REALLY cool stuff Edwin. I sure hope you find some good names(and gardens!) for these new babies. I couldn't pick a favorite, they are all very interesting though. They inspired you and now the rest of us who have plants that cone are similarly inspired. Fun stuff!

-Will

You can always tell when a guy is on top of his game.

Beautiful examples of a nurseryman's work who is dedicated to excellence in all phases of the conifer experience.

Why don't you open a nursery in the states Edwin. I would be your first customer.

Dave

The colors are fantastic.

Dax

these are very interesting. Were you careful about who the pollen-daddies were, or were your seeds field-pollinated? Given the size of your arboretum, the pollen could have come from anywhere. LOL

~Dave

That's really fascinating, thanks for sharing these pictures. Would love to see more.

Based on the variation we see among seedlings, I'd guess the "pollen-daddies" were not the same.

They're all great, I really like the densiflora seedlings, particularly the last one.

Edwin, I agree with Dave...youd be a much needed and rare breed around these parts.
AL

As cool as brooms are to discover and propagate, I believe that potentially the best new dwarf conifers will come from seedlings.

I love the variation in your selections. These look like great selections. It will be a joy to watch these over the next several years and see what they grow into. I hope you will give us annual photo updates!

Please tell us approximately how many seedlings you began with before selecting the 24 you are sharing with us today.

Edwin, can you email when you have the tracking number?

Can't wait to get all my new seedlings!

Great selections and thanks for sharing the pics!

Those are amazing, Edwin! Some of them are so tiny! Great work!

Matt

Absolutely beautiful seedlings! I especially like the super dense P. densiflora seedling.

I collected and planted some seeds from an upright Scots pine broom I found ('Bailey's Upright'). I'm hoping I get a nice mix of dwarf seedlings too! I planted them just a week or two ago, so no sprouts yet.

Nice work, Edwin. You must feel like a proud papa.

tj

Nice! It's fun to see the variation amongst the seedlings. Thanks for this tour!

Edwin, I feel many excellent new cultivars among these seedlings. Nice job! Thanks for sharing with us. As I say BIG LIKE!

Clement

Thank you guys for your nice comments to my selection work.

First of all I want to say that this kind of job will take a lot of patience to see what you get.
Al these seedlings are 4 years old and from now on I can see how they will grow and develop.
For most of these seedlings it will take at least another two years before I can grafting them.

All together it will take 10 years between finding, making selections, start grafting, giving names and producing in larger numbers for the market.
A persons life is way to short when you're doing things like this...

In all 3 cases I collected cones from the pines which are growing at my Pinetum.
I don't know who the "pollen dadies" are, the seeds were field-pollinated indeed.

About 5% till 10% of these seedlings remain dwarf, all the others are just the species.

Randall is right, it's much better to find new dwarf selections from seedlings then from witches' brooms.
This is because the dwarf seedling selections are much healtier and easier to propagate.

Evan, I wish you good look with your seed of your 'Bailey's Upright'!
Please, keep us informed if you've success with those.

Clement, thanks for your seedling selection pics.
Your's are big enough now to get them propagated :0)

Edwin,

This may be a dumb question, but do you let your seedlings go dormant in the winter or do you keep them growing 12 months a year in a greenhouse/indoors?

I ask because I have some seedlings from this spring growing in my apartment. I don't know whether to put them outside now so they stop growing and harden up for winter or let them keep inside through the winter so they grow faster. Is it bad for them not to have a dormant period?

I'm sure nobody will blame me for dragging the thread back up--it's amazing!

Matt, this isn't a dumb quiestion at all.
I'll keep these seedlings outside, just to harden off.
In winter time I hope that I can take the first scions off for propagation.

If you'll keep your seedlings growing for 12 months, they will getting too long in length because in winter time there less light so they will stretch which will make them weak.
It's better to put them outside in a sheltered place and make them stop growing...
Good luck and thank you also for bringing back this topic :o)

Edwin,
so many nice new little Filips to see in one is a great breeder's action! Dont stop breeding, you have good hands and good eyes for this. Awesome.
Zsolt

Thank you Zsolt!
To select new cultivars by seedlings is real fun, you never now in advance what you'll get.

My Pinus sylvestris 'Filip's Blue Globe' is my best seedling selection so far, but may be some of these new one's will surpass it...
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