Golden Spreader Nordmann Fir

The Golden Spreader Nordmann Fir is an excellent dwarf evergreen that will really brighten your winter garden with its bold yellow needles. Starting out as an irregular mound of horizontal branches, it will mature to a broad pyramid, about twice as wide as it is small. Growing at a maximum of 6 inches a year, and usually less, it will reach 6 feet across and 3 feet wide, and eventually a little more, so leave enough room when planting for it to spread freely. The new growth in spring is lemon yellow, maturing to a more golden color, that holds right through summer, fall and winter, unlike many other yellow evergreens that fade to green. The short needles grow all around the stems, making them dense and tufted, and although this tree is broad, it grows upright, not trailing or sprawling, as many broad evergreens do, so it has a different, distinctive look. A great choice for a bed highlighting the variety of colors and forms of the many dwarf evergreens, and also a great ‘anchor’ to plant beside steps, at the bend of a path or in the angle of two low walls. It could also be grown in a pot for many years to brighten a small yard.

• A low, broad pyramid of horizontal branches densely clad in short needles
• Brilliant golden yellow needles hold their color right through winter
• Matures around 6 feet wide and 3 feet tall
• Excellent in rock gardens, beds of evergreens and in pots
• Easily grown in moist, acidic soil

Plant in full sun, but like other golden evergreens, the Golden Spreader Nordmann Fir may suffer needle burn in winter in colder parts of zone 4, and also in summer, so provide some afternoon shade in hot zones. Anti-desiccant spray in winter is valuable. It thrives in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, containing organic materials, and doesn’t grow well in heavy clay or alkaline soil. It prefers cool climates, and is a great choice for cooler areas, suffering in hot, humid summers in warmer zones. Deer don’t eat it, and it doesn’t have any significant pest or disease problems. No trimming is needed, but you might want to select a single leading stem, once it begins to grow more pyramidal.