Abies borisii-regis...

...the illustrious King Boris Fir.

Tell me your experiences with this Mediterranean fir complex native.

Seen them wild in Bulgaria; nice trees. The foliage is variable in wild specimens, with trees next to each other that could be passed off as any of Aa. alba, nordmanniana or cephalonica.

There's supposed to be some 60m tall in the Rila Monastery forest reserve, but I've not been able to find any details.

Resin

That whole region seems to be Abies rich. I haven't tried any of the Mediterranean firs, mainly because they are so difficult to find. A. bornmuelleriana was once on my hot list after learning it does well on drier sites, but I eventually gave up on that pursuit. I'll just have to make my way east and see them growing wild, but I'd better move quick before war breaks out.

Do firs in general hybridise more readily than other conifers such as spruce and pine?

No war in Turkey where A. bornmuelleriana comes from, so no hurry. Zone 4 might be just a bit marginal for it, though.

The Mediterranean firs are all closely related to each other (Abies subsect. Abies), so hybridise readily among themselves; they won't hybridise with less-closely related firs - e.g. you'd not get a hybrid of any of them with say, Balsam Fir A. balsamea.

Resin

This is a bit off topic, but I've got several Fraser Firs growing here ranging from 5'-12'. We've had numerous dry summers since they were planted, and I've been surprised how well they've handled it. The summer of 2012 was very dry, and not one of them showed any hint of stress. My spouse and her son planted them before I arrived on the scene, and they did not provide any mulching, supplemental watering, etc. Now that I'm around, they'll no doubt decline from too much attention.

lol. That's a high quality of self-deprecation in that last post Pseudo. Made me laugh out loud. :)

Here is the Keith Arboretum's listing of firs in their inventory of plants
(attention to the 4th listing):

Abies alba 'Pendula'
Abies balsamea 'Nana'
Abies balsamea 'Tree Haven Dwarf'
*** Abies ×borisii-regis ***
Abies ×bornmeulleriana
Abies cephalonica
Abies cilicica
Abies concolor
Abies fabri
Abies firma
Abies fraseri
Abies georgei
Abies holophylla
Abies homolepis
Abies ×intermedia 'Canaan'
Abies koreana 'Silberperl'
Abies mariesii
Abies marocana
Abies nordmanniana
Abies nordmanniana × A. cephalonica
Abies nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani
Abies nordmanniana 'Prostrata'
Abies numidica
Abies pindrow
Abies pinsapo 'Glauca'
Abies religiosa
Abies sachalinensis
Abies vejari

A chance to see it up close and personal!
Maybe another reason to take a weekend drive...

And no pics?

Dagnabbit...

I'm ashamed...

I'll take some pics of the nine foot tall trees that I should be receiving in a few weeks.

Earlier today I waddled through the snow to take a close look at A. concolor and A. koreana. Care to guess which one looks like toast, while the other seemingly came through winter unscathed?

Are you getting a 9' King Boris? Where will you put him?

I'm getting either 3 or 5 of hims. I've got just the place all picked out - the Pinetum.

PinusValley??

No way.

That would be PinusPeninsula...

What made you go with A. borisii-regis? Was it a combination of size, price, and availability, or is there some other factor that tilted in its favor? Why not A. nordmanniana? Will the pinetum have other firs? If you were a fir, what kind of fir would you be?

So - you're one of those that thinks size matters?

The Pinetum in Shawnee Park in Louisville was a conifer collection circa 1893. It hasn't been managed for succession, and there are few remaining residents. It is time for renewal. There's room for 30-40 specimens.

We are aiming to achieve diversity within this planting, while respecting the original design intent and using plants expected to survive and thrive in the soils and general climate. With that in mind, some Abies species that will stretch their roots here include:

Abies borisii-regis
Abies cilicica
Abies concolor
Abies firma
Abies homolepis
Abies koreana
Abies nordmanniana
Abies pinsapo
Abies veitchii

Other considerations include:

**Will park patrons take it for a Christmas tree?

That's pretty much the only other consideration, though price and availability enter into it.

Hunting for more than firs, of course. Likely additions will be:

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (yes, has a different name now)
Cunninghamia lanceolata
Calocedrus decurrens
Cedrus libani var. stenocoma
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Picea abies
Picea omorika
Picea orientalis
Pinus ayacahuite
Pinus bungeana
Pinus cembra
Pinus flexilis
Pinus heldreichii
Pinus koraiensis
Pinus x schwerinii
Pseudolarix amabilis
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Sciadopitys verticillata
Taxodium distichum
Thuja plicata
Tsuga canadensis

We will plant as many as we can accrue this spring.

I thought I sent this out earlier, but apparently not. Oh well, here I go again. That's an impressive list of conifers you've put together, and I'm wondering how it came about. For a project such as this, is there a committee that puts a white list together, or would this fall exclusivley on your shoulders? If I had your job, I'd probably be spending late nights at the office as well. BTW, will A. concolor serve as the native fir in this planting? Mmm, are there any firs native to Kentucky?

I find it interesting that tree theft from parks prior to Christmas can be a problem. Does anyone else see some irony there?

Oh, yes.

A Select Committee was assembled back during Watergate days, but after that saga they seemed to have lost any raison d'etre.

That is, until the Shawnee Park pinetum project came along...

Actually, you found me out. It falls exclusively on my shoulders - along with the historical reference of the Olmsted firm's original planting plans and plant lists, and the mission of Metro Parks and the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy to "restore, preserve, and enhance" the Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in Louisville.

Tough job, but someone's got to do it.

That sounds like a job that one could get lost in. Do you do any consulting? Eau Claire is a small city of about 65,000, but doesn't have a botanical garden to speak of. I've got the perfect place for one, which is a city owned park along the Chippewa River. It has several small spring fed ponds that create a magical feel when you walk through it. The park is in need of some attention, but this place could be a real gem with a bit of vision and commitment.

The model would be Munsinger Gardens in St Cloud, MN, which is similar to Eau Claire in many, many ways. My spouse and I have talked about arganizing a petition to prod the city to consider this, but we're really not sure how to go about it. What we need to do is line up a benefactor to fund the effort. A botanical sugar daddy if you will.

http://www.eauclaire-info.com/outdoor-recreation/city-parks/rod-and-gun-park.html

You might best start by visiting and investigating similar size/style gardens. Talk to staff and administration to get an idea of budgets, expenses, and investments. Learn about how long it took to generate that which you observe and enjoy, and how many people and resources were organized and aligned to see it through to fruition.

Important today are considerations of revenue streams, especially self-generated. Sole reliance on public funds is a prescription for failure.

A botanical business plan, if you will.

Yes, private funding would be the first priority. It would likely be a non-starter if that wasn't in place. Eau Claire is currently being divided over a large "arts" project, which is known as the Confluence Project. It has become a polarizing issue and I'm afraid politics has poisoned the confluence waters.

I'm sorry for derailing this thread. It just seemed like the right place and time to mention it.

Gee I wish I was the shadow trainee on that project VV.

You probably won't be thawed out up there for a few more months. Why not pop down (with a sharp spade) and throw some of this fine Bluegrass soil around?

We never turn away volunteers - even if they are Wolverines...

love the volunteer comment!

They only volunteer to plant themselves - which we don't need help with.

And most of the time, they don't tell us when they'll be on site. They never fill out the waiver forms, they don't wear protective gear, they tromp around on top on desirable and sensitive ephemeral species. They even have the arrogance to root around under some of our best conifers.

Do I sound a bit xenophobic...but they'd be better off back home in Asia.

I'd love that...a working vacation. Soak in a little Kentucky sunshine, ogle the landscape and play in the dirt. Are there any hotels or B&B's near the site?

Many - and you'd be right on the Bourbon Trail. Might trip over Pseudo though...

The Bourbon Trail isn't a very direct route, not if one wants to get some work done. Bourbon also doesn't mix well with holes in the ground either...treacherous for the joints and bones.

A pseudo trip? Nah, I like the real thing, I don't take those trips without leaving the farm.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.