Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Mac's Gold Spruce, Mac Gold Spruce

Description:

A distinctive pyramidal variety featuring stunning yellow new foliage that matures to green with a hint of yellow in the needles; makes an exceptional focal point or grouping; very unique, hardy and tough

Ornamental Features

Mac's Golden White Spruce is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive gold-variegated dark green foliage which emerges yellow in spring. The needles are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The brown fruits are held in cones from late summer to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Mac's Golden White Spruce is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

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.

Mac's Golden White Spruce is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Mac's Golden White Spruce will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 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 50 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. 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. This is a selection of a native North American species.