Spanish Fir 'Kelleris'

Spanish fir 'Kelleris' (Abies pinsapo 'Kelleris') is a conifer with an unusually bristly crown. The short, thick, blunt-tipped needles stick out all round the shoot like a bottle brush, and a heavy waxy bloom gives them a bright silver-blue that reads from the far end of the garden.

It grows more strongly than ordinary seedlings of the species, reaching about 4 m in ten years. When young the crown can look uneven because the branching is sparse, but it settles into a proper cone with age. Give it sun and dry ground - a south-facing slope or a warm open site where other firs suffer in the heat.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: One of the very few firs that thrives on alkaline and even chalky ground, where ordinary firs simply refuse to grow.
• Dimensions: By 10 years it reaches about 4 m - growth is fast.
• Hardiness: It takes temperatures down to -23 °C (USDA zone 6).
• Light: It asks for full sun - ideally a warm south-facing slope or an open, sun-warmed spot.
• Soil: One of the few firs that grows happily on alkaline and even chalky soils - as long as drainage is good.
• Watering: Water moderately: it holds up well on hot, dry sites, though it will not tolerate standing water.
• Care: It grows vigorously, so grafted plants are worth staking - in the early years the graft union carries a real load.
• Landscape use: A striking specimen for sunny, dry gardens, especially where the soil is limy and ordinary firs will not grow.
• Origin: The clone was selected at the Poulsen nursery in Denmark in 1920 and remains the most widely grown Spanish fir cultivar.