We’ve written many times about the huge number of plants we’ve killed, but we find that’s the best way to learn. Often, we have a good idea if a particular plant will be successful, and sometimes, it’s just a random attempt. Such was the case, when we planted a cultivar of Rocky Mountain subalpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa ‘Hurricane Blue’ in 2018. Due to its high elevation and naturally cold home, we figured it wouldn’t be long before we needed a replacement. Well, seven years later, our plant continues to thrive, as you can see below. In cooler summer climates, it reportedly reaches 7′ tall in 10 years, but in our hot, humid climate, it grows at about half that speed.
From the ferns and podophyllum surrounding it, this is in less than full sun?
This is in full sun. The podophyllums at the base get about 1/2 day full sun.
Tony,
The heat/humidity tolerance of Abies lasiocarpa ‘Hurricane Blue’ and Abies bornmuelleriana, Turkish Fir suggests a genetic link, a possible thesis topic for an ambitious grad student in NCSU’s horticulture program?
You recently mentioned some ‘survivability’ issues with your selections of A. bornmuelleriana, Was this a chance occurrence or is it more generalized to Turkish Fir in the trade? The reason I ask is I’ve recently obtained several from a west coast grower. So far in containers in full zone 8a sun these Turkish Fir seem to be adjusting well to their cross-continent migration. I plan to put them in spots ranging from full-sun to light-shade / dappled-shade. I’m planning to use a couple as living Christmas trees. Do you know if Turkish Fir adapt well to large containers?
The good news being, the list of conifers that tolerate our hot/humid southern climate seems to be increasing, albeit very slowly, like their growth rates.
Thanks,
Greg
All Turkish fir seems to be fine here, so it’s not a one off. I haven’t tried these in shade, so don’t know about this lower light tolerance. Ditto for containers, but I would guess they would be fine.
How many hours sun does it get, and what time of day? Curious about the light and soil moisture you have it in. Will I be able to see this at the Open Garden next weekend?
Probably 7-8 hours of full sun. It’s only 30′ from our Open House welcome tent.