Abies alba 'Pendula' is often seen as a floppy little dwarf conifer, but given time, will overcome any juvenile gawkiness and attain a large size, creating an impressive narrow spire with a fountain-like effect in the landscape.
This cultivar is a graceful, strongly-weeping, narrowly-columnar tree that requires staking. From the point of the highest stake, the tree will "knuckle over" toward earth, establishing its maximum potential height. The branches droop vertically, parallel to the stem. The needles are a nice green color, growing on strong shoots and are often recurved. Be aware that in spring, in some growing regions, young shoots can be damaged by late frosts. Typical growth rate in most climates is 1 foot annually, producing a large weeping specimen, 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide (2.5 x 1.2 m) after ten years .
More than one pendulous Abies alba sport exists in Europe, but 'Pendula' was the first widely-propagated clone from ca.1835, discovered as a seedling at M. Godefroy's Nursery at Ville d Avray, near Paris, France. It has been available In North American nurseries since around 1891, and is still commercially available. (Jacobson)
