"Himalayan Spruce". Young tree 15-17 years old, has cones. H 14' x W 18'. The birds seem to break the soft leader each year. Said to be the longest needled { up to 2" - 5 cm.}spruce and gets large. Pics Oct 10/07.
Yes, was thinking so, kind of hard to stake the leader. Maybe too much rain here for it, making new growth very soft. Don't like the thought of it turning into a double or triple leadered tree.
Main precipitation difference probably timing (annual totals perhaps similar, or even greater on many sites there), which would tend to make it less stimulated. Habitat would have reverse precipitation pattern, so that more rain would be received during growing season than here.
Interesting, maybe it is the first blast of heat of the year that we get here, which sometimes seems to cause the leaders to droop, inviting the birds to land on them.
I'd suspect it's just the individual having some sort of genetic defect. It grows a good strong, straight trunk wherever it is planted in broadly similar climates in Britain, from the warm dry southeast, the cool dry northeast, to the very wet northwest. Summer drought and winter rain don't bother it. Just last week, measured one 27m tall and 124cm trunk diameter, not too far from where I live in NE England. Pics here (scroll down): http://www.pinetum.org/northumberland.htm
A normal summer here is a 100 year drought in UK. Unwatered lawns turning to dust, then greening up again in November is an annual phenomenon. I have observed other Himalayan spruce here being a little uncertain about producing perfect specimens. Open and irregular branching seems to be typical.
Thank you Ron and Michael for giving the tree some thought, and interesting pics at the link. Thinking the tree may have been better placed in full sun and may be shaded too much , possibly not allowing the leader to harden up properly. Should likely open the area up some anyways. It seems quite healthy , other than the leader problem.
RE A normal summer here is a 100 year drought in UK. Then is it safe to assume this would not be suitable in a hot climate, like Texas? If it's unlikely to make good specimens in the PNW I guess in most of Texas survivability is dubious. I think it's very interesting.
I've seen photos of good specimens in Italy, where they have a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers, so I'm still dubious about summer drought being a cause. Shade could well be a factor; I'd think it would do better in full sun in BC. Should be worth a try in Texas - I'd doubt it will be quite as heat and drought tolerant as Cedrus deodara, but the two do often occur together in the wild; if you have good Cedrus deodara in the area, give Picea smithiana a try.
Italian specimens could be watered, of course, perhaps heavily. California state capital grounds in blazingly hot Sacramento have even grown Sitka spruce, along with various other kinds of trees from all over - on acres of lush lawns. >If it's unlikely to make good specimens in the PNW< I didn't say it didn't grow here. One in Seattle was 42 ft. high in 1995. It just doesn't make a perfect, firm, geometric arrowhead or cone. It's a long-needled, soft, smokey looking type, as is Pinus sabiniana.
It was planted in a sheltered location after reading a Zone 9 hardiness rating by Krussmann's "Manual of Cultivated Conifers". Have since seen it rated as Zone 6 . I don't think it lacks water here, but when the temperature rises from 20-22 C to 30-33 C within 2 or 3 days for a week, the leader droops badly.
I'd rate it zone 8, marginal in 7. As with Abies pindrow, Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana, it gets killed or badly damaged in severe winters in z7 Denmark.
