First of all, Al Goldner is no longer hybridizing as he passed away about 15 years ago....and the tree farm in Michigan where some of his cultivars can still be found is now owned by his grandson.
SEARS TOWER is one of Al's most notable introductions. BIG, TALL, and bodacious, it was developed for the landscape trade and a mass planting of SEARS TOWER once graced the landscape of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. It takes water for it to grow its full height, but it makes an showy display when established in mass. When used in a hybridizing program, it makes enormous seed pods....I was always amazed when it produced over 25 seeds per pod that were so squeezed in the pod that the seeds would be square. Developed and planted all over Michigan landscapes (highway plantings, subdivision entrances, etc.) before it was registered, SEARS TOWER was finally registered shortly before Al's death by his best friend, Hal Rice, because it was distributed so much and Hal felt Al's name should be on an official registration. Al was not registering anything at the time and Hal paid the registration fee to make it happen.
