Picea omorika f. pendula

The selection of Serbian spruce sold as 'Pendula' in North America is quite variable. It is variable because a number of different selections are sold under this name. Since Picea omorika is naturally pendulous, it was very simple for nurseries to do this. All of these plants sold under this name should be sold as f. pendula since there is no one cultivar sold exclusively under that name. Unfortunately, the same is true for many other species of pendulous conifers as well.

Named cultivars are much more reliable as to growth habit and are preferred in landscaping. It is diffcult to find named Picea omorika cultivars in garden centers. Wholesale nurseries are hesitant to produce them for a number of reasons. The major reason is due to the fact that most people buy what is sold as 'Pendula' and don't ask for anything else.

Most selections sold as 'Pendula' are actually inferior to several excellent cultivars that have been chosen and marketed by select nurseries like Coenosium gardens.

A number of the best selections are pictured here.

Picea omorika 'Berliner's Weeper' is an attractive, narrow tree named by the late Dr. Berliner of New York state. It is quite rare, but Coenosium Gardens has been propagating it for over fifteen years.

Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns' ('Bruns Weeping') is from Europe. In addition to being quite narrow, it also has silver and green bicolored foliage.

There is another selection that has a nice shape but not as narrow that was introduced at a later date as 'Bruns' by the same nursery.

Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns' ('Bruns Weeping') is pictured here in our Eatonville garden.

Picea omorika 'Gotelli Weeping' has been growing under the name 'Pendula' at the National Arboretum for many years. Sue Martin, Curator of the Gotelli Dwarf Conifer Collection, agreed to naming the plant due to its exceptional character. Watnong Nursery used to offer this selection for sale, and anyone who purchased 'Pendula' from Don and Hazel has this cultivar. The original plant is shown here.

Picea omorika 'Gotelli Weeping' at Watnong Nursery, New Jersey about 1979 when Don and Hazel resided there.

Picea omorika 'Kuck Weeping' is a selection from Europe that is possibly the narrowest selection available. Its foliage is dark green without any apparent exposure of the silvery undersides of the needles.

Picea omorika 'Pendula Major' as I photographed it in Windsor Great Park, England. It has a very distinctive growth habit which appears to be as spreading as it is upright, making a very picturesque specimen.

Picea omorika from Tetris Mountains in the Czech Republic is pictured here at the Gimborn Pinetum in Holland. The heavy annual snowfall encouraged the narrow growth habit since spreading branches would break from the weight of the snow.

Picea omorika shows its typical pendulous growth habit. This is one of the selections sold as Picea omorika 'Pendula', but it is inferior to the named cultivars.