Steve: Where are you? In some areas NS doesn't grow that well. For example, in NY, if you are west of Syracuse. maybe around Skaneateles, the NS are rather poor. Go east towards Casanovia or Clinton, and they are spectacular. The reason is soil nutrients. I am not sure, but one study suggested that magnesium is a requirement that not all soils satisfy for NS.
Also, if I knew where you are I might be able to tell you where to look. Here near Winchester VA is the Virginia Arboretum (on route 50 east of town). The NS there is about 75 years old--there are dozens. If you can't see these as beautiful, all I could say is, "there is no accounting for taste." The most beautiful NS I know of is in Upper Marlboro, MD. It is as full and lush as any tree could be, although the top is very open. This tree could be my #1 candidate for the "flat out most beautiful tree in the world." I would guess it is about 90 feet tall, and something like 140 years old. The VA arboretum also has some nice Oriental spruce--if you saw those you might put them ahead of Serbian. But I like Serbian also, but it won't grow in some of the drier and hotter areas, like here in Northern VA, like Oriental will. I have some large Serbian at my timberland in the MD mountains. Also, NS can't grow as well, usually, in the warmer and drier parts of Z7, and further south, even in the mountains, such as around Asheville, NC I don't usually see NS like I do around here or further north. There could be some exceptions. --Gaines ------------------------------------------------
