Acro Gold

Picea abies 'Acrocona'/Picea abies 'Gold Drift' Project

During the spring of 2001, I noticed that one of my Picea abies 'Gold Drift' garden plants had a male strobilis about to produce pollen. I collected the pollen in a plastic bag as soon as it was ripe. Then, using a fine brush, I applied some of the pollen to several cones on an older Picea abies 'Acrocona' growing in another area of our gardens.

I collected the seeds in the fall and stratified them in a refrigerator. I germinated the seeds Spring, 2002 in a seed flat. I potted the seedlings Spring, 2003 with a repotting Spring, 2004. Then I selected a number of golden seedlings, which I planted into a special garden area Spring, 2006.

I will be watching these seedlings over the next five years to possibly make a few preliminary selections. I am hoping to develop a golden Picea abies 'Acrocona' with the bright color of 'Gold Drift'. I may even find a golden, pendulous 'Acrocona'. Presently the plants are too small to predict anything, other than they are gold.

Although it can take over ten years for a conifer to produce cones, I have a seedling from 'Acrocona' that I grew from seed collected in 2000 that produced cones in 2004.

Photographs from summer, 2007 follow: