Picea abies ‘Witches’ Brood’

When first propagated, this selection is globose and very dense with thin, short, light green needles, as it matures the plant becomes conical and the foliage on the upper part of the plant becomes more species normal; grows about 3 cm per year when young and 10 cm per year when older, attaining a height of about 1 m at twenty years; discovered as a witches' broom seedling about 1970 by H. Lincoln Foster, Connecticut, U.S.A. z4

I added this plant to my collection in 1976 when visiting with Don Smith, Watnong, New Jersey. Don had it in a sales bed but didn't want to sell it. I must have looked very eager to have it, so Don took pity and gave it to me. At the time he called it Picea abies Millstream Broom. There were only two plants in existence at the time. The other (the original) was in the garden of Linc Foster in Connecticutt.

Two years later Dianne and I were visiting with Linc and Timmy and discussing conifers. When the conversation came around to this plant, I told Linc I had been propagating it and wanted to list it for sale. But it needed a name. Linc thought for a minute. Then he told me that it was a witches' broom seedling he had grown. He had read an article by Al Fordham about witches' broom seedlings and thought he'd try to grow some from a coning broom he had found. So he thought the name 'Witches' Brood' would be appropriate.

The specimen in the picture is about 30 years old and has had a life of consistent watering and regular fertilization. Notice the two foliage types (coarser at the top, finer at the base).