Just a little bit of show and tell today. The week before last the Central Region of the American Conifer Society (ACS) hosted the National ACS meeting here in Michigan. Over 300 conferites gathered to discuss their favorite plants and share their conifer addiction.
The highlight of the meeting was a field trip to the Harper Collection of Rare and Dwarf Conifers at Michigan State University’s Hidden Lake Gardens. The Harper collection, which was donated to MSU by noted plantsman Justin ‘Chub’ Harper is a world-class assemblage of conifers and includes over 550 plants displayed in a wonderfully-designed layout.
To add a little fun to the outing, each ACS member was give three pink pin-flags and asked to mark their three favorite conifers. Tough to choose just three from this collection.
ACS members descend on the Harper Collection
Adrian Bloom adds his vote to Metasequoia glytostraboides ‘Gold rush’
The elephant tree. Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’
Got my vote but wasn’t the winner: Taxodium distichum ‘Pendens’. If the meeting had been in October when this tree is in fall color, this would have won hands down.
And the winner is… Abies concolor ‘Blue cloak’