Cultivar - Page 5 of 12 - Cascade Conifers

Pinus resinosa ‘Knee Knocker’

About Pinus resinosa ‘Knee Knocker’: This fluffy broom was knee high on a young red pine tree, a real “knee-knocker”, discovered near Marquette, Michigan. This cultivar is part of the Davisons’ Gitche Gumee Collection of the Lake Superior region. The broom grafts nicely and the lush dark green long needles of the grafted specimens almost have a tropical texture, but hardy to zone 3, as noted by Sam Pratt of the Conifer Kingdom/Rare Tree Nursery. Pinus resinosa ‘Knee Knocker’ is in the conifer collections of the Green Bay Botanical Garden in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the Oregon Garden Arboretum in Silverton.

Red pine broom, 'Knee Knocker' — **Red pine broom, Pinus resinosa ‘Knee Knocker’**

Pinus resinosa 'Knee Knocker' specimen with healthy new buds! — **Pinus resinosa ‘Knee Knocker’** **specimen with healthy new buds!**

Cupressus

Cupressus nootkatensis [V1]

Alaskan cypress variegated sport — **Cupressus nootkatensis variegated sport**

We found this colorful sport on a Alaska cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis) in the forest up by White Pass, Washington. When we returned to harvest the sport, and after digging it out from underneath several feet of snow, we found that the variegated branch was much shorter because the trees along the road had been trimmed! But Paulie Seidel of the Crowfoot Nursery was able to root a few cuttings of this new, yet unnamed, cultivar.

Cupressus

Cupressus nootkatensis ‘Wave’

About Cupressus nootkatensis ‘Wave’. This interesting Alaskan cypress broom was discovered on a side street in Yakima, Washington, growing on a pendulous Cupressus nootkatensis. The owner did not know the cultivar name but was delighted to learn about his rare oddity and to share scions.

We grafted scions on to Thuja understock but the unions were weak. Therefore, we asked our friends, Michael and Paulie Seidel, owners of the Crowfoot Nursery if they would be able to attempt to root cuttings of the potential new cultivar. Paulie now has successfully produced numerous vigorous new plants of this unusual Alaskan cypress cultivar, Cupressus nootkatensis ‘Wave’!

Cool Alaska cypress broom! — **Alaska cypress broom!**

Alaska cypress broom on a pendulous tree on a side street in Yakima Washington. — **Cupressus nootkatensis broom on a pendulous tree on a side street in Yakima Washington**

This cute specimen has curly and “wavy” new growth! The new cultivar is also on display at the Oregon Garden Arboretum in Silverton.

Cute Cupressus nootkatensis ‘Wave’ on display at the Oregon Garden Arboretum — **‘Wave’ on display at the Oregon Garden Arboretum**

Pinus

Pinus strobus ‘Nokomis’

About Pinus strobus ‘Nokomis’. This white pine broom is our very first broom discovery! It was located on our property in upper Michigan next to our picnic table! Who knows how many times we had lunch underneath it!!! In 2013 before we learned how to graft, Bob Fincham of Coenosium Gardens grafted the first scions for us. The new little grafted specimens were already producing cones. The broom also is loaded with cones and we have germinated some of the seeds. One of the seedlings was tiny, but survived only a couple years. This Pinus strobus broom is located along the shore of Gitche Gumee (Lake Superior) and therefore was named from the classic poem by Longfellow after Hiawatha’s grandmother, “nookomis”, which means “my grandmother” in the Ojibwe language.

**Pinus strobus ‘Nokomis’ cultivar on display at the Oregon Garden Arboretum**

December frost 2019, white pine broom 'Nokomis' — **Sure is a “White Pine”!**

Abies

Abies balsamea ‘Puppini’

This balsam fir broom, Abies balsamea ‘Puppini’ was discovered in a remote area of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan in November 2015. It was a beautiful quiet snowy day on January 11, 2016 when we went to retrieve it, and out of nowhere, there appeared a team of husky dogs pulling a 4 wheeler “sleigh”! We were planning to name the cultivar ‘Husky Pup’ but Nickolas Sizoo of Bothwell, Washington beat us to it, naming his unique white fir seedling, Abies concolor ‘Husky Pup’. That cultivar was registered and introduced in 1965 by the University of Washington, where Husky is the school mascot. Abies balsamea ‘Puppini’ is a cute little Balsam fir specimen, petite and healthy, growing 1 inch or less per year! It is doing well in our conifer garden in upper Michigan, and also in the high desert of Eastern Washington.

A team of huskies pulling an ATV — **A team of huskies pulling a 4 wheeled “sleigh”**

Balsam fir broom 'Puppini' — **Balsam fir broom, Abies balsamea ‘Puppini’**

Abies balsamea 'Puppini' with healthy new growth. — **Abies balsamea ‘Puppini’ cultivar**

Pseudotsuga

Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Sitting Pretty’

This cute little round Pseudotsuga menziesii broom was discovered perched ‘Sitting Pretty’ on a tree. It was first spotted as a silhouette against a gray evening sky and looked like a full moon. It was in the Cascade Mountain range by Stampede Pass, near another cool broom we harvested on the same day, Abies amabilis ‘Pacific Crest’! It was somewhat difficult to harvest because the snow was really deep and we were sinking up to our waist as we ascended the hill to retrieve it…so Cheryl found a short-cut back down the hill to the snowmobile!

Whee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike admiring P. menziesii 'Sitting Pretty' — **Mike only an arm’s length from ‘Sitting Pretty’!**

Douglas fir broom graft 'Sitting Pretty' with first year push! — **New cultivar Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Sitting Pretty’** **first year push!**

Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Sitting Pretty' new Doug fir broom cultivar, summer 2020 — **Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Sitting Pretty’**, **summer 2020**

Doug fir cultivar Sitting Pretty with slow growth rate — **Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Sitting Pretty’**, **spring 2022**

Abies

Abies grandis ‘Grand Poobah’

About Abies grandis ‘Grand Poohbah’! We had been observing this Grand fir broom for a few years, trying to figure out how to retrieve some scions! This one was out of our league for climbing but we found a brave and eager tree climber who scurried up the tree without a problem! It was a beautiful day up in the mountains of the Cascade Mountain range of the Pacific Northwest with gentle snowflakes making it that much more beautiful! When we finally retrieved the broom, Mike decided to name it ‘Grand Poobah’ because it was perched near the top of the tree with the appearance of Fred Flintstone’s lodge hat from the Loyal Order of the Water Buffaloes. This Abies grandis broom, along with the majority of the Davison Pacific Northwest discoveries, was from the higher elevations of the east side of the Cascade Mountains, where the conditions are more harsh. It seems that because of this, our specimens appear to be more adaptable to a wider range of temperatures and weather conditions. Abies grandis ‘Grand Poobah’ and many others of the Davison Pacific Northwest cultivars are thriving also in the Upper Michigan region, notable for their harsh winters. Similar to Abies grandis ‘Serendipity’, ‘Grand Poobah’ grafts well and produces numerous buds on light exposed surfaces. A bonus is that it produces bountiful deep rose colored pollen sacs!

Grand fir broom, 'Grand Poobah' — **Abies grandis ‘Grand Poobah’ perched high in a mature Grand fir, in the Cascade mountain range of Washington.**

Grand fir broom cultivar with pollen sacs — **Abies grandis ‘Grand Poobah’ with pollen sacs!**

'Grand Poobah' making pollen — **‘Grand Poobah’ pollen sacs 4-22-2022**

Abies

Abies grandis ‘Serendipity’

Abies grandis ‘Serendipity’ was one of the first Grand fir brooms that Mike & Cheryl discovered. We had traveled the side road many times previously but it only became visible in early December 2014 because of a recent snowfall which highlighted the broom’s outline. Mike climbed the tree and took a few scions, and nearly all of them had nice new growth the following spring…Serendipitously, we returned the following year, on Valentine’s Day 2016 to harvest more scions, only to find that the branch that supported the broom had partially snapped from the snow load that winter! The broom was still there! So we retrieved what we could from this large broom (about 6 by 6 ft and 2 ft ht), hoping that it was still viable, and the grafts produced this beautiful and vigorous new grand fir cultivar! The parent tree of this cultivar ‘Serendipity’ is on the east side of the Cascade Mountain range over 2000 feet elevation, and it appears to be more cold hardy and versatile. These grafted fir trees are thriving in our conifer garden in Upper Michigan along the shore of Lake Superior. ‘Serendipity’ appears adaptable to various climates, also thriving in the high mountain desert of Washington, with low humidity and occasional summer temperatures approaching 110 degrees. The Abies grandis ‘Serendipity’ new cultivar is on display at the Oregon Garden arboretum!

Abies grandis broom discovered "Serendipitously" because of a recent snowfall highlighting it's outiline! — **Abies grandis ‘Serendipity’ broom visibility accentuated by the recent snowfall.**

'Serendipity' broom hanging on barely with broken branch! — **OH NO!!!!!**

Abies grandis broom 'Serendipity' with pruners to show the size of the growth rate. — **Abies grandis ‘Serendipity’ growth rate is about 2 inches per year**

**The layering growth pattern is prominently evident on the Abies grandis broom ‘Serendipity’**

Grand fir cultivar 'Serendipity' with vigorous new growth! — **‘Serendipity’ produces numerous buds on light exposed branches!**

New Abies grandis cultivar 'Serendipity' — **‘Serendipity’ is healthy and vigorous with an interesting growth pattern!**

Abies

Abies balsamea ‘Creme de Menthe’

This was a nice looking Abies balsamea broom that was discovered in Upper Michigan in January 2017 shortly before finding another cool balsam broom, ‘Orlok’! Mike was on a venture to retrieve a Picea glauca broom late in the day, one that we had found several months prior. To his dismay, the trees in that area had been cut down in the interim. But he was delighted when he turned back to leave and discovered ‘Creme de Menthe’ and then shortly afterward, at sunset, ‘Orlok’! The Abies balsamea ‘Creme de Menthe’ and its grafts have a pleasing minty green coloration, and thus it’s name!

Balsam fir broom in tree, 'Creme de Menthe' — **Abies balsamea ‘Creme de Menthe’ in situ.**

Abies balsamea 'Creme de Menthe' in a line up with other harvested balsam fir brooms, 2017 — **Abies balsamea ‘Creme de Menthe’ broom in a line up with other balsam fir brooms, 2017**

Abies balsamea 'Creme de Menthe' new cultivar at the Oregon Garden arboretum — **‘Creme de Menthe’ on display at the Oregon Garden arboretum.**

Balsam fir new conifer broom cultivar 'Creme de Menthe' — **Abies balsamea ‘Creme de Menthe’**

Abies

Abies balsamea ‘Orlok’

This unusual balsam fir broom had elongated finger-like branches that reminded Mike of the old-time character “Count Orlok” from the days of silent motion pictures…This broom was discovered at sunset, shortly after the discovery of another broom, Abies balsamea ‘Creme de Menthe’! The scions of Abies balsamea ‘Orlok’ grafted well but the new cultivars have not yet taken on the growth pattern of the parent broom…we are keeping our “fingers” crossed!!!