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treeguy_ny

A trip to Highland Park

I took my family to Highland Park in Rochester, NY yesterday for the lilac festival. Here are some conifer highlights from our brief trip. The weather was pretty crummy so we only spent about an hour there. We plan on going back in another week or two; I'll post pics of more of their collection. I was encouraged to see some of their more rare specimens as it gives me hope that mine will mature well also (their climate is nearly identical to mine, USDA zone 6a with long winters) Enjoy!

To start things off, here's a panoramic view of part of the collection. The medium spire in right front center is a Cryptomeria. I believe the tiered fir in the middle background is labeled a Nikko fir. I didn't have time to read the tags on the others!

A dawn redwood just outside the park (half dead incense cedar to its left):


Oriental spruce and Jeffrey pine with a Carolina snowbell in the foreground:

A blue noble fir:

A Farges fir with a unique low-spreading growth form:


An Armand pine:

A nordmann fir with a ginkgo behind it and to the left:

A young blue atlas cedar. They have one or two others in the collection besides this one. Maybe I should try one for kicks, even if they will be toast in a really cold winter:

An added bonus for the day! I found a heavily coning broom in an Eastern white pine. The broom is not terribly dense, so it's probably only worth propagating for my own enjoyment:

Last but not least, my absolute favorite tree in their collection . . . a mature cedar of lebanon! The tag says it was planted in 1906 and was a gift from the Arnold:



Comments (12)

  • botann
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You covered a lot of ground in an hour!
    Thanks for the trip.
    Mike

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Very nice, thank you.

    tj

  • wildcatnurseryman
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Very nice of you to share. I always enjoy seeing older trees and what ours can become.

  • monkeytreeboy15
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Awesome pictures!
    It should be noted that that is not Abies fargesii--probably Abies forrestii, disappointing as it is.

    -Sam

  • sluice
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks like a nice collection. Thanks for the tour!

  • gardener365
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like impressive specimens such as all of those. I'm stoked to see a Jeffreyi pine like that, the Cedrus libani, that awesome nordmann (I planted a lot of those here), an Armand- don't see those ever in the US. What an awesome collection and I'm glad you'll be returning.

    Thanks Evan!

    Dax

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Everyone - glad you're enjoying the virtual tour! There is a beautiful mature bulgarian pine (P. peuce) that will be included in the pics I take next time I'm there!

    Dax - I too was excited to see the mature and (mostly) healthy Jeffrey pine as well as the noble fir. I have a couple Jeffreys on my property along with two of the ponderosa subspecies. I have a couple noble firs in pots that have been doing well, but I have been hesitant to plant them out as many here said failure was imminent in the eastern US. I am in the process of taking pictures of my planted collection and will share shots in another week or two.

    Sam - What are you using to differentiate between A. forrestii and A. fargesii? i.e. what in my pictures points toward A. forrestii over A. fargesii? I am pretty new to the Himalayan firs and am learning all I can! If that truly is an A. forrestii - wow! I was told they're zone 7 hardy at best. I will have to double check the tag next time I'm there to see when it was planted (tag does say A. fargesii) and from where it came. I will also look for cones to take pictures of for a more positive ID.

  • monkeytreeboy15
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey, Evan.

    Perhaps I made that allegation too hastily and too authoritatively. I mistook the name for Abies gamblei, which it definitely is not. haha
    Abies fargesii is definitely a possibility, but I, like you, have great difficulty telling forrestii, fargesii, fabri, and delavayi apart.
    Sorry for the confusion!
    Hopefully Clement or Resin will be able to shed some light on the differences between these similar-looking species. :-)

    -Sam

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Abies forrestii would probably freeze there, even if it could take the summer climate. The cedar is not mature yet, it still has the narrow crown of a developing specimen. When it spreads out, like the 300 year old ones at Highclere ("Downton Abbey") then we will be seeing maturity.

    Several of the other trees shown are crowded and drawn up, the Jeffrey pine for instance. It is too bad not enough room was allowed for their long term development. Similarly, a private collection here that has long been designated a county park, with the owners still living in it has now become a thicket that probably many users no longer enjoy. Until recently it always looked too open, as though the planter was overly concerned about spacing!

    Trees grow, and many of them grow big.

  • gardener365
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That procera did freak me out! I was going to say something but was so excited I didn't want to write too much!

    Ron, I totally agree. Trees get big! No argument coming from me about the 100-year old Cedrus libania though! I'd call it old/mature for that location! : )

    Dax

  • pineresin
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice!

    Looks right for Abies fargesii to me

    Resin

  • dietzjm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A very nice collection, what an assortment of cool old trees! Thanks for taking the time to share these.