Abies nordmanniana @ Wisley

You can find your way to the Glasshouse by Christmas tree this year.  We have planted 38 Abies nordmanniana, Nordmann fir trees, and decorated them to be a seasonal signpost from the Garden Entrance and Seven Acres to the Glasshouse.

Look out for established Nordmann firs on the Rock Bank, including the yellow cultivar ‘Golden Spreader’. Plus a 15-year-old specimen by the path in the Pinetum, which shows how large they can grow!

 

Abies

This is a genus of about 50 species of evergreen conifer from Europe, northern Africa, Asia and North America dominating northern and mountainous regions.

The whorled branches bear linear, flattened, sometimes glossy, mid to dark green leaves often with two longitudinal silver bands beneath.

The female cones are often purplish blue, erect, with occasionally protruding bracts, and are produced on the upper branches in late spring and early summer.After ripening in autumn they break up to release the seeds, leaving the central stalk on the shoot.

Male cones are pendent, green when young, usually purple, purplish blue or brown when mature, and are borne throughout the crown.

 

Abies nordmanniana

This is a columnar tree with tiered branches. It has densely arranged, glossy, rich green leaves, dull white beneath, 2-3 cm (3/4-1.25in) long, that point forwards and overlap above on the shoot. Ovoid-cylindrical greenish brown cones, to 15cm long, have protruding bracts.  This species is native to north Turkey.

It will provide good shelter and screening and also make a fine specimen tree especially at this time of year.

Abies nordmanniana ‘Golden Spreader’ is a slow growing, usually dwarf tree, with spreading branches and golden yellow leaves, pale yellowish white underneath. 1m (3ft) x 1.5m (5ft), occasionally forms a small tree.  

In recent years Abies nordmanniana AGM, the Nordmann or Caucasian fir, has become a leading tree in the popularity stakes at Christmas.  It generally has a uniform, triangular, bushy shape and retains its needles well.

 

AGM

The RHS Woody Plant Committee awarded Abies nordmanniana an Award of Garden Merit and described it as follows:

" Evergreen conifer making a large tree with narrow conical or columnar crown, with dense, glossy dark green foliage on down-swept branches. Young cones green or reddish, becoming brown."

 

Cultivation

• Grow in full sun with some shelter from cold winds.

• Plant in well-drained sites in early or mid-autumn; on cold wet sites defer planting until early or mid-spring. Use small trees, 60cm (24in) or less; bigger specimens will check for years, producing bunched branch-whorls.

• Double leaders must be singled and grafted plants encouraged to develop an erect leader if they lack one, but the only other pruning is cleaning suppressed branches from the lowermost 2m (6.5ft) in two or three stages.

• Keep a 1m (39in) radius of the base weed-free and mulched.

• Prone to adelgids and honey fungus.

 

Propagation

• Sow seed in containers as soon as ripe or in late winter; stratify for 21 days to aid germination.

• Graft cultivars in winter.

 

Links

• Growing trees from seed
• Honey fungus
• Christmas tree care