Picea orientalis 'Aurea'

A magnificent specimen of Picea orientalis 'Aureospicata' will get the axe from the Display Garden, as it is just too close to the path. It is over thirty years old, and beautiful, but at least I have another of the same age close by. Both trees cone heavily, and random seedlings sprout nearby, and some feature the butter-yellow new growth, the same as the parent. One delightful dwarf was hiding under the mother tree, but I had never noticed it, even though I had walked past it a thousand times, for I assumed it was just a low branch of the 'Aureospicata'. Don Howse (from Porterhowse) was visiting a few years ago, and he discovered the little seedling immediately. We have since limbed up the mother tree to give junior more exposure. It appears to be much more dwarf than its parent, but time will tell since we propagate by grafting onto vigorous Picea abies, the "Norway Spruce." By the way, Don, if you're reading this, come by and get a start of your discovery – we have named it 'Lemon Drop'.