you would google the latin name.. plus 'ANNUAL GROWTH' rate ...

and you should be able to define annual growth rate potential ...

and while at google.. flip to images side.. and just look at them ...

almost all size estimates in conifers are at ten years .... if they differ for these two.. there is your answer ... you can also divide those by 10... to estimate annual growth rate ...

i have had two z4 winters in a row in my z5 ... almost all my nigra are dead or dying ...

ken

Ken, I appreciate the advice. I understand the concept of estimated 10-year growth rates, and I also understand they continue to grow after ten years. :) I've also spent more time doing web searches than I really should. In any case, I was hoping to get a few responses from those who have been growing P. n. 'Frank' for several years and could offer their experience with it. Growth rate estimates are useful, but they are just that -- estimates.

I'm looking to screen an LP tank and need one additional columnar conifer to go along with three other conifers already in place. 'Frank' would fit the bill and I've found a local source for one. The key is that I want it to stay smaller than 'Arnold Sentinel', which can get up to 20' fairly quickly (see attached pic of tree at Denver Botanical Gardens). That would simply look out of scale for the site I've got.

BTW, sorry to hear about your troubles with P. nigra. Do you think it was the recent harsh winters that did them in? They're very cold hardy trees and it seems odd that a z4 winter would cause their demise

Maackia

I have a bit of a vendetta against pinus nigra. My parents had A LOT of them...it was the main tree the developers who divided up the house lots planted. They ALL died as a result of turpentine beetles.

It's an overplanted tree in places, and subject to local diseases in parts of the US. Look for an old pinus nigra in your area, and look for little holes in the bark. If you can find an old specimen, and there are no holes in the bark, you are probably good. If you can't find an old specimen, or it has holes in the bark, be concerned.

The main reason it is planted is because of it's salt, clay and polution tolerance.

Oh, and don't plant it near where you park..they drop a lot of sap on cars.

Familiarity breeds contempt, but a vendetta? It's common up here, but I wouldn't say it's over planted. As for dropping sap, isn't this pretty much true of all pines?

Bob, you're up there in northern Wisconsin, correct? Pinus nigra will succumb to needlecast disease in a humid climate.

You'd be much better off with with something such as:

Abies concolor 'Fastigiata'

Pinus cembra 'Stricta' aka 'Fastigiata'

these two have the growth requirements you're seeking and of course are very winter hardy.

Dax

Hi Dax,

Yes, I'm in west central WI, which is about 100 miles east of Minneapolis. I got your message a day late, as I purchased the P. n. 'Frank' on Saturday. Oh well, I'll hope for the best, but keep my expectations low. BTW, I spent most of this week in the eastern half of the state and on the way back home stopped at a nursery where they had a P. cembra 'Algonquin Pillar' for about half the price I paid for 'Frank'. :(

Bob

Sheet.

Dax