Dwarf Conifer question

Hello All, new member here. Glad to have found such a friendly and useful site! I joined to try and get a question answered about a dwarf conifer (see attached pic).

I planted this quite a long time ago and I can't remember which variety it is. It's been very slow growing and compact but about 3 years ago it grew this single upright offshoot and it's growing more each year - I've never seen anything like this before and was wondering if anyone knows why this might have happened. I hope you can see what I mean from the pic.

 

Ok,so is that attached to the plant around the base.
I'm using my phone atm but the bottom plants looks like some kind of juniper, but just guessing.
The upright shoot looks like a spruce or possibly a fir.
Some close up pictures might help.

Have a rummage around and see if you can get a shot of where the two types are joined.
It could be some kind of reversion from juvenile growth to adult growth.

 

Definitely part of the same shrub, I've attached a couple more pics (not great, sorry), it's grown up at a right angle from a horizontal branch. It looks so weird, but I kind of like it, just wonder where it will end up.

 

Yeah, I'm still thinking possibly a spruce of some kind, its reverted to the actual type species, what ever it is. Dwarf conifers are usually mutations that have been propagated for there type of growth habit.

Normal response would be cut it off as close to the lower part as possible, but if you like it leave it, but you might find in a few years all the energy goes to that shoot and the rest might not look so good.

 

Thanks Pete, that's interesting to hear, I didn't know they were mutations. I fear you may be right, I'll keep an eye on it. BTW - I had a really lovely orange rose that reverted to wild as well.

 

The rose thing is something a bit different.
Roses are mostly grafted plants, which means the roots are a different plant to the top growth, both are roses but the rootstock is usually similar to a wild rose and the top part is grafted onto it.

What can happen is a strong shoot arises from the rootstock and if you don't cut it off it will eventually take over the whole plant and the top part dies.