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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The winner is ...

The winner of the new-tree sweepstakes: Picea pungens 'Iseli fastigiate,' a Colorado blue spruce, described as "extremely ornamental" by Iseli Nursery, which bred it. There are many things we liked about it. Its color - steely blue - is sublime. Its shape - a cross between a fat cigar and a svelt barrel - is pretty. And its size: just right for the space in our garden. We both fell in love with it on the spot. In fact, Randy kept hugging it.

And how's this for a nice touch, one I didn't realize till we'd made the decision. This fall I visited the Iseli Nursery in Portland, Ore., a place with some of the most beautiful conifers I've ever seen. And there's a personal angle. My son, his wife and their new baby daughter live in Colorado, so in some small way, this brings us all geographically closer. (If only!)

It will grow about 12 inches a year, which suits us fine.

Our new tree arrives next week.

 
Posted by Virginia Smith @ 2:55 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
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