ABIES NORDMANIANA 'GOLDEN SPREADER'

This selection is a terrific dwarf conifer for smaller gardens. It adds a nice splash of healthy, gold foliage against the typically green background foliage of other conifers or rhododendrons. It attains its brightest color during the winter and may sometimes shown burnt needles in late spring, which are quickly covered by light green shoots when new growth begins.

It is a dwarf, dense, broadly conical selection, growing about 6 cm per year. 'Golden Spreader' originated as a seedling about 1961 in the nursery of S. N. Shoots, Culemborg, near Boskoop, Holland. Although young plants are spreading in habit, they eventually develop a slow growing terminal shoot and grow into the shape of an old fashioned honey bee hive.

 This specimen is about 20 years old and is one of a pair planted in the front of our home.

 The other specimen of 'Golden Spreader' planted next to a twenty year old Abies concolor 'Conica'.

 The center plant is Picea abies 'Will's Zwergform', which is flanked by a pair of Picea omorika 'Pimoko' specimens.