhouette'

(14) varieties grape arbor year two

Quercus x 'Birthday Candle'

Quercus libani

Quercus libani

Dax

You should buy a drone and take an aerial video of your property. Pretty cool.

Maybe in another decade once the trees and shrubs have grown.

Cheers,

Dax

I'm jealous, Dax.

How is that Quercus x 'Taco II' looking?

Dax,

You noted that Abies nordmanniana was "recovering from the winter 2013". Were there any other notable/unexpected low temp injuries after these last 2 winters?

F2 bebbiana Taco II is fine. It was grafted as a funky piece so no leader. Otherwise, okay.

Nothing per say notable at all Dave. Picea orientalis seedlings and Abies nordmanniana got shaken up but all will recover except a few nordmanns that I deemed aren't worth saving... and that for me is almost 'never'. I'd nurse a tree back if it would fully recover and these I deemed would not fully recover. I don't know maybe three total of +/- 20.

Last winter was nothing. Two overnight lows of -15 according to NOAA but if I go to Accuweather it would say -11 and a local fella with a weather station also said -11. I've pretty well given up on NOAA. They aren't even close for my location. Just last week they said it was 37 degrees out in the morning and it was 45.

Dax

Great pictures Dax! I love looking at the backgrounds as well. Is you local area flat or gently rolling? Mowing looks like an agricultural task.

The local area has everything from flat land to gently, and large rolling hills.

It continues to rain. I feel like I'm in the UK!

Dax

Raining nearly everyday, still. The farmers here have to be bragging it up, big-time!

A few photos from June 15th:

Abies koreana 'Horstmann's Silberlocke'

Abies koreana 'Nanaimo'

Aesculus turbinata var. pubescens

Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance'

Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' - all this rain is splitting the fruit but the good ones are oh so tasty.

Carya laciniosa

Ginkgo biloba 'Sari'

Larix spp.

Picea omorika 'Peve Tijn'

Picea orientalis 'Gowdy Gold'

Pinus parviflora 'Blue Lou'

Pinus parviflora 'Nasu-juraku'

Pinus parviflora 'Nasu-juraku'

Pinus sylvestris 'Barrie Bergman'

Quercus ellipsoidalis 'December Red'

Sassafras albidum

Thuja occidentallis 'Frizz'

Thuja occidentallis 'Frizz'

Thuja occidentallis 'Rosenthalii'

Dax

Your 'Peve Tijn' is immaculate. Like a stock photo.

'Gowdy Gold' is like a 'Tom Thumb Gold' gone loopy, love it!

'Naimo' looks like it's still making it's mind up about direction. I realised that I've lost more koreanas than any other species, could be the clay or that they are just difficult to establish.

How about a feast of pungens?

Just saw these new pics! Gorgeous as always.

severn: I don't believe koreana's like clay. I've lost several here, too... mine were seedlings on their own roots, however.

Nanaimo has finally made a leader this year. I've been waiting many years. It has decided.

I don't have many pungens. I have a 'Filip's Blue Compact' and a 'MPH Mamut Torony' but that Mamut doesn't know what it's doing yet, either. It's literally so wet here that my shoes and socks get wet if I venture off. And rain rain and more rain is yet in the forecast.

Dax

Finally catching up to your requests Severn, or, my promises to you.

Pinus mugo 'Kaktus'

Pinus mugo 'Sonnenburg'

Pinus mugo 'Sonnenburg'

Pinus heldreichii 'Azte Saule'

Picea pungens 'Filip's Blue Compact'

Picea pungens 'MPH Mamut Torony'

Pinus aristata

Dax

I'm so impressed with what you've accomplished, Dax. It's already fantastic and will only get better over time. The diversity of what you're planting is an inspiration to me. I actually planted a couple of pecans this spring! Thank you for sharing this.

Best regards, Barb.

Dax

I'm afraid to ask what happened to Violet Beauregarde???

But if you only had Mamut Torony' then you have one of the best big beast pungens.

Mugos doing fine, needle perfect new pushes.

So many great plants. That Pinus parviflora 'Dax's Stunner' is freakin awesome!

The Pinus mugo 'Sonnenburg' looks quite interesting. Is it completely fastigiate?

Me wants Picea engelmannii 'Blue Angel' and Fagus x 'Prince of Darkness'.

Looks like I'll have to try Pinus aristata again and plant it in some rocky soil.

Violette Beauregarde is still here. Late evening photos yielded a lot of blurry ones.

Thanks, Garen. I was blown off my mower seat when I sited that W.B. You know... never in a million years would a Pinus.p. W.B. be found. After I found it I emailed Edwin to ask how many had been found and it was between 6 and 8. So, very rare! Plus it cones heavily at a juvenile age.

'Sonnenburg' is turning out to be a favorite of mine. It was a gift from Rich and Susan Eyre (Rich's Foxwillow Pines) and I think it's an obsolete plant. I've never seen another...

I'm slowing on grafting (a lot.) I doubt I'll purchase beech rootstock ever but you can get that plant at G2 Gardens. I'll do my best to get a Blue Angel to you. I'll add to my notes to graft some this coming winter.

Dax

Really! Thanks a million Dax. Your too kind. If you don't get around to it, no worries. I don't want you to go out of your way. If you do, what a privileged and spoiled collector I will be. Please do put it on my tab. =)

I have to ask and maybe it's already been answered, but why no mulch? I assume you use roundup to keep the weeds down? How do you not get it on the plants at all being that close? Perhaps I should go this route to help keep the clay soil a little more dry... but what about winter? No extra insulation for the roots?

I think it's easy to spray round-up. I don't do anything special rather just spray. No mulch because I can't afford it. A 2-gallon bottle of generic glyphosate (round-up) costs 35 dollars and will last a full year.

Winter protection- I guess it's obvious to say it's not necessary.

Dax

The Abies fraseri x koreana - it definitely looks like what I would expect that cross to look like, but he have you had anybody, any experts look at it? Just curious.

Also, that A. concolor 'Heard' - I've been unable to find any pictures of a mature specimen of that cultivar. Does it end up more less shaped like a typical Abies concolor? I like it, but it's hard to tell if it's going to end up globose or pyramidal eventually.

Resin looked at that hybrid and said to the best of his ability it appears to be A.kor x A.fr.

I collected scions of 'Heard' from about a 5-6' tree at Rich's Foxwillow Pines. I collected basically because I had never "heard" of it before. I didn't see any merits to it at that stage but who knows??

Dax