Prickly spruce(Picea pungens) is undoubtedly the most famous and probably favorite plant for every gardener. A common synonym for prickly spruce - blue spruce, although not all specimens of this species have blue needles. The amazingly beautiful silhouettes of these fir trees decorate central parks and streets, as well as significant areas of city buildings. They spared no space for these beauties and planted them on small summer cottage plots of six acres, wanting to see a “New Year tree” in their yard, which later occupied half of the territory. At the end of the 20th century. The prickly spruce has become a symbol of success and prosperity.
Therefore, today many owners of large plots strive to plant as many blue spruces as possible. The love for them is certainly deserved; they are a very impressive and fairly trouble-free plant.
One of the advantages This spruce is highly resistant to dust and gases, which is why it grows well on busy highways, where all other coniferous trees cannot survive. Blue spruces are not as damaged by pests as, for example, pines. And they get sick much less often than the same common spruce, especially when correct landing and care.
The natural habitat of blue spruce is in the west North America and extends from southeastern Idaho south through Utah and Colorado to Arizona and New Mexico. It grows most often in mountain valleys at an altitude of about 2000-3000 m, located along rivers and streams, on moist soil.
The tree is very tall, grows up to 35-40 m and reaches an age of 600-800 years, especially if it is in its homeland. Grows best on loamy or sandy loam, fairly fertile soil. Despite the fact that prickly spruce is quite shade-tolerant, trees grown in the shade look less decorative due to the loss of brightness of the needles and large distances between whorls of branches. It grows slowly at a young age, and after 10 years the growth rate increases significantly. The plant tolerates cutting and crown molding very well, which makes the spruce more luxuriant. Like any species popular in landscaping, prickly spruce has many forms, differing in height, crown structure, needle length, intensity
coloring and other indicators. We will briefly look at the most common ornamental varieties and, of course, touch on possible problems their cultivation.
Decorative varieties
The most widely used form in landscaping is 'Glauca'. Almost all tall non-selection trees with blue needles go under this name. The crown is beautiful, symmetrical, conical. Spruce grows up to 15-20 m in height and usually has more than 30 cm of growth per year. The needles on the branches last more than 3-5 years. Propagated by both seeds and cuttings. Very resistant to urban conditions. It has high winter hardiness and frost resistance. It is better to plant in large areas, as spruce looks bulky in small areas.
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‘Glauca Globosa’, Gray Globose, - ‘Glauca Globosa’.
Very widely used in landscaping and loved by landscape designers and site owners.
A compact, neat, blue dwarf form of prickly spruce, which usually grows up to 1 m in height and up to 1.5 m in diameter. It looks very decorative both when grown as a tapeworm and in a group with other plants. ‘Glauca Globoza’ looks original, grafted onto trunks of different heights.
‘Hopsy’ - ‘Hoopsii’.
One of the most beautiful and bluest forms of prickly spruce. The amazing silver-blue color remains and does not fade even in winter.
Despite the higher cost of this form, compared to the ‘Glauca’ form, the ‘Hoopsii’ spruce is in high demand, which is due not only to the beauty of this form, longer needles, but also to its more moderate growth.
‘Halsey’ grows more slowly, and is more often used in plots as a Christmas tree. At the age of more than 20 years, it grows to 8-10 m in height. In young years, to prevent the spruce trunk from becoming bent, it is worth straightening it with a stick that fixes the top of the plant.
'Montgomery' - 'Montgomery'.
A dwarf, slow-growing form of prickly spruce, whose growth is no more than 5-6 cm per year. Even after 30 years, the height of this shape and diameter
crowns - 1.8 m. The needles are very beautiful, silver-blue, up to 20 mm in length, and remain on the branches for a long time. An excellent spruce for landscaping.
Prickly spruce ‘Montgomery’
For planting on the site as a Christmas tree, I would recommend ‘Fat Albert’, with a dense, cone-shaped crown, but not growing more than 3-4 m in height.
The dwarf forms look interesting on the site; they can be planted in rock gardens or put together in a composition with other conifers; these are relatively recently bred forms such as ‘Mrs. Cesarini'(1981, USA), 'Lucky Strike'(1983, Holland), etc.
Prickly spruce ‘Mrs. Cesarini'
Dwarf. The annual growth is about 2.5 cm. It grows a little over 1 m in height. The crown is cushion-shaped, very dense, of irregular shape. The branches are short and dense. The needles are bluish-green, on young shoots they are light green. Witch's broom.
Prickly spruce ‘Lucky Strike’
Dwarf. At 10 years old, the height is 1.2 m, the width is 0.8 m. The crown is vertical, dense, irregular. The branches are very short and dense. The needles are thick, short, green. Fruits abundantly. Young cones are red, protruding, then brownish, drooping.
Prickly spruce ‘Nidiformis Kalous’
Dwarf. The central leader is poorly developed. The branches are outstretched. The needles are blue. Can be grafted onto a standard.
Prickly spruce ‘Oldenburg’
Tree of medium size, powerful. Annual growth is 10-15 cm. Grows up to 10 m tall. The crown is dense, wide-conical. The needles are bluish-gray.
Prickly spruce ‘Blaukissen’
Dwarf form. Annual growth is about 2.5 cm. Dimensions at 10 years: 90 cm height and 1.8 m width. The crown is oval, very dense, even. The branches are short and dense. The needles are blue, especially on young shoots.
Prickly spruce ‘Blue Trinket’
Low tree. The crown is compact and wide-conical. The branches are horizontal, arranged in regular tiers. The needles are short, hard, grayish-blue, matte.
Prickly spruce ‘Brynek’
Miniature variety. The crown is dense, hemispherical, flattened. The needles are grayish-green. Witch's broom. Grafted onto a standard.
Prickly spruce ‘Christmas Blue’
Medium sized tree. The crown is very regular, conical. The needles are silver-blue.
Prickly spruce ‘Edith’
Medium height. At 10 years of age, the height is about 2 m. The crown is pyramidal, fairly even. The needles are thin, short, silver-blue. A good alternative to the 'Hoopsii' variety.
Prickly spruce ‘Fat Albert’
The crown is pyramidal, smooth. Height 3-4.5 m. The needles are bright blue when blooming, then green, less than 1 cm long.
Prickly spruce ‘Filip’s Blue Compact’
Dwarf. Very beautiful. The crown is wide-pyramidal, dense and even. The needles are blue.
Prickly spruce ‘Frieda’
Dwarf. At 10 years of age, the height is 1.2 m, the width is 0.6 m. The crown is rounded, irregular, and very dense. The needles are bluish-green. Witch's broom.
Prickly spruce ‘Hermann Naue’
Dwarf. At 10 years it reaches 0.5 m in height and 0.7 m in diameter. The crown is cushion-shaped, of uncertain outline. There is no central leader. The branches are short and oriented differently. The needles are grayish-blue. It bears fruit at an early age; numerous cones at the ends of the branches look very impressive. A similar variety is ‘Early Cones’, which grows much more slowly.
When landscaping an area, you should also pay attention to spruce trees with an unusual crown shape, such as ‘Glauca Pendula’, ‘Glauca Procumbens’. Forms with a narrow pyramidal crown and upward-pointing branches began to receive well-deserved attention: ‘Fastigiata’ Clseli Fastigiata), and 'IseliFoxtail'(1965, USA) and 'Blue Totem'.
Prickly spruce ‘Glauca Pendula’
The central leader is weak, crooked, and may droop at the top. Skeletal branches hanging with raised ends. Branches hanging down. The needles are silver-blue.
Prickly spruce ‘Glauca Procumbens’
Dwarf, prostrate. There is no central leader; he can be replaced by side branches. The skeletal branches are long, outstretched, with rising ends, looking like swirling waves. Hanging branches. The needles are gray. Sports from 'Koster'. To preserve the creeping form, vertical shoots must be removed.
Prickly spruce ‘Glauca Prostrata’
It grows slowly. Crown of indeterminate shape. Usually it is prostrate, the branches are creeping and raised above the ground. The old type specimen (Germany), however, has a vertical trunk 6 m high. A creeping variety that rarely produces vertical shoots - ‘Gotelli Prostrate’.
Prickly spruce "Fastigiata" and its variety "Iseli Fastigiata"
Prickly spruce "Fastigiata" was bred in the 60s of the last century in the USA. Trees of this variety reach the same height as wild trees. Prickly spruce “Iseli Fastigiata” has a narrow pyramidal crown with obliquely ascending branches. The upper branches are almost pressed to the trunk, with characteristic long apical shoots extending from them. The needles are bluish-green. Other narrow varieties are ‘Iseli Foxtail’ (1965, USA) and ‘Blue Totem’.
Prickly spruce "Bonfire"
‘Koster’(until 1885, Holland). Glauca Group. Prickly spruce “Koster” is a tree with a neat pyramidal crown. The branches are arranged whorled, strictly horizontally. The needles are 2025 mm long, silvery, protecting their color in winter. The basis for the Koster variety was initially genetically heterogeneous material.
Thus, there are now many interesting decorative forms of prickly spruce on the market, but when you plant them on the site, do not forget that, like any plant, they can suffer from underwatering or wetting of the roots, poor soil, deepening of the root collar during planting, as well as exposure to diseases and pests.
New variety of blue spruce Plcea pungens ‘Blue Damant’ (‘Blue diamond’ - blue diamond)
This variety, like most varieties of prickly spruce, was bred in America in 1990, and more recently appeared in European and our nurseries.
The variety is distinguished by very thin, delicate sky-blue needles, an even, wide-conical shape and slow growth. Over the course of a year, the plant grows only 10 cm in height; a 10-year-old plant is 1 meter high and 0.6-0.8 m wide, so adult plants are very expensive.
An adult plant reaches a height of 5-7 m. The branches form regular dense tiers around the trunk from the very ground to the very top, the plant is very dense and fluffy, has a natural beautiful shape and does not require special shaping.
Prefers a sunny location, well-drained and slightly acidic soil.
Blue spruce - varieties
Excellent choice of decorative enhancements garden plot- planting blue spruce. There are many varieties of this coniferous tree and every gardener can easily choose a tree to suit his taste and needs.
general information
North America is considered to be the original habitat of blue spruce.
North America is considered the original place of growth of blue spruce. In nature, this tree grows in the highlands, which is why it is well adapted to low temperatures and gusty winds. In Russia, this type of tree is widely used as an ornamental tree.
Blue spruce has gained popularity not only due to its beauty, but also due to its ease of care.
The main difficulty arises only at the very beginning of the tree’s growth. Further, it requires virtually no human intervention. Collateral good growth is a competent determination of the landing site. Almost all varieties of blue spruce do not like shady areas, some like loose soil, and several varieties can even grow in rocky areas.
Varieties of blue spruces
Over the years of selection, many varieties of this tree have been obtained. For your suburban area, you can choose a tall spreading tree or a low compact tree. Particularly popular among Russian gardeners are:
Blue Diamond
This variety is characterized by a conical crown and a long trunk. It grows slowly, about 15 centimeters per year. Mature trees reach seven meters.
Walbourne
There are many varieties of blue spruce
Low spruce with good frost resistance. Most often they are planted in stone gardens. The crown shape is spherical with a diameter of up to one meter.
Biolobok
The maximum height of this variety of blue spruce is two meters. The crown grows unevenly, the branches are short and rigid. Young trees have shoots that are golden in color, which landscape designers love to use.
Iseli Fastigiata
The branches of this variety stretch upward forming a pyramidal crown shape. They reach a height of ten meters. This variety is able to tolerate droughts, but is sensitive to wetlands. Used in single plantings and as a hedge.
Montgomery
The peculiarity of the variety is its cushion-shaped crown, which takes on the appearance of a cone over time. The trees grow no more than two meters high and grow extremely slowly. How younger tree the lighter the needles.
The color of seedlings is closer to silver than blue. This variety is very susceptible to care and, without proper treatment, quickly loses its decorative effect.
Glauka Misty Blue
The crown has a regular conical shape with neat tiers of branches. The trees are tall, reaching twenty meters in height.
Aurea
The main feature of this variety is the golden color of the needles of young trees. The crown is dense. The branches grow horizontally and in large quantities. Frost-resistant variety loving the bright sun.
Bonfire
There is a Dutch variety of blue spruce
A Dutch variety of blue spruce with a pyramidal crown shape. This variety is an expensive pleasure. It grows slowly, but reaches ten meters in height. The crown circumference of an adult tree reaches 3-4 meters.
Fat Albert
Trees of this variety have a conical crown shape and reach four meters in height. Growth is fast. Can be planted individually or as part of a group of trees. Loves the sun and does not tolerate waterlogged soil.
Hoopsie
Suitable for growing exclusively in the garden. The branches of the tree are evenly spaced and form a beautiful crown. The crown width of an adult tree reaches four meters. The tree grows relatively quickly, adding 10-20 centimeters per year.
Blue totem
The trees reach 4-5 meters in height. The crowns reach one meter in diameter and have a conical shape with branches tightly adjacent to the trunk. Frost-resistant variety that loves sun and moist soils.
Blue Pearl
Belongs to the class of dwarf spruce trees. It grows extremely slowly and reaches a maximum of 1.5 meters in height. It has a spherical shape, which can become conical with age. This variety is unpretentious to watering and can grow in clay areas.
Blue keychain
The trees have a compact conical crown. The height of mature spruce trees reaches 7-8 meters. The branches are arranged in regular tiers and form a crown from the very base. It is unpretentious to growing conditions, but feels best in moist, sunny areas.
Many of the species have a beautiful crown
Blue Wonder
Belongs to the class of Canadian blue spruces. Every year the tree grows 10 centimeters and reaches a maximum height of 2 meters. The crown of the tree is lush and soft, forming a cone. Loves the sun's rays, but is susceptible to spring sunburn.
Bismarck
A tree with a straight trunk and a cone-shaped crown. It belongs to the dwarf class and reaches a maximum height of half a meter. Frost resistance and drought tolerance are good. Propagated mainly by seeds and cuttings.
Moerhaimi
A vigorous growing tree with a narrow conical shape. It is characterized by uneven growth; over the course of a year, the tree gains 10-15 centimeters and reaches a maximum height of ten meters. The color of the needles is the same all year round. The needles are 30mm long and are attached to each other.
The branches are short and grow horizontally. It is preferable to plant this variety in fertile soils. Excess or lack of moisture has a bad effect on tree growth. It can grow in the shade, but the sun has a positive effect on the overall dynamics and appearance of the tree. Frost-resistant. However, at an early age it requires increased attention and care.
When choosing a tree, in addition to height, it is customary to pay attention to the shape. The classic pyramidal shape looks very aesthetically pleasing and beautiful.
Planting and caring for blue spruce
There are several ways to start growing spruce on your own plot:
- Plant seeds;
- Plant cuttings;
- Use seedlings.
There are three ways to start growing spruce on your own plot
With any method, growing a beautiful tree will not be difficult, but a certain procedure must still be followed.
Planting with seeds
Seeds should be collected from cones of the variety of interest in winter time. Next, you need to store the collected cones in a warm place until they open. When the cone opens, take out the seeds, bury them in damp sand and leave them in the refrigerator until spring. When planting time arrives, treat the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate and plant in soil made from a mixture of peat and garden soil. You need to deepen the seeds no more than 1-2 cm. Next, until germination, you need to water the soil abundantly.
Dig holes in the area at a distance of about 30 centimeters from each other and lay drainage at the bottom. Next time you need to replant the spruce trees in the third year of growth and plant them at a distance of one meter.
Planting cuttings
The method of growing a new tree from a branch of a variety you like is considered even simpler than growing from seeds. Branches of mature spruce trees collected from the top in spring are suitable. Clean the cuttings from needles and soak in a manganese solution. Next, the procedure is similar to planting seeds: a hole is dug, drainage is laid. You must first sprinkle the twig with soil and add sand on top.
Water generously and cover the cutting with film or burlap. To speed up growth, water the cuttings four times a day. In winter, cover the cuttings with sawdust.
Planting seedlings
At the time of transplanting the seedling from the pot to open ground you should pay attention to the location of the root collar
This planting method can be used with any variety of blue spruce. It is in this way that it is possible to obtain a luxurious tree in the shortest possible time.
When transplanting a seedling from a pot into open soil, you should pay attention to the location of the root collar. It should remain at the same level as in the pot. Although blue spruce trees love the sun, it is advisable to keep the seedlings in the shade for the first time after planting.
Watering blue spruce trees
Initially, care requires effort and time. It is necessary to water the plant every day and regularly spray the tree crown.
Blue spruces are moisture-loving plants that love abundant watering at least twice a day. In the morning and in the evening. Watering must be done by sprinkling. When planting spruce on a lawn, you can combine watering cycles. Use only warm water.
Fertilize the soil
It is highly not recommended to use organic matter as fertilizer. Spruces also have a negative attitude towards an excess of fertilizing. If you fertilized your spruce heavily in the summer, it is at greater risk of freezing in the winter. During the first five years, the trees are fed with mineral fertilizers.
One of the proven fertilizers can be called “Kemira Universal”.
The fertilization process must begin immediately after the snow melts. Pour fertilizer into trunk circle and press lightly into the ground. Trees older than five years do not need fertilizer.
We prune fir trees
In the Russian climate zone, the crowns of spruce trees themselves are usually neat and symmetrical. The pruning procedure is still carried out - diseased and broken branches are removed.
When fir trees are formed hedge The crown of trees is also formed. Pruning is done in the summer, after the shoots have finished growing. Initial pruning is done almost immediately after planting.
Crown formation is possible during the first seven years
Formation of the crown is possible during the first seven years, after which this process will be impractical. Do not prune trees in the fall; this may cause the cut branches to freeze.
It is also not necessary to treat the cut sites with healing varnish. The tree produces a sufficient amount of resin.
Preparing blue spruce for winter
Almost all varieties of blue spruce are frost-resistant. It is necessary to prepare for winter if you have young trees and low-growing varieties. It is necessary to press the branches against the tree trunk to prevent them from being broken by the snow mass.
Using blue spruces as ornamentals is an inexpensive alternative to other ornamental trees. Spruce trees fit perfectly into landscape design and can be planted either in whole groups or individually. Some varieties look great as hedges.
If you intend to grow blue spruce yourself, difficulties will arise only at the initial stage of cultivation. In the future, blue spruce trees do not require careful care and only need to be treated with fungicides and insecticides to protect them from fungal diseases and insects.
While watching the video you will learn about growing blue spruce.
To summarize, we can say that blue spruce is spectacular and unpretentious plant ideal for growing in Russian climatic conditions. It’s definitely worth planting a couple of such trees on your country plot, because by planting blue spruce on your plot you emphasize the sophistication and sophistication of your garden.
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In the vastness former Union Picea pungens spruce was planted in central squares in front of buildings government agencies, on private plots it was rare. This long-lived North American plant began to be actively cultivated on our continent just over a century ago. In nature different varieties there are more than fifty. Beautiful plant, for most gardeners known as “blue” spruce, reaches 30 m in height, grows quite slowly, the annual growth is 5–8 cm.
The needles of different tree varieties can be blue, gray, silver-green, up to 4 cm long. The tree is the most prickly of the entire family of known spruce brethren. The trunk of an adult plant is powerful, straight, up to 1.5 m in diameter, the branches extend straight from it or rise upward at a slight angle. The needles from the lower branches fall off when there is a lack of light, remaining only on the branches and lateral growths of 5–6 years of age, although the plant does not lose its decorative effect.
Spruce has gained popularity due to its unpretentiousness and survivability in harsh urban conditions. Thanks to the waxy coating on the needles, it perfectly tolerates the polluted air of cities and does not require additional treatment for the crown.
The root system of prickly spruce is the same as that of all spruces - fibrous, suction roots are located close to the soil surface. This must be taken into account when planting a plant on the site. It will not tolerate constant cultivation of the soil near itself, and even more so under the crown.
Varieties of prickly spruce (blue)
Decorative varieties of prickly spruce number a little more than two dozen plants, and all of them enjoy constant popularity. Young plants must be covered in winter, protecting them from freezing. In the summer, young spruce trees need weekly watering in the tree trunk circle. It is also necessary to apply mineral fertilizers there, but not nitrogen ones, since an excess of such fertilizers reduces the winter hardiness of the tree. Young plants, just like adults, are susceptible to attack by aphids and the fungus Schutte, which damages the needles.
Prickly spruce
Picea pungens Blue Diamond
- Prickly spruce “Blue Diamonds” Picea pungens “Blue Diamond” (blue diamond) – relatively new variety. A tree with a tall slender trunk and a uniform conical crown grows slowly, young growth is no more than 10–15 cm per year.
Needles of unusual pale blue color decorate any area. Spruce large sizes does not reach (5–7 m), so it can be used as a tapeworm in mixed borders, or, alternatively, as a natural prickly fence along the edges of the site. The plant loves windless, open and sunny places, thrives in fertile and well-drained soils with a slightly acidic reaction, propagates by cuttings, and is frost-resistant. - Prickly spruce “Waldbrun” Picea pungens “Waldbrun” is a dwarf winter-hardy variety that is great for decorating rocky gardens, mixed rockeries in contrast with other garden dwarfs and rock gardens. The tree develops into a loose ball of short prickly branches with bright blue, dove or greenish-blue thick soft needles, and grows slowly.
In an adult plant, the “ball” reaches 1 m in diameter. To increase the height of the plant, if necessary for the composition, the upper branches of the tree are tied, setting their growth angle. The maximum height of spruce is 80 cm. The variety does not have any special requirements for soils and does not tolerate stagnant water under the roots, so when preparing the planting hole you need to take care of good drainage. It grows in partial shade, but it is preferable to plant it in a sunny place.
In winter, to keep the plant healthy, it is necessary to shake out the snow from the core of the ball so that the sun does not burn the bark and spruce needles through the ice crust. The variety tolerates well the adverse effects of frosts in spring and all-season polluted atmosphere. - Prickly spruce “Bialobok” Picea punges “Bialobok” is a variety of Polish selection. A low tree, two meters high, the crown of which is formed unevenly, so in a group planting there will never be two similar trees. The trunk is often straight, with hard short shoots extending from it. The plant has become popular due to the unusual coloring of its young shoots. Against the background of the main color of the needles (silver-blue), a growth with golden-yellow color of the needles grows.
Spruce is frost-resistant, but until it reaches the age of 3 years in winter, it needs to be protected from cold winds and frosts. The soil must be fertile; spruce requires moderately moist soil without excessive moisture. In partial shade the plant loses its decorative effect. Since it grows slowly, it can be an excellent decoration for coniferous mixed borders, in a flowerbed with dwarf deciduous ornamental shrubs or as a tapeworm in contrast to the overall design of the garden. Propagated by seeds that ripen at the end of the summer season, cuttings take root well. - Prickly spruce Picea pungens “IseliFastigiata” is a compact variety that owners of small plots like to decorate their property with. A tree with raised well-leafed branches develops into a narrow compact pyramid up to 10 m. Bright blue needles, a variety that is undemanding to the composition of the soil, is not afraid of drought, and does not tolerate excessive watering.
It looks impressive alone, but is also actively used to form hedges. - The prickly spruce Picea pungens “Montgomery” in its “youth” has a cushion-shaped shape, which over the years changes to a wide cone up to 1.8 m. Due to its slow growth, it often decorates beautiful landscape compositions As an emphasis on contrast with ornamental shrubs, it is planted in mixborders.
The needles are silver-blue on young shoots and bright blue on old branches, very hard and prickly. In the shade, spruce loses its decorative effect, does not like dense and heavy soils, and is one of the few representatives of the species that requires loosening in the tree trunk and sprinkling. When planting in a sunny place, you need to constantly water the plant. The crown can be formed by annual pruning, removing unnecessary growth buds at the end of the season.
- Prickly spruce “Aurea” Picea pungens “Aurea” is similar in appearance to common spruce, but differs in the golden color of the needles of young growth. The predominant shade is dark green. It stands out for its dense crown with a large number of horizontal branches of white or light brown color. The tree is light-loving, winter-hardy, and is often used for spectacular single plantings.
- Prickly spruce Picea pungens “Koster” – old variety Dutch selection pyramidal shape. This tree is often planted in group plantings in parks, but single plants will decorate any garden. Propagated only by grafting onto a rootstock, it is considered an expensive variety of prickly spruce. The plant grows slowly, losing lower branches with age, reaching a height of 10 m and a crown width of 3–4.5 m.
The branches of young growth enliven the overall silver-blue color of the needles with orange-brown spots, pleasing the eye with decorativeness. The plant requires good lighting, does not tolerate waterlogged and overly moist soils; even adult specimens require protection from the wind. Under unfavorable conditions, the spruce trunk bends, losing its majestic beauty. - Prickly spruce "Oldenburg" Picea pungens "Oldenburg" is a tree with a crown up to 8 m in diameter. It is a semi-dwarf form with young branches, waxy and of a bright orange-brown hue. Old bluish-gray needles live up to 9 years.
The plant quickly grows, adding up to 35 cm every year when optimal growing conditions are created. Loves the sun, does not tolerate partial shade, loses its decorative effect and vigor of young growth on constantly waterlogged soils. It withstands winds well, despite its shallow root system. It is optimal for the urban landscape, since it tolerates pollution, and is also drought-resistant, and there is no need for shelter in the winter. Spruce is used for single plantings and in the formation of small decorative groups. - Prickly spruce "Fat Albert" Picea pungens "Fat Albert" has a wide conical dense crown with a pleasant blue color of frequently planted needles. It grows quite quickly, reaching 4 m in height by the age of 10 years. In growing this tree, it is important to preserve the leading apical shoot. It grows actively in fertile and slightly acidic soils, without stagnant moisture and in well-lit places. Winters well; in summer it requires additional watering during dry weather. Spruce is used to decorate park areas in group plantings and fits perfectly into the landscape of small gardens.
- Prickly spruce Picea pungens “Hoopsii” – a decorative variety for garden growing, dating back to the middle of the last century. It is distinguished by the uniform arrangement of branches in the crown with a diameter of up to 4.5 m. The growth of young shoots from 10 to 20 cm per year ensures the impeccable beauty and density of the crown of the variety.
Young growth is bright reddish-brown in color with stiff needles directed towards the end of the branch. The cones, which appear already at 3–4 years of age, enhance the decorative value of this variety with their bright crimson color. The maximum height of the tree is 12–15 m, it is light-loving and winter-hardy, does not tolerate waterlogging, and copes well with urban gas pollution. It is used for single plantings or planted as a ribbon along the edges of paths.
Not all varieties of prickly spruce can be grown from seeds. Some plants are grafted and sold immediately as a standard.
Seed propagation requires stabilization of the achenes (pre-germination), and then planting in wet sand with further rooting of the sprouts in containers. Cuttings give the best results: plant branches are rooted after being kept in special solutions for the development of the root system.
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Spruce is the “queen” of the forest, leading the popularity rating among masters of landscape art. This sacred tree, acting as a talisman for the site and a powerful source of bioenergy, is valued not only for its unique healing properties, but also for its extraordinary decorativeness.
Needle-like foliage in emerald, dark green and even blue shades can transform plant compositions, adding a unique twist to the landscape design of the site.
Options for using spruce in landscape design
It’s rare that anyone can remain indifferent to the luxury of color and frozen beauty of conifer needles. It is not surprising that spruce is used quite often in landscaping. It looks great as container planting for framing. garden paths and when designing rocky gardens.
Ephedra is ideal for creating multi-level compositions, harmoniously combining with low-growing shrubs and beautifully flowering perennials.
Trees with needle-like foliage of a rich green hue look interesting in combination with bright single- and perennial plants. Perfect for creating compositions: Japanese anemones, pansies, aquilegia, phlox and hosta. Conifers are an ideal basis for creating evergreen sculptures that can make the appearance of the garden richer and more colorful.
Among the main advantages of using spruce in the design of a site, it is worth highlighting:
1. Ephedra will delight you with its rich shades of needle-like green in the summer, without fading under the sun's rays, and in the winter, contrasting with the whiteness of the snow.
2. The phytoncides released by the plant can productively purify the air, having a healing effect on the human body.
3. Spruce is great for any style of landscape design.
4. Fluffy branches are convenient to use when making crafts: creating paintings, herbariums, New Year's compositions.
But spruce, like any other plant, has its drawbacks. For example, this conifer is capable of growing greatly, darkening the area and depleting the soil. Therefore, spruce species that have a dwarf shape are used to decorate gardens.
Spruce is also convenient because it is easy to trim. Thanks to this, even an experienced gardener does not have problems giving the crown a unique shape.
It is advisable to plant spruce along the fence. In a short period of time, the conifer grows into a magnificent shape, and its thick paws form a solid and dense wall.
Variety of decorative forms
There are more than 20 types of spruce trees in modern parks and gardens. The main thing when choosing the type of conifer is the configuration of its crown and the size of the plant in adulthood.
In landscape design, 3 types of spruce trees are most widespread:
1. Ordinary– a typical species represented by more than 50 garden forms. Low-growing forms created on its basis reach a height of 1.2 m, and medium-sized ones reach 3 or more meters. A wide palette of colors of needles, starting from golden and ending with rich green, on branches collected in pyramidal or cushion-shaped crowns, makes conifers of this species welcome guests in garden plots.
2. Barbed– more than 70 varieties are represented in the culture. Most of them are medium- and tall-growing trees up to 40 meters high with a beautiful cone-shaped crown. Although there are also dwarf forms up to 2 m high. The needles are very prickly: hence the name of the species. It can be bluish-white, steel-blue, silver and bluish-green.
3. Gray– has more than 20 decorative forms. The species got its name due to the ash-gray color of the bark and the bluish tint of the needles. The dwarf forms of this species have a spherical and nest-shaped crown, while the tall ones have a cone-shaped crown. The color palette of needles is quite wide, starting from yellowish-golden and gray-blue and ending with bright green.
Spruces, like any plants, are divided into three groups: dwarf, medium- and tall. When landscaping garden plots, the most popular are dwarf and medium-sized representatives of conifers.
Among all the variety of conifers ornamental plants Creeping and dwarf varieties are especially popular in landscape design.
Dwarf varieties
Low-growing forms include plants, the size of which in adulthood is several times smaller in comparison with the original maternal species. For example, in natural conditions, the common spruce, called Picea abies, is a 50-meter beauty with a neatly decorated crown, the width of which reaches 8-10 meters.
The decorative form of this tall conifer, known as Picea abies "Nidiformis" or "cushion spruce", reaches no more than two meters in height with a crown width of 2-3 meters.
The main advantage of dwarf forms of conifers is the minimal annual growth of young shoots, which in most cases is limited to 10-15 cm.
Among modern varieties created on the basis of Norway spruce, the most decorative ones are conifers, the crowns of which have a nest-like or spherical shape.
The miniature shrub Picea abies “Nidiformis” is perfect for forming low borders and decorating rocky gardens.
The dwarf spruce "Nidiformis" reaches a height of only 40 cm in adulthood, forming a spreading crown with a diameter of up to one meter.
The fan-shaped thin graceful shoots of “Nidiformis” are decorated with soft and short needles of a delicate emerald shade.
“Little Gemm” is no less attractive. The shoots extending from the middle of the crown, framed by dark green thin needles, form a neat hemispherical “cushion”. It looks especially interesting in the form of a standard form, planted in a floor container or flowerpot.
Branches petite beauty Picea abies "Little Gem" has soft, short needles of a rich dark green hue.
Picea abies “Will’s Zwerg” has a beautiful narrow-conical dense crown shape. The plant is interesting due to the soft green tint of young needles covering the milky shoots, which contrasts favorably against the background of the dark green of old needles. The evergreen shrub is well suited for small home gardens.
Spruce "Will's Zwerg" looks interesting in group compositions and as a solitaire when arranging gardens with a small area.
The selectively bred “Glauca Globosa” is famous for its extraordinary decorativeness. The dwarf plant does not have a clearly defined trunk. Its spreading branches, studded with millions of thin needles of an elegant silver-blue hue, form a beautiful spherical crown. Cones formed on the branches that resemble new Year decoration, give the tree a special attractiveness.
The blue beauty "Glauca Globosa" is often used to decorate city landscapes, often acting as an elegant addition to park alleys.
You can’t ignore the picturesquely creeping along the ground low-growing varieties. The miniature “Nana” resembles a soft pillow, and “Echiniformis” is identified with a kolobok, the round shapes of which act as an original frame for garden paths.
Most types of spruce trees themselves are shade-tolerant, but often their dwarf forms are very sensitive to lack of light.
Medium-sized species
When creating a home garden design, it is also customary to use medium-sized conifers, the height of which reaches no more than 15 m. A low single tree with a clearly defined crown looks picturesque against the background of a lawn “carpet” or the walls of a house. A spectacular driftwood or white stone will help complete the picture.
Spruce trees with spreading crowns can create a shady area for relaxation, filled with a special atmosphere home comfort and unity with wild nature.
Blue spruce is one of the most popular types of conifers, revered by designers not only for its ease of care, but also for the fascinating change in shades of needle-like foliage throughout the year. Only 20% of representatives of this species have a pronounced sky color, the rest are rich in green and bluish tones.
Blue beauties are not able to withstand temperature fluctuations in the northern regions and feel comfortable only in temperate latitudes. Spruce with blue needles looks advantageous along garden paths, against the background wooden buildings or stone buildings.
A prominent representative of this species is Picea pungens “Blue Diamond”, which means “blue diamond”.
The graceful beauty "Blue Diamonds" with a tall thin trunk and a neatly formed conical crown is often used for mixed mixborders.
Weeping spruce species will help diversify the collection. Considering their desire for the aquatic environment, conifers can be safely used when decorating the banks of reservoirs.
Full-size weeping spruce trees reach a height of 10-15 meters with a width of 2-3 meters. Thin branches, hanging down, bend around the curved trunk of the plant, giving it a weeping shape.
Serbian spruce “Glauka Pendula” with flexible thin shoots hanging along the trunk is a win-win option when implementing non-standard solutions in garden compositions.
Canadian spruce is more suitable for our climate. Konica is famous for its frost resistance and ease of care. It is interesting for landscape design because it has a decorative conical crown shape, gives a small increase over the year and fits harmoniously into the design of even very small areas.
Sparkling in sun rays young shoots make the coniferous beauty “Migold” look like a queen wrapped in gold.
mantle The crown of the tree, reaching a height of 6 m, has a loose pyramidal shape. The creamy-yellow needles on young shoots gradually change color after a few weeks, acquiring an equally attractive bluish-green hue.
Combinations of conifers
If the area of the plot allows, then it is better to use spruce trees to create a picturesque and original picture. different types and varieties.
Tall trees fit well into any landscape as tapeworms; more compact forms of conifers can be safely combined with other plantings.
In order for the intended composition to turn out harmonious and attractive, masters of landscape art advise taking into account a number of key points:
- The composition should not be too colorful. For a group of three conifers, use two colors. When composing a composition of five evergreens, use only three colors.
- When creating a multi-level composition, including 20-30 plantings, place the elements in groups, matching them by color.
- The fir-shrub ensemble requires proper placement of accents: the foreground is occupied by low-growing plants, the background by medium-sized conifers.
- Arranging a regular or Moorish lawn in the near-trunk area of conifers will help to avoid the feeling of density of Christmas tree plantings.
Juicy needles of a dark shade will emphasize the beauty of the flowering shrub located nearby. In addition to beautifully flowering plants, shrubs with unusually colored foliage will be a good addition to the coniferous beauty: weigela, mock orange, barberry.
Spruces combine well with other coniferous varieties and flowering perennials, creating a picturesque picture that looks elegant at any time of the year.
Proper planting and care guarantees that coniferous beauties They will delight you with their presentable appearance almost all year round.
Wanting to decorate your site with one or more fir trees, experienced gardeners It is advised to adhere to certain rules:
Boarding time. It is better to plant ephedra in early spring or at the beginning of autumn, when the plant has not yet entered or has already passed the vigorous growth phase. To protect young shoots from frost and rodents, it is advisable to mulch the tree trunk area with peat for the winter.
Placement. Under natural conditions, spruce develops well near the river valley, where it receives enough moisture to nourish a powerful root system. But at the same time, she does not like wetlands, and therefore needs drainage.
Soil composition. All types of spruce trees love fertile alkaline and acidic soil. They are intolerant of heavy soil types. When planting conifers in depleted soil landing hole You should first enrich it by adding 100 grams of complex mineral fertilizer. With a lack of oxygen and nutrition, the plant may even die.
It is worth considering that spruce greatly affects the flowers and shrubs surrounding it, so it is better to place it at a short distance from sun-loving plants. You should not plant conifers close to each other, since their branches will limit the access of sunlight.
Following these simple rules when selecting varieties and composing herbal compositions, you can create a cozy and picturesque design on your site that will delight the eye throughout the year.
Video instruction: setting up a fir fence
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This coniferous tree is an excellent “shield” in a summer cottage, used as a fence. You can plant Christmas trees in the garden itself, but only if you are ready to regularly limit the growth of their root system, otherwise these trees will inhibit other plants on the site.
Description of the common spruce and its seeds
First, read the photo and description of the common spruce 0 tall (up to 20–50 m) tree with a trunk over 1 m in diameter. The cone-shaped crown with drooping or spaced branches remains sharp throughout the entire period of life. The bark is brown, rough, fissured. The shoots are brown, red or reddish-yellow, glabrous or sparsely hairy. The buds are 4–5 mm long, ovoid-cone-shaped, light brown in color.
Pay attention to the photo - the Norway spruce has needles 10–25 mm long, 1–1.5 mm thick, tetrahedral, sharp, shiny, bright or dark green:
The needles can last about 6-7 years. The cones are 10–15 cm long, 3–4 cm wide, at first light green or dark purple, mature light brown or reddish brown, shiny, with convex, jagged scales along the edge. They ripen in October and open in the second half of winter. Common spruce seeds are 2–5 mm long, equipped with a light brown wing, and are sown in the second half of winter.
This tree can live from 250 to 500 years. When describing the common spruce, it is always noted that for the first 10–15 years it grows very slowly - 50 cm per year, then the growth rate changes to rapid.
The origin of Norway spruce is Europe, in Russia it is distributed up to the Urals, forms pure or mixed forests with birch, linden, maple, and oak. The mountains rise up to 2000 m above sea level.
Norway spruce grows in the forest zone of the European part of the continent in mixed or pure forests, being a type of local flora.
Norway spruce grows on any soil, even swampy soil. Prefers sun, but can grow in partial shade and even shade. It is precisely because of its ability to grow in the shade that any mixed forest gradually becomes spruce, since under the canopy deciduous plants Young fir trees grow easily from seeds spilled from the ripened cones of an adult tree, but young deciduous trees usually die due to lack of light. In coniferous forests, nothing ever grows under the trees, and virtually no one lives in these forests. There is silence in them.
Spruce has a superficial root system, and since the powerful crown, which easily reaches 20–60 m, has a large windage, strong winds easily turn spruce out of the soil. When planting a spruce, estimate the prevailing wind direction in advance so that during a hurricane it will not topple over your house and break it.
Norway spruce is used in pulp and paper production, for the manufacture of musical instruments, containers, sleepers, and lumber. The bark is used to obtain tanning agents.
Types and varieties of Norway spruce (with photos)
Norway spruce has many garden forms: weeping 'Virgata', columnar 'Columnaris', spherical 'Pumila', dwarf 'Procumbens', as well as forms with different colored needles: gray 'Glauca', yellow 'Aurea', variegated white 'Argentea'.
All types and varieties of Norway spruce have a very heterogeneous appearance, which is explained by different types of branching. These types are inherited, the most decorative of them are separated into separate varieties and widely cultivated. According to the types of branching, the following varieties are distinguished: comb - branches are horizontal and hanging down; irregularly combed; compact - the branches are horizontal and densely covered with short branched shoots; flat - the branches are widely branched and located in a horizontal plane; brush-shaped - the branches have short thick branches with small brush-shaped branches hanging from them. The most popular varieties are:
Akrokona (Asroxona), Aurea Magnifica (Golden Magnificent – Aureа Magnifica), Berry (Barry), Echiniformis (Spiny – Echiniformis).
Norway spruce also has a huge variety of dwarf varieties, most of which have a compact crown with stiff, dark green needles.
As can be seen in the photo, there are varieties of Norway spruce with a spherical and hemispherical crown with a height of no more than 1.5 m, as well as with creeping shoots (“Inversa”, “Repens”):
Most miniature varieties, no more than 50 cm in height: " Little Gem», « Pumila», « Pygmaea».
Growing Norway spruce: planting, care and propagation
Growing Norway spruce is possible from the Far North to the subtropics. Propagation of common spruce is carried out by seeds. Garden forms - by cuttings and less often by grafting. Varietal characteristics are preserved only with vegetative propagation. When summer cuttings are treated with a 0.01% solution of indolylbutyric acid, trees root by 14%.
Spruce trees are shade-tolerant, but develop better with sufficient lighting. They suffer from air pollution, which primarily affects the life expectancy of needles. At a young age they can be quite picky. They grow slowly, especially in the first years of life, do not like replanting and cannot tolerate soil compaction just like their relatives. groundwater. Trees react sensitively to early spring frosts.
For planting and successful care behind an ordinary spruce, the soil should have the following composition: turf, leaf soil, peat, sand, taken in a ratio of 2:2:1:1. Drainage: layer broken bricks and sand 15–20 cm.
Norway spruce prefers loamy and sandy loam soils. Shelter for the winter is necessary only for some decorative forms and only at a young age.
Of course, for a small garden, an ordinary spruce from the forest is not suitable; it is better to look in nurseries for a bush form with a flat crown, reaching a height of no more than a meter in adulthood, or even get a creeping spruce.
The common spruce grows well in central Russia. These trees are adapted to the local climate and therefore do not require special care. Spruce trees can grow on different types of soil, preferring loam. The main difficulty associated with growing them is maintaining an optimal level of soil moisture. Common spruce trees do not like the soil to be swampy, so you need to loosen and cultivate the soil and ensure proper drainage. This species is relatively shade-tolerant, and the best location would be partial shade, adjacent to larger trees or buildings. Since common spruce trees are ubiquitous in the surrounding forests, it will not be difficult to collect viable seeds or find cuttings suitable for propagation. Ordinary spruce trees are not propagated by grafting, with the exception of decorative forms.
How to shape Norway spruce and tree trimming video
In order for the ate to be lush from top to bottom, the top must be twisted at some point. And the sooner you start doing this, the thicker it will be.
How to shape a common spruce to have on your site beautiful trees? In the spring, when a young and green shoot emerges, while the needles on it are still soft, hold the base of the shoot with the fingers of your left hand, and simply twist it with your right hand. There will be stumps 2–3 cm high left. This will be the annual growth of the tree. For spruce this operation is harmless. As soon as you destroy the top, the nearest dormant buds at the base of the broken sprout will immediately begin to grow. One of these shoots will try to replace the top and begin to grow vertically, and you will twist it again. You will thwart all attempts of the spruce to grow a new top every spring, leaving only a small stump of the annual growth. Thus, the tiers of horizontal branches will be located close to each other, and the Christmas tree will become very dense, and most importantly, this simple, but annual technique will not allow the Christmas trees to fly into the sky. In addition, the experience of gardeners shows that densely planted spruce trees (if they are not shortened) begin to lose their lower branches. And over time, instead of a green fence, a colonnade of trunks that are bare at the bottom grows.
The video “Shaping Norway Spruce” shows how to unscrew the top:
But you should not trim the ends of the branches, since, as a rule, this leads to drying out of the entire branch, and besides, the trimmed ends are too noticeable. It's better to pinch them. This is done like this: take left hand a handful of green “tails” that appeared at the ends of the branches in the spring, and with your right hand you tear off their ends. Branches will come from the parts of the “tails” remaining at the ends of the branches, which will again make the branches thicker.
If you cut down the top of an overgrown spruce tree, the branch closest to the cut top will try to take its place, rising to a vertical position. The trunk will turn out crooked.
Dwarf spruce trees are unpretentious and extremely hardy. They prefer a place well lit by the sun and moderately moist soils rich in nutrients. The exception is the rather capricious varieties of gray spruce, which need shelter for the winter and shading from the scorching spring sun. To form a beautiful spruce crown, it is necessary to annually trim the dominant and lateral shoots at the time of their growth.
Watch the video “Tripping a Norway Spruce” to correctly perform this procedure:
Using Norway spruce as a hedge (with photo)
Norway spruce is used in groups, as a tapeworm, trimmed hedge, and alley. More than 120 are known garden varieties common spruce, which can satisfy all the needs of amateur gardeners and landscape architects.
Here you can see a hedge of common spruce on a personal plot:
Norway spruce- a large tree. It is better to plant the plant on the north side, outside the site, behind a ditch at the very edge of the road that passes by the site. In addition, such a “living fence” will perfectly protect the garden from the north wind. If you are planting spruce trees as a green fence, then they should be planted at a distance of 80–100 cm.
You can, of course, plant a spruce on the site itself, but then you must definitely limit its root system. It is necessary to outline some kind of area, and every year to chop off with a shovel the roots that are trying to go beyond the designated boundaries. Since spruce has a shallow root system, you don’t have to dig deep, but it’s still tedious work, and you can skip a couple of times, but it will quickly extend its tentacles-roots to all your plants. It’s easier to do this: if you have an old concrete ring, for some reason not used to create a well, you can bury it 90 cm - 1 m. If there is no ring, then you can dig a hole, make formwork and pour a concrete square box without bottom. You can also bury the slate, but the spruce roots will gradually destroy it. If you try to bury iron, it will rot in 8–10 years, and the spruce will spread further. The space should be approximately 90x90 cm square or meter by meter. The soil you dug up can be put back in, you don't need particularly fertile soil, you want the spruce to grow slowly in poor soil. It will grow, don't worry. It is very hardy and also shade tolerant. Therefore, if you have 4 apple trees, then you can plant a spruce in the center between them, limiting its root system. With its rather pungent smell, it will successfully protect your fruit trees from flying pests of apple trees, since the spruce smell will disorient them. They seem to be flying towards the smell of their nurse - the apple tree, but then some other suspicious smell is mixed in. Fearing to leave their offspring on such an apple tree, pests, as a rule, fly past.
Spruce is the “queen” of the forest, leading the popularity rating among masters of landscape art. This sacred tree, acting as a talisman for the site and a powerful source of bioenergy, is valued not only for its unique healing properties, but also for its extraordinary decorativeness. Needle-like foliage in emerald, dark green and even blue shades can transform plant compositions, adding a unique twist to the landscape design of the site.
Options for using spruce in landscape design
It’s rare that anyone can remain indifferent to the luxury of color and frozen beauty of conifer needles. It is not surprising that spruce is used quite often in landscaping. It looks great as container plantings to frame garden paths and when decorating rocky gardens.
Ephedra is ideal for creating multi-level compositions, harmoniously combining with low-growing shrubs and beautiful flowering perennials
Trees with needle-like foliage of a rich green hue look interesting in combination with the bright flowers of annual and perennial plants. Perfect for creating compositions: Japanese anemones, pansies, aquilegias, phlox and hosts. Conifers are an ideal basis for creating evergreen sculptures that can make the appearance of the garden richer and more colorful.
Among the main advantages of using spruce in the design of a site, it is worth highlighting:
- The ephedra will delight you with its rich shades of needle-like green in the summer, without fading under the sun's rays, and in the winter, contrasting with the whiteness of the snow.
- The phytoncides released by the plant can productively purify the air, having a healing effect on the human body.
- Spruce is great for any style of landscape design.
- Fluffy branches are convenient to use in making crafts: creating paintings, herbariums, New Year's compositions.
But spruce, like any other plant, has its drawbacks. For example, this conifer is capable of growing greatly, darkening the area and depleting the soil. Therefore, spruce species that have a dwarf shape are used to decorate gardens.
Spruce is also convenient because it is easy to trim. Thanks to this, even an experienced gardener has no problems giving the crown a unique shape.
It is advisable to plant spruce along the fence. In a short period of time, the conifer grows into a magnificent shape, and its thick paws form a solid and dense wall.
Variety of decorative forms
There are more than 20 types of spruce trees in modern parks and gardens. The main thing when choosing the type of conifer is the configuration of its crown and the size of the plant in adulthood.
In landscape design, 3 types of spruce trees are most widespread:
- Ordinary– a typical species represented by more than 50 garden forms. Low-growing forms created on its basis reach a height of 1.2 m, and medium-sized ones reach 3 or more meters. A wide palette of colors of needles, starting from golden and ending with rich green, on branches collected in pyramidal or cushion-shaped crowns, makes conifers of this species welcome guests in garden plots.
- Barbed– more than 70 varieties are represented in the culture. Most of them are medium- and tall-growing trees up to 40 meters high with a beautiful cone-shaped crown. Although there are also dwarf forms up to 2 m high. The needles are very prickly: hence the name of the species. It can be bluish-white, steel-blue, silver and bluish-green.
- Gray– has more than 20 decorative forms. The species got its name due to the ash-gray color of the bark and the bluish tint of the needles. The dwarf forms of this species have a spherical and nest-shaped crown, while the tall ones have a cone-shaped crown. The color palette of needles is quite wide, starting from yellowish-golden and gray-blue and ending with bright green.
Spruces, like any plants, are divided into three groups: dwarf, medium- and tall. When landscaping garden plots, the most popular are dwarf and medium-sized representatives of conifers.
Among the variety of coniferous ornamental plants in landscape design, creeping and dwarf varieties are especially popular
Dwarf varieties
Low-growing forms include plants, the size of which in adulthood is several times smaller in comparison with the original maternal species. For example, in natural conditions, the common spruce, called Picea abies, is a 50-meter beauty with a neatly decorated crown, the width of which reaches 8-10 meters.
The decorative form of this tall conifer, known as Picea abies "Nidiformis" or "cushion spruce", reaches no more than two meters in height with a crown width of 2-3 meters.
The main advantage of dwarf forms of conifers is the minimal annual growth of young shoots, which in most cases is limited to 10-15 cm
Among modern varieties created on the basis of Norway spruce, the most decorative ones are conifers, the crowns of which have a nest-like or spherical shape.
The miniature shrub Picea abies “Nidiformis” is perfect for forming low borders and decorating rocky gardens.
The dwarf spruce "Nidiformis" reaches a height of only 40 cm in adulthood, forming a spreading crown with a diameter of up to one meter
The fan-shaped thin graceful shoots of “Nidiformis” are decorated with soft and short needles of a delicate emerald shade.
“Little Gemm” is no less attractive. The shoots extending from the middle of the crown, framed by dark green thin needles, form a neat hemispherical “cushion”. It looks especially interesting in the form of a standard form, planted in a floor container or flowerpot.
The branches of the miniature beauty Picea abies “Little Gem” are covered with soft short needles of a rich dark green hue.
Picea abies “Will’s Zwerg” has a beautiful narrow-conical dense crown shape. The plant is interesting due to the soft green tint of young needles covering the milky shoots, which contrasts favorably against the background of the dark green of old needles. The evergreen shrub is well suited for small home gardens.
Spruce "Will's Zwerg" looks interesting in group compositions and as a solitaire when arranging gardens with a small area
The selectively bred “Glauca Globosa” is famous for its extraordinary decorativeness. The dwarf plant does not have a clearly defined trunk. Its spreading branches, studded with millions of thin needles of an elegant silver-blue hue, form a beautiful spherical crown. The cones that form on the branches, reminiscent of New Year's decorations, give the tree a special attractiveness.
The blue beauty "Glauca Globosa" is often used to decorate city landscapes, often acting as an elegant addition to park alleys
You can’t ignore the low-growing varieties that creep along the ground picturesquely. The miniature “Nana” resembles a soft pillow, and “Echiniformis” is identified with a kolobok, the round shapes of which act as an original frame for garden paths.
Most types of spruce trees themselves are shade-tolerant, but often their dwarf forms are very sensitive to lack of light.
Medium-sized species
When creating a home garden design, it is also customary to use medium-sized conifers, the height of which reaches no more than 15 m. A low single tree with a clearly defined crown looks picturesque against the background of a lawn “carpet” or the walls of a house. A spectacular driftwood or white stone will help complete the picture.
Spruce trees with spreading crowns can create a shady area for relaxation, filled with a special atmosphere of home comfort and unity with wild nature
Blue spruce is one of the most popular types of conifers, revered by designers not only for its ease of care, but also for the fascinating change in shades of needle-like foliage throughout the year. Only 20% of representatives of this species have a pronounced sky color, the rest are rich in green and bluish tones.
Blue beauties are not able to withstand temperature fluctuations in the northern regions and feel comfortable only in temperate latitudes. Spruce with blue needles looks great along garden paths, against the backdrop of wooden buildings or stone buildings.
A prominent representative of this species is Picea pungens “Blue Diamond”, which means “blue diamond”.
The graceful beauty "Blue Diamonds" with a tall thin trunk and a neatly formed conical crown is often used for mixed mixborders.
Weeping spruce species will help diversify the collection. Considering their desire for the aquatic environment, conifers can be safely used in the design of shores.
Full-size weeping spruce trees reach a height of 10-15 meters with a width of 2-3 meters. Thin branches, hanging down, bend around the curved trunk of the plant, giving it a weeping shape.
Serbian spruce “Glauka Pendula” with flexible thin shoots hanging along the trunk is a win-win option when implementing non-standard solutions in garden compositions
Canadian spruce is more suitable for our climate. It is famous for its frost resistance and ease of care. It is interesting for landscape design because it has a decorative conical crown shape, gives a small increase over the year and fits harmoniously into the design of even very small areas.
“Piccolo” is a bright, elegant variety with emerald green needles that cast a slight bluish tint in the sun, looks impressive in group plantings
Against the background of plain green “sisters,” Picea pungens “Maigold” stands out, adding to the collection of varietal beauties in 1988. It will look great as a tapeworm.
Young shoots sparkling in the sun make the coniferous beauty “Majgold” look like a queen wrapped in a golden robe
The crown of the tree, reaching a height of 6 m, has a loose pyramidal shape. The creamy-yellow needles on young shoots gradually change color after a few weeks, acquiring an equally attractive bluish-green hue.
Combinations of conifers
If the area of the plot allows, then to create a picturesque and original picture it is better to use spruce trees of different types and varieties.
Material about coniferous compositions in garden landscape design will also be useful:
Tall trees fit well into any landscape as tapeworms; more compact forms of conifers can be safely combined with other plantings
In order for the intended composition to turn out harmonious and attractive, masters of landscape art advise taking into account a number of key points:
- The composition should not be too colorful. For a group of three conifers, use two colors. When composing a composition of five evergreens, use only three colors.
- When creating a multi-level composition, including 20-30 plantings, place the elements in groups, matching them by color.
- The fir-shrub ensemble requires proper placement of accents: the foreground is occupied by low-growing plants, the background by medium-sized conifers.
- Arranging regular or conifers in the near-trunk area will help to avoid the feeling of density of Christmas tree plantings.
Juicy needles of a dark shade will emphasize the beauty of the flowering shrub located nearby. In addition to beautifully flowering plants, shrubs with unusually colored foliage will be a good addition to the coniferous beauty:,.
Spruce trees combine well with other coniferous varieties and flowering perennials, creating a picturesque picture that looks elegant at any time of the year.
Proper planting and care is a guarantee that coniferous beauties will delight you with their presentable appearance almost all year round.
If you want to decorate your plot with one or more spruce trees, experienced gardeners advise adhering to certain rules:
- Boarding time. It is better to plant ephedra in early spring or early autumn, when the plant has not yet entered or has already passed the vigorous growth phase. To protect young shoots from frost and rodents, it is advisable to mulch the tree trunk area with peat for the winter.
- Location. Under natural conditions, spruce develops well near the river valley, where it receives enough moisture to nourish a powerful root system. But at the same time, she does not like wetlands, and therefore needs drainage.
- Soil composition. All types of spruce trees love fertile alkaline and acidic soil. They are intolerant of heavy soil types. When planting conifers in depleted soil, the planting hole should first be enriched by adding 100 grams of complex mineral fertilizer. With a lack of oxygen and nutrition, the plant may even die.
It is worth considering that spruce greatly affects the flowers and shrubs surrounding it, so it is better to place it at a short distance from sun-loving plants. You should not plant conifers close to each other, since their branches will limit the access of sunlight.
By following these simple rules when selecting varieties and composing plant compositions, you can create a cozy and picturesque design on your site that will delight the eye throughout the year.
Video instruction: setting up a fir fence
Family: pine (Pinaceae).
Motherland
Spruce grows in Northern Europe, Northeast and Central Asia, North America, Central and Western China.
Form: conifer tree.
Description
Spruce is one of the important forest-forming species of the forest zone and mountain forest belt of the Northern Hemisphere. Norway spruce is the largest wild tree in Europe (can reach 60 m in height). All types of spruce have dense, hard tetrahedral needles. Monoecious flowers appear rarely, once every three to four years. Spruce cones, as a rule, decorate older trees. The root system of spruce is superficial, so replanting spruce is undesirable, as are interventions of various kinds. Spruce selections present an amazing diversity in height (from dwarf to tall forms), appearance and needles of plants.
Norway spruce (European) (P. abies). Straight, large, conical tree, 25 to 60 m tall and 6 to 10 m wide, with needle-shaped, prickly, dark green needles. Norway spruce branches lie in layers. The growth rate of this type of spruce is average. The cones of common spruce are light brown, up to 15 cm long. Growing conditions for common spruce - sun or partial shade; cool, damp places. Norway spruce is frost-resistant; prefers drained soils, from fresh to moist; grows on not very fertile substrates. On heavy soils, spruce is wind-fallen (it can be uprooted during strong gusts of wind). Norway spruce is sensitive to soil compaction and flooding. Norway spruce is beautifully trimmed; however, dense hedges are only possible in cool, damp, well-lit areas. Norway spruce is common in Europe.
Canadian spruce (white spruce or gray spruce) (P. glauca). Tree of medium size, conical shape, slow growing. Canadian spruce is rarely found in nature; grows only in the forest zone of North America. However, Canadian spruce has several very attractive varietal forms that decorate many summer cottages. Growing conditions for Canadian spruce are sun or partial shade; it prefers cool, damp places and tolerates moderate soil compaction. Suitable soil for Canada spruce is fresh or moist. Canadian spruce is sensitive to heat and drought, as well as to soil salinity. Canadian spruce can be damaged by early spring sunburn, and therefore requires shelter. Sometimes varietal forms of Canadian spruce develop ordinary shoots that must be removed immediately, otherwise the cultivar will acquire a species-specific form.
Serbian spruce (P. omorica). Slender, medium-sized or large tree from 15 to 25 m tall. The crown shape of the Serbian spruce is narrow-conical or columnar. The cones are violet-brown up to 6 cm long, resinous; numerous even on young trees. The needles of the Serbian spruce are shiny, dark green on top, have two noticeable white stripes below, in general, it seems that the tree has bluish-green needles. Growing conditions for Serbian spruce - sun or partial shade; tolerates high temperatures; winter-hardy. Serbian spruce is undemanding and easily adaptable, but requires protection from strong winds. Soils - relatively dry to fresh, well-drained (acidic and compacted soils are not acceptable). In spring, Serbian spruce must be fertilized with magnesium sulfate. In nature, Serbian spruce grows in southeastern Europe.
Serbian spruce ‘Nana’(P. omorica ‘Nana’). Dwarf form (up to 5 m tall). The crown is dense. Serbian spruce ‘Nana’ grows slowly.
Serbian spruce ‘Pendula’(P. omorica ‘Pendula’). Peculiar small tree up to 10 m high. The branches of the Serbian spruce ‘Pendula’ are drooping, dense and twisted. Serbian spruce ‘Pendula’ is recommended to be used with low shrubs, which will emphasize the unique shape of the tree.
Eastern spruce (P. orientalis). Large conical tree from 20 to 30 m high and from 4 to 8 m wide with a dense symmetrical crown; slow growing. The branches of the eastern spruce are arranged in layers. The cones are narrow, up to 8 cm long, the color ranges from brown to raspberry-brown. The needles of eastern spruce are short, shiny, dark green. The growing conditions for eastern spruce are partial shade and shade. Eastern spruce tolerates high temperatures and is winter-hardy; undemanding and easily adaptable. Eastern spruce prefers well-drained soils; in general, it grows on any substrate - from acidified to alkaline and from fresh to moist, but is sensitive to soil compaction. In nature, oriental spruce is found in southeastern Europe and western Asia.
Eastern spruce ‘Aurea’(P. orientalis ‘Aurea’). Small or medium tree up to 15 m tall. The crown of the eastern spruce ‘Aurea’ is conical. Slow growing plant. Very decorative needles - light or golden yellow. Spruce ‘Aurea’ tolerates shade.
(P. pungens). A medium to large conical tree, 15 to 25 m tall and 6 to 10 m wide, slow to medium growing. The branches are arranged in layers. The crown of the prickly spruce is asymmetrical. The cones are light brown and up to 10 cm long. The needles are prickly, pointed, bluish-green, gradually becoming grayish or dull green. The growing conditions for prickly spruce are sun (in the shade the needles lose their specific color). Prickly spruce tolerates high temperatures, is winter-hardy, wind-resistant, and easily adaptable. Soils range from relatively dry to fresh, very acidic to alkaline; prefers well-drained, sandy-gravel or sandy loam soils. Prickly spruce grows in western North America.
Black spruce (P. mariana). Large tree, reaches 30 m in height. Black spruce needles are the thinnest of all spruce trees. The cones are dark brown, almost black. Black spruce Undemanding to soil, shade-tolerant. Black spruce is winter-hardy. In decorative terms, it is almost as good as Canadian spruce. Black spruce has forms with white-variegated needles ('Argenteo-variegata'), with golden, shiny needles ('Aurea'), a weeping crown (up to 5 m tall 'Pendula'), low-growing forms ('Empetroides' - similar to crowberry, 'Ericoides' - with very thin needles, reminiscent of Erica leaves) and others.
Siberian spruce
(P. obovata). Large tree up to 25 m tall. The crown is cone-shaped. The needles of Siberian spruce are dark green, similar to common spruce. Siberian spruce is shade-tolerant; demanding on soil. The cones are smaller than those of the common spruce, dense, shiny, red-brown. Siberian spruce propagates by seeds. Can be planted singly or in small groups. Siberian spruce goes well with white birch trees.
Spruce Glen (P. glehnii). A tree with a dense cone-shaped crown. Grows in the Far East and Japan. The bark of the Glen spruce differs from the bark of other types of spruce - it is scaly and chocolate brown. Glen spruce needles are green or bluish-green. Glen spruce is shade-tolerant and winter-hardy.
Korean spruce (P. koraiensis). Tree up to 30 m tall with a pyramidal crown and drooping branches. In appearance it is similar to Siberian spruce, from which it differs in larger cones and longer needles. The bark of Korean spruce is reddish-brown. Korean spruce is resistant to natural factors; it goes well with hardwoods. It is found naturally in the Far East and North Korea.
Red spruce (P. rubens). A tree from 25 to 30 m high and up to 1.5 m wide with a wide-conical crown. The needles are glossy, yellow-green. Red spruce is distinguished by reddish cones and bark. Red spruce is moisture-loving. Rarely found in summer cottages in Russia. In nature, red spruce grows only in the Appalachians (North America).
Growing conditions
As a rule, spruce trees are shade-tolerant, but develop better in the sun. Spruce trees are demanding on soil fertility. They don't like transplants. Spruce trees do not tolerate trampling and soil compaction. Since the root system of spruce is superficial, plants can suffer greatly due to gusts of wind on heavy soils (on fertile soils the root system of spruce becomes deeper). In addition, growing spruce is impossible in a plot with high level groundwater, so due attention must be paid to drainage.
Application
Spruce is a plant that is used both in group and plantings. All spruces are perfectly trimmed, which allows you to create and give trees various shapes, using them in topiary art. Dwarf spruce trees are planted in.
Care
In hot, dry summers, spruce requires watering (once a week). Fertilizers are applied during planting, but there is no need to fertilize afterwards. Young plants are recommended for the winter. The tree trunk area of young plants needs to be covered with peat for the winter. Adult spruce trees are quite frost-resistant. Spruce species susceptible to early spring burns need to be covered.
Reproduction
Spruces are propagated mainly by seeds, garden forms- and less often - vaccination. Spruce trees are slow- or medium-growing trees (young spruce trees grow especially slowly). Spruce seeds and spruce seedlings can be purchased at a garden center or ordered online.
Diseases and pests
Aphids, moth caterpillars, spider mite and spruce budworm.
Popular varieties
Varieties of Norway spruce
Varieties of Canadian spruce
'Alberta Globe'- thick cushion-shaped or almost round shape. The needles are green. The height of spruce ‘Alberta Globe’ is from 0.5 to 0.8 m; width - from 0.7 to 1 m.
'Conica'- the most popular variety of all conical spruce trees. Spruce ‘Konika’ is a compact conical shrub from 1 to 4 m high and from 1 to 2 m wide with a dense pyramidal crown and green needles. Canadian spruce ‘Konica’ grows slowly. The use of spruce ‘Konica’ is very wide: it is planted in groups, in containers, in rocky gardens. Spruce ‘Konika’ is shade-tolerant. Spruce ‘Conica’ is propagated by cuttings.
‘Echiniformis’- partly cushion-shaped, partly rounded. The needles are bluish-green or grayish-green. Spruce ‘Echiniformis’ grows very slowly. Spruce height - from 0.3 to 0.5 m; width - from 0.5 to 1 m.
Varieties of prickly spruce
'Glauca'- spruce ‘Glauka’ - a medium-sized conical tree from 10 to 20 m high and from 6 to 8 m wide. The needles are blue when they bloom, later they turn gray-blue. The color of spruce ‘Glauka’ is most intense in June.
‘Glauca Globosa’- a variety with a height and width of 1 to 3 m with an initially round, then stocky conical crown. Spruce ‘Glauka Globoza’ has silver-blue needles.
'Hoopsii'- medium-sized tree, asymmetrical, conical; from 10 to 15 m high and from 3 to 4 m wide. The needles are intense blue or silver-gray.
‘Koster’- a medium-sized tree from 10 to 20 m high and from 3 to 4 m wide. The crown is conical, loose, somewhat asymmetrical. Young needles are silver-blue, older ones are silver-green. Looks two-tone.
'Oldenburg'- a conical symmetrical tree of medium size from 10 to 15 m high and from 3 to 5 m wide. The needles are silver-green or grayish-green.
Photos of spruce and information on how to grow spruce can be found on the Internet.
To create an all-season decorative design shady places in the garden are a wonderful choice. They grow well even with minimal sunlight for an hour. At the same time, the recommended varieties are winter-hardy, unpretentious and have a varied crown shape and needle color. Even from just one dwarf spruce varieties you can create a wonderful composition, and if you add decorative foliage or flowering perennials, shrubs or herbs to them, the flower garden will sparkle in a completely new way. Perennials with large leaves, such as hostas, and, look great next to the “pillows” and “cones” of dwarf spruce. Also good at joint plantings with spruce ferns (, ,) and cereals (, and spreading pine forest “Aurea”). From shrubs you can plant hydrangeas (and), and, of course, incomparable ones.
Dwarf varieties of spruce.
Common spruce(Picea abies) is an evergreen tree up to 35 m tall. The crown is cone-shaped. The needles are up to 2 cm long, dark green, shiny. Young buds are purple or light green, then brown.
There are a huge number of varieties, I chose the most resistant ones for planting in the shade.
"Aurea Magnifica" “Aurea Magnifica” (“Aigea Magnifica”) - the height of the variety is up to 3 m, the crown is rounded-cone-shaped, the needles in well-lit places are golden-yellow, in the shade they are light green, and yellowish-orange in winter.
"Gregoriana" "Gregoryana" - plant height up to 80 cm, diameter about 120 cm, uniform hemispherical crown, grayish-green needles about 1 cm long.
"Push" “Push” (“Pusch”) - the height of the variety is up to 1 m, the diameter is about 1.2 m, the crown is hemispherical, the needles are dark green, distinguished by the presence of numerous small cones, pinkish-violet in color when blooming.
"Repens" "Repens" is a prostrate plant up to 0.5 m high and about 1.5 m wide, the needles are bright green.
"Tompa" “Tompa” is a variety up to 1 m tall, about 1.3 m in diameter, the crown is cone-shaped, the needles are fresh green.
"Echiniformis Glauca" - height about 30 cm, width up to 50 cm, the shape of the crown is uneven, cushion-shaped, grows very slowly, bluish-blue needles are 2 cm long.
"Echiniformis Glauka" Serbian spruce(P. omorica) is a large tree up to 45 m tall. The crown is narrow-conical. The needles are dark green above, with two silver stripes below, the cones are black with a blue tinge, then brown.
Dwarf varieties:
"Treblitch" “Treblitzsch” - the diameter and height of the plant is about 70 cm, the crown is spherical, later slightly cone-shaped, the needles are short bluish-silver-green.
"Zuckerhut" “Zuckerhut” is a plant up to 3 m tall and up to 2 m wide, the crown is very dense, regular cone-shaped, the needles are bluish-green.
Black spruce(P. mariana) - tree height up to 30 m. The crown is cone-shaped. The needles are thin, dark green, up to 1.5 cm long. The cones are small, round, brownish-purple, then dark brown.
"Beisneri Kompakta" "Beissneri Compacta" - the height and width of the plant is about 2 m with an unpronounced top, the crown is wide-rounded, the needles are bluish-silver.
"Nana" “Nana” is a variety up to 50 cm tall and 100 cm in diameter, the crown is uniform, flattened and rounded, the needles are bluish-green.
Location:
Dwarf spruce varieties They grow well both in well-lit places and in the shade.
The soil should be nutritious, moist, but without close groundwater. They do not like compaction and trampling of the soil.
Care:
In the first couple of years after planting, regular watering is required (once every 1 - 2 weeks, a bucket per tree) and a small shelter for the winter with white non-woven material(agrospan, spunbond) with a density of 60 g/sq.m.
In autumn, it is advisable to mulch the tree trunk circle with peat or sawdust about 5 cm thick.
Adult dwarf spruce trees are winter-hardy without shelter.
