aka 'Minima Wells'
Picea orientalis 'Mt. Vernon' is a very slow-growing, spreading to upright dwarf form of Caucasian spruce. Its glossy needles are very dark green, branching is tight and regular, structure is squatty, wide and nest shaped when young, later becoming more upright and pillar shaped with age. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 2.5 feet (75 cm) tall and 3 feet wide, an annual growth rate of 2 to 3 inches (5 - 7.5 cm).
This cultivar originated as a witch's broom found in the late 1960s at Wells Nursery, Mount Vernon, Washington, USA, who later introduced it to the nursery trade 1972. Its neat, tidy appearance and formal structure make it appropriate for any medium sized to large landscape.
