Abies Silver Show

a1an

last month

last modified: last month

Abies Silver Show

A cultivar not widely found from the independent growers-grafters , but still found from Iseli

I found a thread on GW on this cultivar about 15 years ago. Not much talk about it.

Seem to be a smaller denser version of Hortsmann Silberlocke.

I actually wanted a second Icebreaker - treeform- since my original shrub one has got a good 18 inch head on it, but I don't want to buy another another and wait 2 decades + for it to take on a tree form. Just love the smaller needles on this vs. the cultivars being discussed.

So I bought Silver Show....even though there doesn't appear to be much talk about this . I suppose it's also too slow growing, as the #6 was still a small tree. Must be a slow grower and as such, not much consumer interest it.

Featured Answer

maackia

last month

“Seem to be a smaller denser version of Hortsmann Silberlocke.”

That’s not surprising since it originated from a seedling of ’Horstmann’s Silberlocke’. ’Icebreaker’ was also found as a mutation on ’Horstmann’s Silberlocke’. Of these two, ’Silver Show’ will be closer in size and growth rate to Silberlocke.

There’s no right or wrong to planting a larger size, but there is a real sense of satisfaction seeing a small plant slowly make itself into a nice specimen.

I am fond of all Korean Firs and have several in my garden. Here’s the species:

Horstmann’s Silberlocke:

Icebreaker #1:

Icebreaker #2:

Silver Show: (3gal. yet to be planted)

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Comments (8)

plantkiller_il_5
last month
where is the pic ?
a1an
Original Author
last month
last modified: last month
More like mid October. My order is leaving Oregon end of this month-1st week
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last month
So I bought Silver Show....even though there doesn't appear to be much talk about this . I suppose it's also too slow growing, as the #6 was still a small tree. Must be a slow grower and as such, not much consumer interest it.

I would take exception to the above. Silver Show is a dwarf, growing less than 6 inches a year and should top out around 4-5 feet. (about the same as Horstmann's Silberlocke). Dwarf conifers are exremely popular with consumers, one of the reasons both Iseli and Stanley and Sons flood the marketplace with them. I fail to see the logic in purchasing one in a 6G size. Not only is that unnecessarily expensive, you lose the enjoyment of watching a small plant grow and develop over the years.
a1an
Original Author
last month
last modified: last month
I consider a #15 a big plant.

Personally, given the small stature as is, at this point in my life, I would rather have the extra 2-3 years of growth on a #6 .

Kiddo's are not off to college but I do see a time where we may be moving elsewhere.

I'd rather have a fuller plant to enjoy while I can. As far as #6 on a silver show, while it's got a decent height and branching, it's not full by any mean.

I'm growing Fukai and Parvi .Ogdon acquired as a #3. I do enjoy candeling them shorter to make it more denser between each growing season. But they are soooooo slow. Am tempted to head to a nursery than does have these in B&B semi-specimen sizes **but** of the pics sent of said trees, it's been left to grown wild since day 1, so the spacing between branches is not as dense as I like on these cultivars.
salicaceae
last month
Silberlocke gets much larger than that. I’ve seen several in the 15-20’’ range. ’Silver Show’ as i understood it (accaccording to Joe Stupka) is a more extreme variant (tighter curls), but it gro just as big.
a1an
Original Author
last month
Is anyone familar with the cultivar Frosty. I found a few mumblings online but nothing I would definitive on the traits of this cultivar.
a1an
Original Author
24 days ago
last modified: 23 days ago
SilverShow is in. Pruning from Iseli is a bit weird. I was planning reduce each new years growth by 1/3 to create a more denser tree.

On the tree I received, the top 1/2 seems to have been untouched on this years growth.

However, the bottom half of the tree, on this years growth, it was pruned down to 1 - 2" inches on each 2026 candle.

Didn't even realize it until I was noticed the itty bitty branch. Then I stood and observed the tree more slowly and all it's branches to realize how it was was pruned as described