Tom Thumb Oriental Spruce
Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb'
Height: 5 feet
Spread: 5 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5a
Description:
A very slow growing evergreen shrub which forms an attractive layered globe with bright golden foliage all year long; very adaptable, an excellent compact choice to create interest in the smaller home landscape
Ornamental Features
Tom Thumb Oriental Spruce is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its characteristic tiered habit of growth. It has attractive gold evergreen foliage which emerges yellow in spring. The needles are highly ornamental and remain gold throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Tom Thumb Oriental Spruce is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a stunning habit of growth which features almost oriental horizontally-tiered branches. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Tom Thumb Oriental Spruce is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Mass Planting
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Tom Thumb Oriental Spruce will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.
This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
