ken. very nice photos.
Here is a not very good photo of a one year graft of Picea abies 'Spring Fire'.
As far as I'm aware it originated from a witches' broom on Picea abies 'Rubra Spicata' at Iseli.
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OK Spruce where did you get that? That is going on the must have list.

Cool. New to me too.

Dax

The new growth reminds me of Crimson Clover blossoms...stunning on a conifer.
Is the Picea abies 'Spring Fire' available in the US; if so, where?

Barbara

Here is a link that might be useful: Crimson Clover

please.. come and kill me.. the day i plant the invasive weed.. clover .. in my garden...

ken

Bluespruce is right about the 'Spring Fire', It's originated as a witches'broom from 'Rubra Spicata' at Iseli's

But the rest is all wrong if you still mention the name 'Lundell's Red Needle' because this is a wrong name for 'Cruenta' or 'Rydal'.
I mentioned this before, about 3 weeks ago and hoped that you people changed the name in the good way but NEVER 'Lundell's Red Needle' anymore!
I'm very curious who changed this name and started this big mess!

I have a pink new growth cultivar of Picea abies with the name 'Roseospicata'
Picea abies 'Roseospicata'
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steve, I very much doubt that 'Spring Fire' is available in the US as yet or anywhere else for that matter. Got my material from a collector friend, sorry, can't remember which one. here are a few more pics of another three one year grafts in my collection, one a double graft and all at slightly different stages of growth.

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Spruce, why must you taunt me with this plant?

I'm surprised with this being discovered at Iseli that 'Spring Fire' isn't more readily available yet.

And ConiferJoy you're showing a plant I've never seen either, when will this madness end?.....rhetorical.

Edwin,

I see that 'Rydal' was discovered by T. Lundell and 'Cruenta' is listed as Horstmann 1978. It's obvious the mistake for 'Lundell's Red Needle' but which is the correct name? And, 'Rubra Spicata' is another entirely different plant, correct?

Thanks for clarifying, and who or where is the origin of Picea abies 'Roseospicata' and is this a sport of 'Rubra Spicata' or a chance seedling?

Thank you very much,

Dax

I have a plant that I got as picea abies Crusita and if you blink to slowly you might miss the spring color. Mine seems to fade very fast and is fast and open growing. The combinations is not that nice.

David

Dax,
As I mentioned before 'Cruenta' (aka 'Clone #2') is found ánd propagated by Tage Lundell from Sweden.
Is also called 'Crusita' which is probably a tag misspelling

'Rydal' (aka 'Clone #1')is found by Gunnar Kry from Sweden but propagated by Tage Lundell.
The World Checklist of Conifers mentioned that this cultivar was found as a witches'broom, but this isn't true it was found as a tree in a Swedish forest.

In both cases Tage Lundell was involved.
Günther Horstmann has nothing to do with the origin of both plants, I think he received a 'Cruenta' from Tage Lundell several years later and brough it furthur into the trade.

The main quiestion still is: which person started to use the name 'Lundell's Red Needle'?
I think this person wanted to use a more commercial name because 'Cruenta' and 'Rydal' doesn't say nothing about the red new spring growth.

'Rubra Spicata' does have another European origin and was found by the late Gordon Bentham.

I don't know the origin of the 'Roseospicata' yet, I received this cultivar from a Polish conifer collector last year.
I have to check it out how long it will keeps this spring colour.

David,
Indeed the red spring growth of the 'Cruenta' fades very quick, the most beautiful time is whenn the buds are going to burst and the red colour is comming out, like Kenn's pictures shows us.

Thanks Edwin. What a bunch of hack work.

Dax

Checking out your grafting bluespruce...does the double graft show us the small wedge technique you described to Ken? Beautiful!!

Barbara

PS to Ken, regarding crimson clover: one person's beauty is another's bane?

Hi Barbara, the double graft of Picea abies 'Spring Fire' are grafted using the conventional veneer side graft

Already planting some of the earlier grafts outside, no time here for me to mollycoddle plants to any great degree with hardening off, they have to take their chances, although I have to admit our climate is a bit more conducive than most for treating new grafts will a little bit less TLC.

Abies koreana 'Ice Breaker'- waiting to be potted up and go outside ready for sale.
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Pinus monophylla 'The Brad' - already planted in the ground.
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Pinus uncinata 'Adam' - also planted outside in the ground.
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Very nice Stephen! Those are THIS YEAR's grafts planted out already? We have already had 95F days with less than 30% humidity so yes, I'll be mollycoddling grafts to death throughout the summer. Hopefully next year I won't be so confused, making the process much simpler.
We have friends from Taiwan who tell of covering grafts outside with wet hay and a blanket to heal. Get this...here in the states he is a watermelon hybridizer for some big seed company and actually GRAFTS WATERMELONS.

Do you mind sharing your wisdom? I notice that your Pinus are wrapped differently than the Abies. Do you find a narrower band works best for just the Pinus, or other genus also?
For the minis' do you use 2 to 3 year growth successfully? The commercial grafts here in the states are usually very small scions...is that simply for mass production with a larger, older scion working just as well?

Thanks for sharing your experience Stephen,

Barbara

'Spring Fire' is such a slow grower, that it has taken many years to get the production numbers needed to be widely available. As I recall, it was discovered in the late '90's by one of the production staff. Evaluation, reliability, etc. all are taken into consideration while the plants are slowly propagated and grown to saleable products. It takes time.

Here's a pic of the original plant about a year ago.
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Barbara, I don't really tie my bands in any particular way for any species, I use the light coloured bands for the very small delicate scions and any understocks that are very thin and bendy The light bands are thinner and more flexible than the blue so better suited when grafting anything thinner than a matchstick.
As for grafting material, I can't speak for commercial nurseries, but when it comes to minis, material can be in very short supply, so I use whatever is available and whatever I receive from others, although I guess in an ideal world younger material would be preferable.

rcsmith, thanks for posting the photo of the original broom, looks a very nice broom and very impressive.