Horstmanns Silberlocke Korean Fir

The Silver Curls Korean Fir is a great smaller evergreen tree for your garden. This dwarf conifer makes a beautiful conical tree without any trimming, looking attractive in all seasons of the year. The needles are curved up, so that the silver backs show, giving the tree a silvery-green sheen and making it a special feature in the garden. It even produces attractive purple cones when quite young, and these grow upwards, differently from most other cones. They give the tree a festive look during the winter, almost like a ready-decorated Christmas tree.

This tree is an ideal choice for foundation planting around your home, especially in cooler parts of the country. It will grow steadily at about 6 inches per year and will eventually make a small pyramidal tree, reaching 12 feet in height (or even taller). It will always be neat and compact and never need trimming to maintain its perfect form. It is the silvery, frosted-look that gives this tree its special character. This effect is produced by the way the needles curl upwards around the stems, showing the white underside of the leaves. So although the leaves are a rich green, the effect is quite silvery, making a perfect contrast with other plants in your garden.

This highly-prized tree is not often available, so we anticipate that our limited stock will not be with us long. Make sure to order now and grow one of the top-rated evergreens for colder climates. You will never regret the day you brought a Silver Curls Korean Fir into your garden.

Growing Silver Curls Korean Fir Trees

Because the Silver Curls Korean Fir will grow in partial shade, unlike most other needle trees, it can be used in lots of parts of your garden. It makes a perfect specimen in a garden bed, or among other plants around the house as part of your foundation planting. It will not grow too tall and dwarf the house, and fills corners and spaces between windows perfectly. A pair of these trees planted on either side of the door, in the ground or in containers, makes a great entrance feature and remains neat without needing any trimming. They also are perfect for planting along a pathway, or at a corner where your path changes direction.

The Silver Curls Korean Fir is a special form of the Korean Fir, quite distinctive and much smaller in growth. It must be produced from stem pieces taken from selected trees and joined to the roots of seedling fir trees. This takes a great deal of skill and patience, so avoid cheaper trees simply called Korean Fir, as these will just be seedling plants with no special features, and they will grow into large trees.

Planting Your Silver Curls Korean Fir Trees

Choose a sunny or partially-shaded location for your Silver Curls Korean Fir. It will grow best in well-drained lighter soil, and does not do well in heavy clay. It should also not be planted near a busy road or in other urban locations, as it grows best in fresh air. This is a very hardy tree, surviving well in temperatures down to minus 30 degrees, and in places with heavy snow falls. It should not be planted in hot and humid areas.

History and Origins of the Silver Curls Korean Fir

The Silver Curls Korean Fir is a special form of the Korean Fir (Abies koreana). This tree grows wild in the mountains of South Korea. It grows into a tall, upright tree 40 to 60 feet in height, with a symmetrical form. It has always been popular as a garden tree in Europe and North American, because it is very hardy and will grow well even with heavy snow and cold winters. However such a tall tree is not suitable for many gardens, so smaller forms are very desirable and quite a few have been developed. Top of the list has to go to the Silver Curls Korean Fir, which keeps the beautiful upright symmetry of the parent tree, but brings it down to a compact size, as well as adding that silver frosting with its curling needles.

This tree was developed by Günter Horstmann, who lived in Schneverdingen, Germany. It was first introduced in Europe in 1979 and came to America in 1986. Since then it has won awards for its beauty and it is a very desirable and highly-prized tree. Besides the attractive foliage and compact size, it also begins to produce cones when the tree is only 3 – 6 feet tall. The cones of the Korean Fir are special and make a great feature. Not only are they a rich purple color, but they stand proudly upright along the branches, like fat candles almost 3 inches tall. In winter they make the tree look very decorative and turn it into an instant, natural, Christmas tree.

We have lots of other dwarf needle-trees that are much more suitable for hot regions, such as Juniper Trees, or Cypress Trees. It is somewhat drought resistant once established, but it should be kept well-watered, especially during the first few years of its life with you.