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Laporte Avenue Nursery Conifer Price List
These conifers are in production and should be available in the near future
Several of our conifers are available through High Country Gardens.
Growth Standards of the American Conifer Society
- Miniatures – 1” or less of growth per year
- Dwarfs – 1-6” of growth per year
- Intermediates – 6-12” of growth per year
- Large – more than 12” of growth per year
- Most all of the western conifer species will grow less then 6”/yr. if not over watered, so that would put them in the “dwarf” category according to The American Conifer Societies growth classification system. Many of the named clones or selections grow even slower, more in the 1-4”/yr. range.
Sizes and Prices
Seedling Species Trees - All of our conifers are started from seed that we sow and grow for 4-5 years before the plants are large enough to sell. They are well established in bottomless tree band pots( to prevent root spiraling ) approximately 6-12” tall depending on species. We offer 2 sizes on most species. Check for availability below.
3 1/2”square by 4 ¼” deep tree bands 650 ml. in vol.( Seedlings 4-5 yrs. old) $15.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
3 5/8” square by 6” deep tree bands 1000 ml. in vol.(Seedlings 5-6 yrs. old) $20.00 ea. (currently unavailable)
Grafted Cultivar Trees - Our grafted conifers are also grown in bottomless tree band pots ( to prevent root spiraling ), they are grafted on to the seedling stock trees in the winter ( Feb.-March ) and held for one or two full growing season before selling and shipping. They are well established in bottomless pots approximately 1-6” tall depending on species. We offer 2 sizes on most species. Check for availability below.
3 1/2” square by 4 ¼” deep tree bands 650 ml. in vol. ( One yr. old grafts ) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
3 5/8” square by 6” deep tree bands 1000 ml. in vol. (Two yr. old grafts) $40.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Nursery Sales- We don’t have regular hours for nursery sales but if you call me Kirk Fieseler at 970- 482- 6285 we can arrange a visit or plant pickup. Many of these conifers are available in larger sizes 2 gal.-7gal.at the nursery only, because they are too big to ship long distances.
Wholesale Sales- Call me Kirk Fieseler at 970 482-6285, presently I don’t have large numbers of these conifers, but I’d be happy to contract grow any of this stuff.
The True Firs (Abies) and Douglas Firs (Pseudotsuga)
Culture: All of these plants like a cool, regularly irrigated situation, eastern exposures are ideal. Deep soil amending is needed. Avoid highly compacted dry soils.
Hardiness: Zones 3-6
Abies concolor ‘Charming Chub’ White Fir Jerry Morris introduction. Named for “Chub” Harper, a great connoisseur and authority on conifers. Found in northern New Mexico as a broom in 1996. Tight growth and good blue color, gradually attains a pyramidal shape. Not only is it charmingly cute but it’s a joy to pet its rubbery soft blue foliage, the perfect rock garden plant. Picture
Growth rate: 1-2”/year
Availability: ( One yr. old grafts ) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Eagle River’ Douglas Fir Jerry Morris introduction. Found by the town of Eagle near the Eagle river, has good green color and a pyramidal growth habit.
Growth rate: 1-4”/year.
Availability: (Two yr. old grafts) $40.00 ea (currently unavailable)
Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Vail’ Douglas Fir Jerry Morris introduction. Collected from a tree growing on the western end of Vail valley, good blue color and a vertical shape.
Growth rate: 1-4”/year.
Availability: (Two yr. old grafts) $40.00 ea (currently unavailable)
The Blue Spruces (Picea)
Culture: Very hardy, easily grown plants. Tolerant of poor, compacted soils, but not particularly xeric, so moderate supplemental watering is needed most years in the west.
Hardiness: Zones 2-6
Picea engelmannii ( Mount Goliath Krummholz Seedlings) Engelmann Spruce The seed of these plants was collected at the higher elevation limits of this species, so I’m seeing very short internodes and 1- 2 inches/yr. of growth, color is blue-green. Expect slow irregular growth.
Growth Rate: 1-2”per/yr
Availability: (Seedlings 4-5 yrs. old) $15.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Picea pungens ‘Corbet’ Colorado Blue Spruce A dwarf with excellent blue needle color, forms a tight conical shape.
Growth rate: 2-6”/yr.
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea. (currently unavailable)
Picea pungens ‘Fastigiate’ Colorado Blue Spruce An intermediate in terms of growth, quite vigorous very upright in habit, great for screening in tight areas, placed on 5-7’ centers they will block out neighbors in 10-20 years. Pretty good blue color.
Growth rate: 6-12”/yr.
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Picea pungens ‘Marble’ Colorado Blue Spruce Jerry Morris introduction. Found near Marble, CO, in 1986. This broom was growing high in the tree and required a rifle to shoot down scion material. Very sharp needles and a blue-green turquoise color. Globe shaped. Picture
Growth rate: 1-2”/year
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ Colorado Blue Spruce A true dwarf, probably the best in terms of ornamental value and ease of cultivation of any globe spruce. Will develop a leader if not pruned constantly and turns into a fat blue hersy kiss shape. Outstanding blue color and dense growth habit.
Growth rate: 6”/yr.
Availabilty: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Picea pungens ‘J. James’ Colorado Blue Spruce Jerry Morris introduction. Named for Jerry Morris’s grandson. Very similar to ‘Marble’. Picture
Growth rate: 1-2”/year
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Picea pungens ‘Thompsenii’ Colorado Blue Spruce A standard large spruce that has the bluest color of any of the selection I’ve seen, also has a narrow upright shape. Needles are very thick and stiff, really a robin egg blue beast of a spruce.
Growth rate: 12”/yr.
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
The Pines (Pinus)
Culture: Most of the pines are drought tolerant and do well with little additional irrigation once established. They are intolerant of compacted, heavy clay soils so great effort should be directed at soil improvement (mainly ripping the soil deeply with the addition of compost) or placement on a berm or raised area that has not been compacted.
Hardiness: Zones 3-6
Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine. This species is the most ornamental of all the western conifers because of its deep, blue-green color, long retention of needles, and its irregular growth habit. Each individual plant seems to develop into its own characteristic shape that reminds me of a living sculpture. These highly prized conifers grow very slowly both in the wild and under cultivation. Picture
Growth rate: 4-6”/year.
Availability: (Seedlings 4-5 years old) $15.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Pinus bungeana Lacebark Pine A Barkaholic’s conifer the older bark develops a gorgeous mottling of green, yellow, and brown coloring. Matures into a small multistemmed, open headed tree around here. Seems to be fine in our alkaline soils.
Growth rate: 6-12”/yr.
Availability: (currently unavailable)
Pinus cembra ‘Chalet’ Swiss Stone Pine This selection has a very tight narrow pyramidal habit, dark green color, and exceedingly stout new leader growth. I graft this on Limber pine root stocks and haven’t seen any chlorosis in the seven years I’ve grown these trees in the ground.
Growth rate: 6-12”/yr.
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Pinus edulis Pinyon Pine. Pinyons are probably the most xeric of all the western pines. They grow amongst the very drought tolerant western junipers. We in the west have used them widely in our landscapes mainly transplanting them from the wild into our residential gardens and public parks. In the urban landscape their biggest problem is over irrigation, but properly sited they are long lived and usually stay under 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Picture
Growth Rate: 2-4 inches/yr.
Availability: (currently unavailable)
Pinus edulis ‘Farmy’ Pinyon Pine, Jerry Morris introduction. Collected from a broom in 1988. This tree was growing on the Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado. Very slow growing, plant develops a wide body look, as tall as it is wide. Another perfect plant for the small xeric yard with a berm or a rock garden. Picture
Growth rate: 1-2”/year
Availability: (currently unavailable)
Pinus edulis ‘Trinidad’ Pinyon Pine, Jerry Morris introduction. From a very large broom growing in a tree just south of Trinidad, CO. Very similar to ‘Farmy’ in shape and growth. Picture
Growth rate: 1-2”/year
Availability: (currently unavailable)
Pinus flexilis Limber Pine Limbers grow all through the four lower life zones of Colorado (Plains 3000-5000 feet, Foothills 5000-7000 feet, Montane 7000-9500 feet, and the Subalpine 9500-11500 feet), with the greatest populations in the subalpine zone. This demonstrates they are adaptable to various soils and growing conditions. I’ve made use of this observation and found they make great rootstocks for the five-needle pine selections from back east ( Eastern White Pine, P. strobus) and Eurasia (Swiss stone Pine, P. cembra and Lacebark Pine, P. bungeana). The species itself can be quite vigorous if the seed is collected in fast growing montane forests, but if collected from the higher subalpine populations yearly growth is greatly reduced. Limbers in the landscape age and grow somewhat irregularly often developing multistems with narrow pyramidal shapes.
Growth rate: 1-18”/year depending on seed source.
Availability: (currently unavailable)
Pinus flexilis ‘Damfino’ Limber Pine Jerry Morris introduction. This is the first limber that Jerry selected in the late 60’s from a broom found growing in a tree near a creek called Damfino close to the Colorado-Wyoming border. The plant has dark green needles and an upright shape. A true miniature bun. Picture
Growth rate: 1”/year.
Availability: Not yet
Pinus flexilis ‘Glenmore Dwarf’ Limber Pine An old selection made by Scott Wilmore in 1949, which forms a very narrow pyramidal shape. New growth is very stout and stiff. The foliage has a dark olive green color and is quite dense. This plant and could be placed on 5’ centers for screening in tight areas. Picture
Growth rate: 4-6”/year
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Pinus monophylla Single Needle Pinyon A species of Pinyon that is found growing in Arizona, Nevada, Calif., Utah, and surrounding areas. The big differences from P. edulis are its two needles tend to stick together forming a single thick needle and its strikingly blue foliage color, cold tolerance has been good at least in Denver. Picture
Growth rate: 2-4”/year.
Availability: In two or three years
Pinus monophylla ‘Blue Jazz’ Single Needle Pine A Jerry Morris introduction. A single-leaf pinyon selection. Has an intense blue color and develops into a tight ball shape with age. Scion wood was collected from a broom in a tree growing along a highway in Nevada.
Growth rate: 1-2”/year
Availability: Not yet, hopefully next year.(currently unavailable)
Pinus mugo ‘Sherwood’s Dwarf’ Mugo Pine An excellent true dwarf that will stay small and compact for many years. Mugos are a dime a dozen but this one really is a star among the ramble.
Growth rate: 2-6”/year
Availability (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa pine. Ponderosa pines are the giants of our forests that have limited use in the harsh commercial urban landscape. Austrian pines (Pinus nigra) generally have a similar form and perform much better in shopping center parking lots or over watered parks and golf courses. Ponderosa pines can succeed but great attention must be paid to siting these trees in non-compacted soils. They look very natural when limbed up high, so they are great to plant in close to a deck or patio to produce an overhead canopy.
Growth rate: 6-12”/year.
Availability: (currently unavailable)
Pinus ponderosa ‘Mary Ann Heacock’. Of all the native conifers I’ve propagated, this is my current favorite with the most ornamental potential from a nurseryman‘s point of view. I’ve been grafting it on both Ponderosa pine and Austrian pine root stocks with equal success. Original plant was found growing near Cherokee Park (N.W. of Fort Collins) in the early 1950’s by Mary Ann Heacock and a group of bonsai enthusiasts. They recognized this plant as a genetic dwarf and quickly transplanted it to M.A. Heacock’s garden in Denver. There it stayed until the late 1990’s when Kelly Grummons (an avid horticulturist) transplanted it again to his garden in west Denver. Today it stands six feet tall and puts out two inch sprouts of tight congested growth, its needles are about half the length of normal Ponderosa pines. Kelly says that it really hasn’t increased in size much since it was collected from the wild. As a grafted plant it puts out four inches of growth a year, has good dark green color, a bold chunky texture, and an irregular globe shape. I suspect its growth rate will slow down as it ages in the landscape. Picture
Growth rate: 2-4”/year.
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea. (currently unavailable)
Pinus strobiformis Southwestern White Pine Very similar to its eastern cousin Pinus strobus in form and delicate needle texture, but much a superior landscape plant. Eastern whites seldom perform well here, they get severely chlorotic in our alkaline clay soil. Western white pines are found growing natively in the mountains of New Mexico and Nevada. I’ve grown to appreciate this plants fast growth rate, outstanding finely textured dark green needles, and excellent drought tolerance second only to Pinyons and Junipers in my opinion. Under irrigation this plant can put out two to three feet of growth annually. Without irrigation, six to eight inches is the usual rate, so keep it out of the lawn if you want a slower growing plant, another great addition to the xeric landscape or garden.
Growth rate: 6-18”/year.
Availability: (Seedlings 4-5 years old) $15.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Pinus strobiformis ‘Coronado’ Southwestern White Pine A Jerry Morris selection. Collected from the Coronado Forest in eastern Arizona. Has a irregular or contorted growth habit, a vigorous grower which puts out 12” of growth and then leans one way or another, Jerry calls it a leaner similar to P. banksiana ‘Uncle Fogy’. Picture
Growth rate: 6-12”/year.
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’ Eastern White Pine Outstanding blue green color and fine lacey foliage characterize this dwarf shrub like conifer. This plant often steals the show when I’m showing visitors around my garden. I graft in on Limber pine root stock so it should have more tolerance to alkaline soil conditions, does well in the shade here in the sunny west.
Growth rate: 2-6”/year.
Availability: (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea. (currently unavailable)
Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’ Eastern White Pine My first love, I was at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle Ill. when I came upon an old 25’tall specimen of this plant. I was impressed with its exquisite weeping form and majesty of fine feminine foliage, a living sculpture if there ever was one. I just knew I had to have this plant and find the proper site to allow it to attain its glory. Reproducing this plant started me on my grafting career back in the early 80’s. I graft it on to Limber Pine root stocks.
Growth rate: 6-12”/year.
Availability; (One yr. old grafts) $30.00 ea.(currently unavailable)
Note
Since our small nursery is located in Northern Colorado I’m limited to conifers which will grow and thrive in this climate and soils, with a commitment mostly to propagating plants that are regionally adapted to the Inner Mountain West. I hope to offer other selections as my horizons and experiences expand.
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