Tsuga mertensiana 'Elizabeth'
[Obrizok] Dwarf, upright, spreader, becoming wider than high, this is the only known spreading mountain hemlock.
Needles are a nice powder Blue, slightly shorter than those of the species. Branching is spreading. Older specimens are often seen with a depressed center, making them "nest-shaped" in appearance. Annual growth is normally around 4 to 6 inches (10 -15 cm), producing a shrubby tree 1.5 feet (45 cm) tall and 5 feet (1.6 m) wide after ten years.
Elsie Fry discovered 'Elizabeth' in Mt Rainier National Park, Washington, in 1940 and named it after her daughter, Elizabeth. Caperci'™s Alpine Garden, Seattle, Washington, introduced it to the trade around 1984. This cultivar is now very easy to find in any good garden center and is a worthy addition to any conifer collection.
