Picea orientalis Silver Seedling - Caucasian Spruce

Picea orientalis 'Silver Seedling' is undoubtedly the most extraordinary Oriental spruce, each specimen possessing a unique personality. Its foliage is surprising, with random variegation of silver and sand on a dark green background. This dwarf variety exhibits a variable habit, slightly prostrate and rounded, or on the contrary, more or less upright and pyramidal, over time. Unlike many others, it will be grown in shade or in filtered light to protect its branches from burning. This small conifer full of paradoxes grows slowly, creating over time a fantastic landscape in the dark areas of the garden. It thrives in poor soil, but one that retains moisture.

Picea orientalis, also known as Oriental Spruce, is an evergreen conifer from the pine family, native to northeastern Turkey and the Caucasus. In its natural habitat, this large pyramidal tree reaching 30m (98ft) in height grows equally well on the humus-rich soil of mixed or evergreen forests, as well as on the rocky slopes and cliffs of the Black Sea coast.

'Silver Seedling' is a cultivar derived from this species, very similar to the variety ‘Sulphur Flush’, but with a slower growth rate. When young, its habit is rather rounded, slightly spreading, rarely upright. With age and depending on the individual, the axial branches can develop to lead the bush towards a pyramidal or conical growth, often somewhat irregular. Its growth is slow, around 5 to 15cm (2 to 6in) per year, depending on the growing conditions. In 10 years, it will reach a height of 70cm (28in) and have a base width of 40 to 50cm (16 to 20in), becoming at maturity a bush 1.5 to 3m (5 to 10ft) tall and 1.5m (5ft) in diameter. In spring, it produces very dense young shoots, with a more or less silvery or pale yellow hue, which form a wonderful contrast with the old dark green foliage. If grown in shade, it will retain its variegation throughout the season. Its branches are covered with very short needles, with a diamond-shaped cross-section. They are shiny, arranged radially and very densely around the branches. They have 2 very discreet white bands on the underside.

The 'Silver Seedling' Oriental Spruce is an exceptional conifer that will find its place in all gardens, even the smallest ones, as long as it grows in shade and in moist soil. Its unreal foliage will bring light wherever it is lacking. Its compact growth, with no maintenance required, makes it a perfect plant for small spaces, woodland areas, and shady rock gardens. It thrives in a north or west exposure, against the shelter of a vegetal wall or a masonry structure. It can be associated with boxwood, yews, common spruce, and planted at its base with a non-invasive creeping ivy like Hedera helix 'Green Ripple'. The graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of flowers. These plants, with their reassuring permanence, structurally define a flower bed, mark pathways, border terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. The key is to play with volumes and colours.