Blue spruce, silver - varieties, cultivation, pruning

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Blue Spruce(Picea pungens), also known as silver spruce, is one of the most-cultivated conifers due to its decorative appearance, a wide variety of varieties and ease of cultivation. We present the most interestingblue spruce varietiesthat are worth planting in the garden. See how growing, planting, fertilizing andcutting silver spruceThanks to these tips, your spruce trees will grow beautiful and he althy!


Blue spruce - Picea pungens
Fig. depositphotos.com

Blue sprucebelongs to the pine family (Pinaceae).It is a species that grows up to 30 m in height. From wild-growing specimens in North America, seedlings have been selected from which manyblue-gray or silvery-bluevarieties of blue spruce are derived, which will add character to many gardens, even the smaller ones. Silver spruces are valued not only for the color of their needles, but also for their pale green, hanging cylindrical cones, which turn brown as they mature.

Blue Spruce - varieties

Tall varieties of silver sprucelook best when planted individually on the lawn, where they will provide a colorful accent.Dwarf varieties of blue sprucelook beautiful in the company of other conifers with an intense color of needles and among perennials. Picea pugens, due to its high resistance to pollution, is sometimes grown in urban green areas. It is recommended for lines and hedges to protect against dust and smog. The decorative nature of this tree means thatsilver spruce is often chosen as theChristmas tree.Usually it already has a conical shape characteristic of a Christmas tree, so in many cases it does not need to be trimmed to the right shape.


Young cones on blue spruce are green
Fig. depositphotos.com

Dwarf and creeping varieties of silver spruce :
Blue-gray spruce 'Globosa'- is the most popular dwarf variety that forms a dense shrub, quite irregular in shape with spiral-set, stiff, rather prickly blue-gray needles.
Blue Spruce 'Saint Mary's Broom'- is a dwarf shrub that grows up to 1 m high and 60 cm wide. Creates a dense pillow with a bluish-silver tint. It is perfect for rock gardens, heather gardens and flower beds. Thevariety of blue spruce 'Blue Pearl'looks similar, it can be grown in containers, decorating a balcony or terrace.


Dwarf variety of silver spruce
Fig. depositphotos.com

Blue Spruce 'Gloria'is a creeping variety, perfect for small gardens. It creates a low-flowing carpet of twigs bent at an angle, covered with blue-gray needles. It grows no more than 5 cm annually.
Blue Spruce 'Pendula'- trees of this variety are very different from each other, having many forms. All of them tend to crawl on the ground. They look best as the main element of the lawn or raised bed, similar toother creeping variety 'Prostrata'


Dwarf variety of silver spruce grafted on the trunk
Fig. PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl

High varieties of blue spruce:
Blue Spruce 'Fat Albert'- is known as one of the prettiest varieties of silver spruce, distinguished by a nice, regular conical shape, moderate growth rate, dense crown with thick, short silver-blue needles.It tolerates the Polish climate very well, is resistant to frost and drought. Reaches 15 m in height. Similar to it isequally decorative variety 'Hoopsi'

Blue spruce 'Hoopsi'Fig. GuidebookOgrodniczy.pl

Blue Spruce 'Kaibab'- is one of the largest varieties of silver spruce, characterized by a rapid growth. Due to the fact that the tree grows up to 40 m, it is most often found in large urban spaces or large home gardens located on extensive plots of land.
Blue Spruce 'Białobok'- reaches a height of 5 m. It has the shape of a wide cone with short shoots and long, very prickly needles with a silver-blue color. Decorative young shoots are intensely creamy yellow, and the contrasting shoot tips fade to a bluish color after a few weeks.


A tall variety of silver spruce as a background behind plants near a pond
Fig. depositphotos.com

Blue Spruce 'Iseli Fastigati'- initially the tree takes the shape of a narrow column, which with time becomes wider and more conical. It is not as blue as the rest of the cultivars. A hedge prepared from this variety will be particularly interesting if we choose plants with a columnar shape instead of a conical one. This variety grows up to 10 m in height.
Blue Spruce 'Walnut Glen'- is a typical variety in the shape of a pyramid with gray-blue needles, distinguished by the fact that young shoots have a beautiful creamy-yellow color. They appear in late spring and remain in color until summer.
Blue Spruce 'Aurea'- characterized by golden shoots and needles. A tree with a conical, dense habit, reaching a height of 12 m. It is a slow-growing variety, after 10 years it grows to only 3 m. Recommended for large home gardens and parks.

Good to knowMany varieties of blue spruce with golden needles are easily damaged by spring frosts or sunburn. So they can be troublesome to grow.

Blue spruce - cultivation

Silver spruce does not have high cultivation requirementsThe root system of silver spruce is well developed and reaches deep into the ground, thanks to which this species tolerates even prolonged drying. It grows well in moderately moist, fertile, well-drained soils with a slightly acidic pH (6.0 - 6.5 pH). It is a species that requires a sunny location, otherwise it loses needles faster and may be susceptible to fungal diseases. Picea pungens tolerates dry air very well, is resistant to frost and air pollution.

Blue spruce - planting

The bestplanting date for blue spruceis the turn of September / October or early spring: March-April. We prepare a pit for a seedling with a diameter of 40-50 cm larger than the diameter of the root ball of the plant and 15-30 cm deeper than its height. We put the plant down, carefully arranging the roots and making sure that the trunk starts on the ground surface.If the seedling has been in containers, it is a good idea to soak it in water for 30 minutes to make it easier to remove the root ball without damaging it. Then fill the pit with soil mixed with composted pine bark or compost, tamp and water abundantly.
When planting silver spruce on a slopequickly sprinkle a shaft of soil 3-4 cm high around it and fill the resulting bowl with compost. This prevents water loss and isolates the root ball against heat or frost, which is especially important in the first year after planting, when the plant has not yet rooted properly.
Both when planting and when sprinkling with bark or compost, remember thatblue spruce does not or have lower branches covered with earth . Therefore, the litter layer must not be thicker than 5-7 cm.

Blue spruce - fertilization

To provide our plants with the best possible development conditions, it is good during the growing season (March-July) 2-3 timessupplement silver spruce with multi-component fertilizers , which will provide the spruce with intensive growth and color and will reduce the loss of color of needles in the winter.Mineral fertilizers for conifers are perfect for this purpose. It is enough to apply slow-release fertilizers 1-2 times a season, both for new plantings and for mature plants.
In autumn (August-October)we prepare spruce trees for winterproviding them with potassium and phosphorus, which increase the winter hardiness and frost resistance of plants. For this purpose, the so-called autumn fertilizers. During this period, nitrogen fertilizers should not be used, which may prevent the plant from preparing for frost and freezing.

Blue spruce - cut

Silver Spruce tolerates trimming , but a slight correction cut is enough to give the crown a more regular shape. Particular attention should be paid to grafted varieties carried out at the stake. So that the side shoots do not dominate the plant, it is a good idea to cut them in half every year. Start pruning the creeping varieties (e.g. Blue Spruce 'Pendula') very sooner, as soon as you notice vertical sprouts growing to maintain the plant's habit.
Domed varieties (e.g. 'Globosa' variety) taking the shape of a dense pillow, require cutting the main shoot and side shoots in the spring, otherwise they will start to take on a pyramidal shape.
Silver spruce is perfect for hedgesTo give it a shape, cut a spruce hedge twice - in April and July. It is important not to drag on the cutting during the procedure, because if we delay too much, the hedge may not have enough time to prepare for winter. Be careful not to cut woody branches, as they may not sprout new shoots anymore and the hedge will lose its density.

How to become confident in pruning plants?

If you are unsure how to cut or simply afraid to do it, the fantastic book "Cutting School" will help you. Thanks to it, you will gain confidence in pruning plants and learn to cut plants so that they grow according to your expectations. After reading this book, your approach to pruning plants will probably change completely!

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