Prickly spruce(Picea pungens) is undoubtedly the most famous and probably the favorite plant for every gardener. A common synonym for prickly spruce - spruce blue, although not all specimens of this species have blue needles. Surprisingly beautiful silhouettes of these fir trees adorn central parks and streets, as well as significant areas of city buildings. For these beauties, they spared no space and planted them in small summer cottages of six acres, wanting to see a “Christmas tree” in their yard, which later occupied half of the territory. At the end of the XX century. prickly spruce has become a symbol of success and prosperity.
Therefore, today many owners of large plots are striving to plant blue fir trees to the maximum. Love for them, of course, well-deserved, this is a very spectacular and rather trouble-free plant.
One of the advantages This spruce has a high dust and gas resistance, which makes it grow well on busy highways, where all other conifers do not survive. Blue spruces are not as badly damaged by pests as, for example, pines. Yes, and they get sick much less often than the same spruce, especially when proper fit and leaving.
The natural habitat of blue spruce is in the west North America and extends from southeast 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 the age of 600-800 years, especially if it is in its homeland. Grows best on loamy or sandy, fairly fertile soil. Although Prickly Spruce is quite shade tolerant, trees grown in the shade look less decorative due to the loss of brightness of the needles and the 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 shearing and crown shaping very well, which makes the spruce more lush. Like any species popular in landscaping, prickly spruce has many forms that differ in height, crown structure, needle length, and its intensity.
coloring and other indicators. We will briefly dwell on the most common ornamental varieties and, of course, touch possible problems their cultivation.
Decorative varieties
The most widely used in landscaping is the form ‘Glauca’. Almost all tall non-selective trees with a blue tint of needles pass 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 form. It has high winter hardiness and frost resistance. It is better to plant in large areas, as spruce looks bulky in small areas.
Click to enlarge!
‘Glauca Globosa’, Gray Spherical, - ‘Glauca Globosa’.
Very widely used in landscaping and loved by landscape designers, site owners.
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 growing a tapeworm, and in a group with other plants. ‘Glauka Globoza’ looks original, grafted onto stems of different heights.
‘Hopsi’ - ‘Hoopsii’.
One of the most beautiful and bluest forms of prickly spruce. Amazing silver-blue color remains and does not fade even in winter.
Despite the high cost of this form, compared to the ‘Glauca’ form, ’Hoopsii’ spruce is in high demand, which is due not only to the beauty of this form, longer needles, but also to more moderate growth.
‘Holsey’ grows more slowly and is more often used as a Christmas tree on the plots. At the age of more than 20 years, it grows up to 8-10 m in height. In young years, in order to avoid a curvature of the spruce trunk, it is worth leveling it with a stick that fixes the top of the plant.
'Montgomery' - 'Montgomery'.
Dwarf, slow-growing form of prickly spruce, the growth of which is no more than 5-6 cm per year. Even after 30 years, the height of this form and the diameter
crowns - 1.8 m. The needles are very beautiful, silver-blue, up to 20 mm in length, they remain on the branches for a long time. Great tree 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.
Dwarf forms look interesting on the site, which can be planted in rockeries, compose a composition with other conifers, these are such relatively recently bred forms as ‘Mrs. Cesarini'(1981, USA), 'Lucky Strike'(1983, Holland) and others.
Prickly spruce ‘Mrs. Cesarini'
Dwarf. 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. Branches are short and dense. The needles are bluish-green, on young shoots - light green. Witch's broom.
Prickly spruce ‘Lucky Strike’
Dwarf. At 10 years old, height 1.2 m, width 0.8 m. The crown is vertical, dense, irregular. The branches are very short, dense. The needles are dense, short, green. Fruits abundantly. Young cones are red, protruding, then brownish, drooping.
Prickly spruce ‘Nidiformis Kalous’
Dwarf. The central leader is poorly developed. Branches outstretched. The needles are blue. Can be grafted onto a stem.
Prickly spruce ‘Oldenburg’
Tree of medium size, powerful. Annual growth 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 old: 90 cm high and 1.8 m wide. The crown is oval, very dense, even. Twigs are short and dense. The needles are blue, especially on young shoots.
Prickly spruce ‘Blue Trinket’
low tree. The crown is compact 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. It is grafted onto a stem.
Prickly spruce ‘Christmas Blue’
Tree of medium size. The crown is very regular, conical. The needles are silver-blue.
Prickly spruce ‘Edith’
Medium height. At 10 years old, the height is about 2 m. The crown is pyramidal, rather even. The needles are thin, short, silver-blue. Good alternative to 'Hoopsii'.
Prickly spruce ‘Fat Albert’
The crown is pyramidal, even. Height 3-4.5 m. The needles are bright blue when blooming, then turning 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 old, height 1.2 m, width 0.6 m. The crown is round, irregular, very dense. The needles are bluish-green. Witch's broom.
Prickly spruce ‘Hermann Naue’
Dwarf. At 10 years old, it reaches 0.5 m in height and 0.7 m in diameter. The crown is cushion-shaped, of indefinite shape. There is no central leader. The branches are short, variously directed. 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 the site, you should also pay attention to spruces with an unusual crown shape, such as ‘Glauca Pendula’, ‘Glauca Procumbens’. Forms with a narrow pyramidal crown and branches pointing upwards began to enjoy well-deserved attention: ‘Fastigiata’ Clseli Fastigiata), and 'Iseli Foxtail'(1965, USA) and 'Blue Totem'.
Prickly spruce ‘Glauca Pendula’
The central leader is weak, crooked, and may droop at the top. Skeletal branches hanging down with raised ends. Hanging branches. The needles are silver-blue.
Prickly spruce ‘Glauca Procumbens’
Dwarf, prostrate. There is no central leader, it can be replaced by side branches. Skeletal branches are long, open, with rising ends, similar to swirling waves. Hanging branches. Gray needles. Sports from ‘Koster’. To preserve the creeping form, vertical shoots must be removed.
Prickly spruce ‘Glauca Prostrata’
Grows slowly. Crown of indefinite shape. Usually it is prostrate, the branches are creeping and raised above the ground. An old type specimen (Germany), however, has a vertical stem 6 m high. Creeping variety, rarely giving 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. In height, the trees of this variety reach the same height as the trees of the wild form. Prickly spruce ‘Isabeli Fastigiata’ (‘Iseli Fastigiata’) has a narrow pyramidal crown with oblique ascending branches. The upper branches are almost pressed against the trunk, characteristic long apical shoots depart 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 "Bonfire" - a tree with a neat pyramidal crown. The branches are whorled, strictly horizontal. The needles are 2025 mm long, silvery, protecting the color in winter. The basis for the variety "Bonfire" was initially genetically heterogeneous material.
Thus, now there are many interesting decorative forms of prickly spruce on the market, but, having planted them on the site, do not forget that, like any plant, they can suffer from underwatering or wetting of the roots, poor soils, deepening of the root neck during planting, as well as the impact of diseases and pests.
New variety of blue spruce Plcea pungens ‘Blue Dlamant’
This variety, like most varieties of prickly spruce, was bred in America in 1990, and most recently appeared in European and in our nurseries.
The variety is distinguished by very thin, delicate sky-blue needles, an even, wide-conical shape and slow growth. During the year, the plant grows only 10 cm in height, a 10-year-old plant has a height of 1 meter and a width of 0.6-0.8 m, 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 need special molding.
Prefers a sunny location, well-drained and slightly acidic soil.
Blue spruce - varieties
Great selection of decorative finishes garden plot- planting blue spruce. There are many varieties of this coniferous tree and every gardener can easily pick up a tree to his taste and needs.
general information
North America is believed to be the original home of blue spruce.
North America is believed to be the original home 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 unpretentiousness in care.
The main difficulty arises only at the very beginning of tree growth. Further, it practically does not require human intervention. pledge good growth is the correct determination of the landing site. Almost all varieties of blue spruce do not like shady areas, some like loose soil, and a few 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. Especially popular with Russian gardeners are:
blue diamond
This variety is characterized by a conical crown, a long trunk. It grows slowly, about 15 centimeters per year. Mature trees reach seven meters.
walburn
There are many varieties of blue spruce
Low spruce with good frost resistance. Most often they are planted in stone gardens. The shape of the crown 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 stiff. In young trees, the shoots have a golden color, which landscape designers are very fond of using.
Iseli Fastigiata
The branches of this variety stretch upwards forming a pyramidal crown shape. Reach a height of ten meters. This variety is able to tolerate drought, but painfully refers to wetlands. It is used in a single landing and as a hedge.
Montgomery
A feature of the variety is a pillow-shaped crown that takes the form of a cone over time. Trees grow no more than two meters tall and grow extremely slowly. How younger tree the lighter the needles.
In seedlings, the color is closer to silver than blue. This variety is very susceptible to care and, without proper handling, 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 thick. Branches grow horizontally and in in large numbers. 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 expensive. It grows slowly, but reaches ten meters in height. The girth of the crown 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. It can be planted both separately and as part of a group of trees. He loves the sun and does not tolerate marshy soil.
Hupsi
Suitable for cultivation exclusively in the garden. The branches of the tree are evenly spaced and form a beautiful crown. The width of the crown of an adult tree reaches four meters. The tree grows relatively quickly, adding 10-20 centimeters per year.
blue totem
Trees reach 4-5 meters in height. Crowns in diameter reach one meter and have a conical shape with branches tightly adjacent to the trunk. Frost-resistant variety that loves the sun and moist soils.
blue pearl
Belongs to the class of dwarf firs. 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 adult firs 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 spruce. Each 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 prone to spring sunburn.
Bismarck
A tree with a straight trunk and a cone-shaped crown. Belongs to the class of dwarfs and reaches a maximum height of half a meter. Frost tolerance and drought tolerance are good. Propagated mainly by seeds and cuttings.
Moerheimy
Strong growing tree with a narrow conical shape. It is distinguished by uneven growth, for a year the tree adds 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 best to plant this variety in fertile soil. Excess as well as lack of moisture adversely affects the growth of the tree. 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 is not difficult, but a certain procedure must still be followed.
We plant seeds
Seeds should be collected from the 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, dig in wet sand and leave in the refrigerator until spring. At the time of planting, treat the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate and plant in soil from a mixture of peat and garden soil. It is necessary to deepen the seeds by no more than 1-2 cm. Further, until the moment of germination, it is necessary to water the earth abundantly.
On the site, dig holes at a distance of about 30 centimeters from each other and lay drainage on the bottom. Next time you need to transplant spruces in the third year of growth and plant them at a distance of one meter.
We plant cuttings
The method of growing a new tree from a branch of a vending variety is considered even simpler than growing from seeds. Branches of adult fir trees collected from the top in spring are suitable. Clean the stalk from the needles and soak in a solution of manganese. Further, the order is similar to planting seeds: a hole is dug, drainage is laid. Sprinkle the branch first with soil, and add sand on top.
Pour abundantly and cover the stalk with a film or burlap. To speed up growth, water the cuttings four times a day. For winter, arrange the cutting with sawdust.
We plant seedlings
At the time of transplanting a seedling from a pot into open ground pay attention to the location of the root neck
This planting method can be used with any variety of blue spruce. It is in this way that it is possible to get a luxurious tree in the shortest possible time.
At the time of transplanting a seedling from a pot into open soil, it is worth paying attention to the location of the root collar. It should remain at the same level as in the pot. Although blue spruces love the sun, it is advisable to keep the seedlings in the shade for the first time after planting.
Watering blue firs
Initially, care requires effort and time. It is necessary to water the plant every day and regularly spray the crown of the tree.
Blue spruces are moisture-loving plants that love abundant watering at least twice a day. In the morning and in the evening. Irrigation must be done by sprinkling. When planting spruce on the lawn, you can combine watering cycles. Use only warm water.
We fertilize the soil
It is not recommended to take organic matter as a fertilizer. Also, spruces have a negative attitude towards an overabundance of dressings. If you fertilize spruce abundantly in summer, it is at greater risk of freezing in winter. During the first five years, the trees are fed with mineral fertilizers.
One of the proven fertilizers can be called "Kemira wagon".
It is necessary to start the fertilization process immediately after the snow melts. Pour fertilizer into trunk circle and lightly tamp into the ground. Trees older than five years do not need fertilizer.
We carry out trimming of fir trees
In the Russian climatic zone, the crowns of fir trees are usually neat and symmetrical in themselves. The pruning procedure is still carried out - diseased and broken branches are removed.
When firs are formed hedge the crown of trees is also formed. Pruning is done in the summer, after the growth of the shoots has ended. The initial pruning is done almost immediately after planting.
Crown formation is possible during the first seven years
Crown formation is possible during the first seven years, then this process will be impractical. Do not prune trees in the fall, as this can cause the pruned branches to freeze.
It is also not necessary to treat the cut points with a healing var. The tree emits 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 in the presence of young trees and undersized varieties. It is necessary to press the branches against the tree trunk to prevent them from breaking with a mass of snow.
Using blue spruce as an ornamental is an inexpensive alternative to other ornamental trees. Spruces fit perfectly into landscape design, can be planted both in groups and individually. Some varieties look advantageous as a hedge.
If you intend to grow blue spruce yourself, then difficulties will arise only at the initial stage of cultivation. In the future, blue spruces do not require careful maintenance and it is only necessary to treat them with fungicides and insecticides to protect them from fungal diseases and insects.
While watching the video, you will learn about growing blue spruce.
Summing up, we can say that blue spruce is spectacular and unpretentious plant ideal for growing in Russian climatic conditions. It is definitely worth planting a couple of three of these trees on your suburban area, because by planting a blue spruce on your site you emphasize the sophistication and sophistication of your garden.
Noticed an error? Select it and press Ctrl+Enter to let us know.
In the open spaces former Union prickly spruce Picea pungens was planted in the central squares in front of the buildings public institutions, on private plots it was a rarity. 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 rather slowly, with an annual growth of 5–8 cm.
The needles of different varieties of wood can be blue, gray, silver-green, up to 4 cm long. The tree is the most prickly of the entire family of known spruce counterparts. The trunk of an adult plant is powerful, straight up to 1.5 m in diameter, the branches from it go straight or rise at a slight angle. The needles from the lower branches fall off with a lack of light, remain only on branches and lateral growths of 5–6 years of age, although the plant does not lose its decorative effect.
Spruce has gained popularity with its unpretentiousness and vitality in harsh urban conditions. Due to the wax coating on the needles, it perfectly tolerates the polluted air of cities and does not require additional processing for the crown.
The root system of prickly spruce is the same as that of all spruce trees - 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 tillage near itself, and even more so under the crown.
Varieties of spruce prickly (blue)
Decorative varieties of prickly spruce have a little more than two dozen plants, and all of them are always popular. Young plants must be covered in winter, protecting them from freezing. In the summer, young spruce trees need weekly watering in the near-stem circle. It is also necessary to apply mineral fertilizers there, but not nitrogen fertilizers, since an excess of such dressings reduces the winter hardiness of the tree. Young plants, as well as adults, are susceptible to attack by aphids and the fungus, 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 high, slender trunk and a uniform conical crown grows slowly, young growth is no more than 10–15 cm per year.
The needles of an unusual color of pale blue decorate any area. Spruce large sizes does not reach (5–7 m), so it can be used as a tapeworm in mixed mixborders, as an option - as a natural barbed hedge along the edges of the site. The plant loves windless, open and sunny places, feels great on fertile and drained soils with a slightly acidic reaction, propagated by cuttings, 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 twigs with bright blue, gray or greenish-blue thick soft needles, grows slowly.
In an adult plant, the “ball” in diameter reaches 1 m. To increase the height of the plant, if necessary for the composition, the upper branches of the tree are tied up, giving them a growth angle. The maximum height of spruce is 80 cm. The variety does not impose special requirements on soils, it does not tolerate stagnant water under the roots, therefore, when preparing a planting pit, 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 in a healthy state, it is necessary to shake the snow out of the core of the ball so that the sun does not burn out the bark and needles of the spruce through the ice crust. The variety tolerates well the adverse effects of spring frosts and all-season polluted atmosphere. - Prickly spruce "Bialobok" Picea punges "Bialobok" is a variety of Polish selection. A low tree of two meters in height, the crown of which is formed unevenly, so there will never be two similar trees in a group planting. The trunk is often straight, solid short shoots depart from it. The plant became popular due to the unusual color of young shoots. Against the background of the main color of the needles (silver-blue), an increase with a golden-yellow color of the needles grows.
Spruce is frost-resistant, but before reaching the age of 3 years in winter, it must be covered from cold winds and frosts. Soils should be fertile, spruce requires medium 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 mixborders, in a flower bed with dwarf deciduous ornamental shrubs or as a tapeworm in contrast to the general garden solution. Propagated by seeds that ripen at the end of the summer season, the cuttings take root well. - Prickly spruce Picea pungens "IseliFastigiata" is a compact variety that owners of small plots like to decorate their possessions 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, does not tolerate excessive watering.
It looks spectacular alone, but is also actively used to form hedges. - Prickly spruce Picea pungens "Montgomery" in its "youth" has a cushion shape, which over the years changes to a wide cone up to 1.8 m. Due to its slow growth, it often adorns beautiful landscape compositions, as an emphasis on contrast with ornamental shrubs, it is planted in mixborders.
The needles are silver-blue in young shoots and bright blue in old branches, very stiff and prickly. In the shade, spruce loses its decorative effect, does not like dense and heavy soils, one of the few representatives of the species that requires loosening in the trunk circle and sprinkling. When landing in a sunny place, you need to constantly water the plant. You can form a crown with annual pruning, at the end of the season, removing unnecessary growth buds.
- Prickly spruce "Aurea" Picea pungens "Aurea" is outwardly similar to Norway spruce, but differs in the golden color of the needles of young growth. The predominant shade is dark green. It is distinguished by a dense crown with a large number of horizontal branches of white or light brown color. The tree is light-loving, winter-hardy, it 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 of parks, while 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 its lower branches with age, reaches a height of 10 m and a crown width of 3–4.5 m.
Branches of young growth enliven the overall silver-blue color of the needles with orange-brown spots, pleasing to the eye with decorative effect. The plant requires good lighting, does not tolerate swampy and excessively moist soils, even for adult specimens, protection from the wind is necessary. Under adverse 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 bright orange-brown. Old bluish-gray needles live up to 9 years.
The plant quickly gains in growth, adding up to 35 cm every year when creating optimal growing conditions. He loves the sun, does not tolerate partial shade, loses its decorative effect and the strength of young growth on constantly waterlogged soils. Worthy endures the wind, despite the superficial root system. Optimal for the urban landscape, as it tolerates pollution, moreover, it is drought-resistant, while there is no need for shelter for 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 often planted needles. It grows quite quickly, by the age of 10 years it reaches 4 m in height. In growing this tree, it is important to preserve the leading apical shoot. It actively develops on fertile and slightly acidic soils, without stagnant moisture and in well-lit places. It winters well, in the summer it requires additional watering in dry weather. Spruce is used to decorate park areas in group plantings, ideally fit into the landscape of small gardens.
- Prickly spruce Picea pungens "Hoopsii" - an ornamental variety for garden cultivation leading its history from the middle of the last century. It is distinguished by a 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.
A young growth of bright reddish-brown shades with stiff needles directed towards the end of the branch. Cones, appearing already at the age of 3–4 years, enhance the decorative effect of this variety with their bright crimson color. The maximum tree height is 12–15 m, it is photophilous and winter-hardy, does not tolerate waterlogging, and copes well with urban gas pollution. It is used for single landings or planted with tape along the edges of the tracks.
Not all varieties of prickly spruce can be grown from seed. Some plants are grafted and sold immediately on the trunk.
Seed propagation requires the stasis of seeds (pre-germination), and then planting in wet sand with further rooting of seedlings in containers. Cuttings give the best results: plant branches are rooted, previously kept in special solutions for the development of the root system.
How useful was the information for you?
Spruce is the "queen" of the forest, leading the popularity rating among landscape artists. This sacred tree, which acts as a talisman of the site and a powerful source of bioenergy, is valued not only for its unique healing properties, but also for its extraordinary decorative effect.
Needle foliage of emerald, dark green and even blue shades can transform plant compositions, giving a unique zest to the landscape design of the site.
Options for using spruce in landscape design
Few can remain indifferent to the luxury of color and the frozen beauty of conifer needles. It is not surprising that spruce is used quite often in landscaping the site. It looks great as container plantings for framing. garden paths and in the design of rocky gardens.
Ephedra is ideal for creating multi-level compositions, harmoniously combined with undersized shrubs and flowering perennials.
Trees with needle-like foliage of a rich green hue look interesting in combination with bright single- and perennials. Perfect for creating compositions: Japanese anemones, pansies, aquilegia, phloxes and hostas. 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 the site, it is worth highlighting:
1. Ephedra will delight with the saturation of shades of needle green in the summer, without fading in the sun, and in the winter, contrasting with the whiteness of the snow.
2. Phytoncides secreted by the plant are able to productively purify the air, having a healing effect on the human body.
3. Spruce is great for any style of landscaping.
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 able to grow strongly, darkening the territory and depleting the soil. Therefore, for the design of gardens, species of spruces that have a dwarf form are used.
Spruce is also convenient because it is easy to trim. Thanks to this, even an experienced gardener has no problems with giving the crown a unique shape.
It is advisable to plant spruce along the fence. In a short period of time, the conifer grows magnificent forms, and its thick paws form a solid and dense wall.
Varietal variety of decorative forms
There are more than 20 types of fir 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 fir trees are most widely used:
1. Ordinary- a type species represented by more than 50 garden forms. Undersized forms created on its basis reach a height of 1.2 m, and medium-sized ones - 3 meters or more. A wide palette of needle colors, from golden to rich green, on branches collected in pyramidal or pillow-shaped crowns, makes conifers of this species welcome guests in garden plots.
2. Prickly- more than 70 varieties are represented in the culture. Most of them are medium and tall 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, blue-steel, silver and bluish-green.
3. Gray- has more than 20 decorative forms. The name of the species was due to the ash-gray color of the bark and the bluish shade of the needles. Dwarf forms of this species have a spherical and nest-shaped crown, and tall ones have a cone-shaped crown. The color palette of needles is quite wide, ranging from yellowish-golden and gray-blue to bright green.
Spruces, like any plants, are divided into three groups: dwarf, medium and tall. When landscaping household plots, dwarf and medium-sized representatives of conifers are most popular.
Among the variety of conifers ornamental plants in landscape design, creeping and dwarf varieties are especially popular.
Dwarf varieties
Among the low-growing forms are plants, the size of which in adulthood is several times smaller in comparison with the original maternal species. For example, in natural conditions, common spruce, referred to as 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 minimum annual growth of young shoots, which in most cases is limited to 10-15 cm.
Among modern varieties created on the basis of common spruce, conifers are famous for the greatest decorative effect, the crowns of which have a nest-like or spherical shape.
For the formation of low borders and the design of rocky gardens, the miniature shrub Picea abies "Nidiformis" is perfect.
Dwarf spruce "Nidiformis" in adulthood reaches a height of only 40 cm, forming a spreading crown with a diameter of up to one meter.
Fan-shaped thin graceful shoots "Nidiformis" are decorated with soft and short needles of a delicate emerald shade.
No less attractive is Little Gem. Shoots extending from the middle of the crown, framed by dark green thin needles, form a neat hemispherical "pillow". 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" is framed by 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 shade of young needles covering the milky shoots, which contrasts favorably against the background of the dark green of old needles. An evergreen shrub well suited to small backyard gardens.
Spruce "Will's Zwerg" looks interesting in group compositions and as a tapeworm when arranging gardens with a small area.
The Glauka Globoza, bred by selective breeding, is famous for its extraordinary decorativeness. The dwarf plant does not have a clearly defined trunk. Its sprawling branches, dotted with millions of thin needles of an elegant silver-blue hue, form a beautiful spherical crown. Cones formed on the branches, resembling new Year decoration, give the tree a special appeal.
The blue beauty "Glauca Globosa" is often used to decorate urban landscapes, often acting as an elegant addition to park alleys.
You can not ignore and picturesquely creeping on the ground undersized 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 spruces are shade-tolerant in themselves, but often their dwarf forms are very sensitive to a lack of light.
Medium-sized species
When creating a backyard 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 backdrop of a lawn "carpet" or house walls. A spectacular snag or white stone will help to complete the picture.
Fir trees with spreading crowns are able to create a shady area for recreation, filled with a special atmosphere. home comfort and connection with wildlife.
Blue spruce is one of the most popular types of conifer, revered by designers not only for its unpretentiousness in care, but also for the bewitching change of shades of needle foliage throughout the year. Only 20% of the representatives of this species have a pronounced color of the sky, the rest are rich in green and gray 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 the garden paths, against the background wooden buildings or stone buildings.
A striking representative of this species is Picea pungens "Blue Diamond", which means "blue diamond" in translation.
The graceful beauty "Blue Diamonds" with a tall thin trunk and a neatly shaped conical crown is often used for mixed mixborders.
Weeping spruce species will help diversify the collection. Given their aspiration to the aquatic environment, conifers can be safely used in the design of the banks of reservoirs.
Full-sized weeping spruce trees reach a height of 10-15 meters with a width of 2-3 meters. Thin branches, hanging down, bend around the twisted 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 adapted to our climate. Konika is famous for its frost resistance and unpretentiousness in care. It is interesting for landscape design in that it has a decorative conical crown shape, gives a small increase in a year and harmoniously fits into the design of even very small areas.
Glittering in sunshine young shoots make the coniferous beauty "Maygold" look like a queen wrapped in gold.
mantle The crown of the tree, reaching a height of 6 m, has a loose pyramidal shape. Creamy-yellow needles on young shoots gradually change their color after a few weeks, acquiring an equally attractive bluish-green hue.
Conifer combinations
If the area of \u200b\u200bthe site allows, then to create a picturesque and original picture, it is better to use spruces different types and varieties.
Tall trees successfully fit into any landscape as tapeworms, more compact forms of conifers can be safely combined with other plantations.
To make the conceived composition harmonious and attractive, masters of landscape art are advised to take 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 composing a multi-level composition, including 20-30 plantings, place the elements in groups, selecting them by color.
- The spruce-shrub ensemble requires competent placement of accents: the foreground is occupied by undersized plants, the back - by medium-sized conifers.
- To avoid the feeling of density of Christmas tree plantings, the arrangement of conifers of an ordinary or Mauritanian lawn in the near-trunk area will help.
Juicy needles of a dark shade will emphasize the beauty of a flowering shrub located nearby. In addition to flowering plants, shrubs with unusually colored foliage will be a good addition to the coniferous beauty: weigela, mock orange, barberry.
Spruces are perfectly combined with other coniferous varieties and flowering perennials, creating a picturesque picture that looks elegant at any time of the year.
Proper fit and care is a guarantee that coniferous beauties will delight 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:
Landing time. Ephedra is better to plant in early spring or at the beginning of autumn, when the plant has not yet entered or has already passed the phase of vigorous growth. In order to preserve young shoots from frost and rodents, it is advisable to mulch the near-trunk zone with peat for the winter.
Location. Under natural conditions, spruce develops well near the river valley, where it receives enough moisture to feed a powerful root system. But at the same time, she does not like wetlands, and therefore needs drainage.
Soil composition. All types of spruces love fertile alkaline and acidic soil. They are intolerant of heavy soil types. When planting a conifer in depleted soil landing pit it is first worth enriching by adding 100 g of complex mineral fertilizer. With a lack of oxygen and nutrition, the plant may even die.
It should be borne in mind that spruce strongly affects the flowers and shrubs surrounding it, so it is better to place it at a small distance from sun-loving plants. Do not plant conifers close to each other, because with their branches they will limit the access of sunlight.
Observing these simple rules when selecting varieties and composition of herbal compositions, you can create a cozy and picturesque design on your site that will delight the eye throughout the year.
Video instruction: we equip a hedge of fir trees
SUBSCRIBE to OUR youtube channel Econet.ru, which allows you to watch online, download from YouTube for free a video about healing, rejuvenation of a person. Love for others and for yourself, as a feeling of high vibrations, is an important factor in healing - econet.ru.
Put LIKE, share with FRIENDS!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXd71u0w04qcwk32c8kY2BA/videos
Subscribe -https://www.facebook.com/econet.ru/
P.S. And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together! © econet
Join us on Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki
This coniferous tree is an excellent "shield" in the summer cottage, used as a fence. You can plant trees in the garden itself, but only if you are ready to regularly limit the growth of their root system, otherwise these trees will oppress other plants on the site.
Description of the common spruce and its seeds
To get started, check out 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. Shoots are brown, red or reddish-yellow, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Kidneys 4-5 mm long, ovoid-cone-shaped, light brown.
Pay attention to the photo - spruce needles are 10–25 mm long, 1–1.5 mm thick, tetrahedral, sharp, shiny, bright or dark green:
Needles can last about 6-7 years. Cones 10–15 cm long, 3–4 cm wide, at first light green or dark purple, mature light brown or reddish brown, shiny, with convex, serrated scales along the edge. They ripen in October, open in the second half of winter. The seeds of common spruce 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 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 to the Urals, forms pure or mixed forests with birch, linden, maple, oak. In the mountains it rises 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 species of local flora.
Common spruce grows on any soil, even marshy. 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, because under the canopy deciduous plants young Christmas trees grow easily from seeds that have spilled out from mature cones of an adult tree, but young hardwoods, as a rule, die due to lack of light. In coniferous forests, nothing ever grows under trees, and practically no one lives in these forests. There is silence in them.
The spruce has a superficial root system, and since the mighty crown, which easily reaches 20–60 m, has a large windage, a strong wind easily turns the spruce out of the soil. When planting a spruce, estimate in advance the prevailing wind direction so that during a hurricane it does not tip over on your house and break it.
Norway spruce is used in pulp and paper production, for the manufacture of musical instruments, containers, sleepers, lumber. The bark goes to get tanning agents.
Types and varieties of common spruce (with photo)
Norway spruce has many garden forms: weeping 'Virgata', columnar 'Columnaris', spherical 'Pumila', dwarf 'Procumbens', as well as forms with different needle colors: gray 'Glauca', yellow 'Aurea', variegated white 'Argentea'.
All species 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 are widely cultivated. According to the types of branching, the following varieties are distinguished: comb - branches are horizontal and hanging down; incorrectly combed; compact - the branches are horizontal and densely covered with shortly branched shoots; flat - the branches are widely branched and located in a horizontal plane; brush-like - the branches have short thick branches with small brush-shaped branches hanging from them. The most popular varieties are:
Acrocon (Acrocona), Aurea Magnifica (Golden Gorgeous - Aurea Magnifica), Berry (Barryi), 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 you can see in the photo, there are varieties of common spruce with a spherical and hemispherical crown no more than 1.5 m high, as well as with creeping shoots ("Inversa", "Repens"):
Most miniature varieties, no more than 50 cm in height: " little gem», « Pumila», « Pygmaea».
Growing spruce: planting, care and reproduction
Growing spruce is possible from the Far North to the subtropics. Spruce is propagated by seeds. Garden forms - cuttings and rarely grafting. Varietal characteristics are preserved only with the vegetative method of reproduction. When summer cuttings are treated with a 0.01% solution of indolylbutyric acid, trees take root by 14%.
Spruces are shade-tolerant, but grow better with sufficient light. 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 transplantation and cannot stand soil compaction in the same way as relatives ground water. Trees are sensitive to early spring frosts.
for landing and successful care for ordinary spruce, the soil should have the following composition: turf, leaf land, peat, sand, taken in a ratio of 2:2:1:1. Drainage: layer broken brick and sand 15–20 cm.
Norway spruce prefers loamy and sandy soils. Shelter for the winter is necessary only for some decorative forms and only at a young age.
Of course, an ordinary spruce from the forest is not suitable for a small garden, it is better to look in nurseries for a bushy form with a flat crown, reaching a height of no more than a meter in adulthood, or even start a creeping Christmas tree.
Common spruce grows well in Central Russia. These trees are adapted to the local climate, so they do not require special care. Spruces can grow on different types of soil, preferring loam. The main difficulty associated with their cultivation is maintaining the optimal level of soil moisture. Ordinary spruces do not like when the soil is swamped, so you need to loosen and cultivate the land, ensure proper drainage. This species is relatively shade tolerant, and the best location will be partial shade, adjacent to larger trees or buildings. Since ordinary spruces are ubiquitous in the surrounding forests, it will not be difficult to collect viable seeds or find a cutting suitable for propagation. Ordinary spruces are not propagated by grafting, with the exception of decorative forms.
How to shape Norway spruce and tree trimming video
In order for the spruces to be lush from top to bottom, it is necessary to unscrew the top from a certain moment. And the sooner you start doing this, the thicker it will be.
How to form an ordinary spruce to have on your site beautiful trees? In the spring, when a young and green shoot starts, 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. This will be the annual growth of the Christmas 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 grow. One of these shoots will try to replace the top and start growing vertically, and you will twist it again. You will stop all attempts to grow a new spruce top every spring, leaving only a small stump from 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 trick will not allow the Christmas trees to swing into the sky. In addition, the experience of gardeners shows that densely planted spruces (if they are not shortened) begin to lose their lower branches. And over time, instead of a green fence, a colonnade grows from bare trunks in the lower part.
The video "Formation of common spruce" shows how to unscrew the top:
But you should not cut the ends of the branches, because, as a rule, this leads to the drying of the entire branch, besides, the trimmed ends are too noticeable. It's better to pinch them. It's done like this: take left hand a handful of green "tails" that appeared at the ends of the branches in the spring, and with the right you cut off their tips. From the parts of the "tails" remaining at the ends of the branches, branches will go, which again will make the branches thicker.
If you cut off the top of an overgrown spruce, then the branch closest to the sawn top will try to take its place, rising to a vertical position. In this case, the trunk will turn out to be a curve.
Dwarf spruces are unpretentious and extremely hardy. They prefer a well-lit place and moderately moist soils rich in nutrients. The exception is rather capricious varieties of gray spruce, which need shelter for the winter and shading from the scorching spring sun. For the formation of a beautiful spruce crown, an annual shearing of the dominant and lateral shoots is necessary at the time of their growth.
Watch the video "Pruning an ordinary spruce" to properly perform this procedure:
Use of Norway spruce as a hedge (with photo)
Norway spruce is used in groups, as a tapeworm, sheared hedge, alley. More than 120 known garden varieties common spruce, which can satisfy all the needs of amateur gardeners and landscape architects.
Here you can see a hedge from an ordinary 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 the ditch at the very edge of the road that passes by the site. In addition, such a "living fence" will perfectly close the garden from the north wind. If you are planting spruces 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 platform, and every year to cut off the roots with a shovel, trying to go beyond the allotted boundaries. Since spruce has a shallow root system, you won’t have to dig deep, but it’s still a tedious job, and you can skip a couple of times, and it will quickly stretch its tentacle roots to all your plants. It’s easier to do this: if you have an old concrete ring that for some reason was 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 a formwork and pour a concrete square bottomless box. You can also bury the slate, but the roots of spruce will gradually destroy it. If you try to bury the iron, it will rot in 8-10 years, and the spruce will spread further. The space should be approximately 90 x 90 cm square or meter by meter. The soil you dug up can be put back in, you don't need particularly fertile soil, you just want spruce to grow slowly in poor soil. It will grow, don't worry. She is very hardy and also shade tolerant. Therefore, if you have 4 apple trees, then in the center between them you can plant a spruce, limiting its root system. It will be its smell, quite sharp, successfully protect your fruit trees from flying pests of apple trees, as the spruce smell will disorient them. It seems that they fly to the smell of their nurse - apple trees, and here some other suspicious smell is added. Fearing to leave their offspring on such an apple tree, pests, as a rule, fly by.
Spruce is the "queen" of the forest, leading the popularity rating among landscape artists. This sacred tree, which acts as a talisman of the site and a powerful source of bioenergy, is valued not only for its unique healing properties, but also for its extraordinary decorative effect. Needle foliage of emerald, dark green and even blue shades can transform plant compositions, giving a unique zest to the landscape design of the site.
Options for using spruce in landscape design
Few can remain indifferent to the luxury of color and the frozen beauty of conifer needles. It is not surprising that spruce is used quite often in landscaping the site. It looks great as container plantings for framing garden paths and rocky gardens.
Ephedra is ideal for creating multi-level compositions, harmoniously combined with low-growing shrubs and flowering perennials
Trees with needle-like foliage of a rich green hue look interesting in combination with bright flowers of annuals and perennials. Perfect for creating compositions: Japanese anemones, pansies, aquilegia, phlox and hostas. 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 the site, it is worth highlighting:
- Ephedra will delight with the saturation of shades of needle-like greens in the summer, without fading under the sun's rays, and in the winter, contrasting with the whiteness of the snow.
- Phytoncides secreted by the plant are able to 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 the manufacture of crafts: creating paintings, herbariums, New Year's compositions.
But spruce, like any other plant, has its drawbacks. For example, this conifer is able to grow strongly, darkening the territory and depleting the soil. Therefore, for the design of gardens, species of spruces that have a dwarf form are used.
Spruce is also convenient because it is easy to trim. Thanks to this, even an experienced gardener has no problems with giving the crown a unique shape.
It is advisable to plant spruce along the fence. In a short period of time, the conifer grows magnificent forms, and its thick paws form a solid and dense wall.
Varietal variety of decorative forms
There are more than 20 types of fir 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 fir trees are most widely used:
- ordinary- a type species represented by more than 50 garden forms. Undersized forms created on its basis reach a height of 1.2 m, and medium-sized ones - 3 meters or more. A wide palette of needle colors, from golden to rich green, on branches collected in pyramidal or pillow-shaped crowns, makes conifers of this species welcome guests in garden plots.
- prickly- more than 70 varieties are represented in the culture. Most of them are medium and tall 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, blue-steel, silver and bluish-green.
- Sizaya- has more than 20 decorative forms. The name of the species was due to the ash-gray color of the bark and the bluish shade of the needles. Dwarf forms of this species have a spherical and nest-shaped crown, and tall ones have a cone-shaped crown. The color palette of needles is quite wide, ranging from yellowish-golden and gray-blue to bright green.
Spruces, like any plants, are divided into three groups: dwarf, medium and tall. When landscaping household plots, dwarf and medium-sized representatives of conifers are most popular.
Among the variety of coniferous ornamental plants in landscape design, creeping and dwarf varieties are especially popular.
Dwarf varieties
Among the low-growing forms are plants, the size of which in adulthood is several times smaller in comparison with the original maternal species. For example, in natural conditions, common spruce, referred to as 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 minimum annual growth of young shoots, which in most cases is limited to 10-15 cm.
Among modern varieties created on the basis of common spruce, conifers are famous for the greatest decorative effect, the crowns of which have a nest-like or spherical shape.
For the formation of low borders and the design of rocky gardens, the miniature shrub Picea abies "Nidiformis" is perfect.
Dwarf spruce "Nidiformis" in adulthood reaches a height of only 40 cm, forming a spreading crown with a diameter of up to one meter
Fan-shaped thin graceful shoots "Nidiformis" are decorated with soft and short needles of a delicate emerald shade.
No less attractive is Little Gem. Shoots extending from the middle of the crown, framed by dark green thin needles, form a neat hemispherical "pillow". 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 framed by 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 shade of young needles covering the milky shoots, which contrasts favorably against the background of the dark green of old needles. An evergreen shrub well suited to small backyard gardens.
Spruce "Will's Zwerg" looks interesting in group compositions and as a tapeworm when arranging gardens with a small area
The Glauka Globoza, bred by selective breeding, is famous for its extraordinary decorativeness. The dwarf plant does not have a clearly defined trunk. Its sprawling branches, dotted 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 appeal.
The blue beauty "Glauca Globosa" is often used to decorate urban landscapes, often acting as an elegant addition to park alleys.
It is impossible to ignore the low-growing varieties picturesquely creeping along the ground. 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 spruces are shade-tolerant in themselves, but often their dwarf forms are very sensitive to a lack of light.
Medium-sized species
When creating a backyard 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 backdrop of a lawn "carpet" or house walls. A spectacular snag or white stone will help to complete the picture.
Fir trees with spreading crowns are able to create a shady area for recreation, filled with a special atmosphere of home comfort and unity with wildlife.
Blue spruce is one of the most popular types of conifer, revered by designers not only for its unpretentiousness in care, but also for the bewitching change of shades of needle foliage throughout the year. Only 20% of the representatives of this species have a pronounced color of the sky, the rest are rich in green and gray 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 of wooden buildings or stone buildings.
A striking representative of this species is Picea pungens "Blue Diamond", which means "blue diamond" in translation.
The graceful beauty "Blue Diamonds" with a tall thin trunk and a neatly shaped conical crown is often used for mixed mixborders
Weeping spruce species will help diversify the collection. Given their aspiration to the aquatic environment, conifers can be safely used in the design of the coast.
Full-sized weeping spruce trees reach a height of 10-15 meters with a width of 2-3 meters. Thin branches, hanging down, bend around the twisted 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 adapted to our climate. It is famous for its frost resistance and unpretentiousness in care. It is interesting for landscape design in that it has a decorative conical crown shape, gives a small increase in a year and harmoniously fits into the design of even very small areas.
"Piccolo" - a bright, elegant variety with emerald green needles, cast in the sun with a slight bluish tint, looks spectacular in group plantings
Against the background of solid green "sisters", Picea pungens "Maigold" stands out advantageously, which replenished the collection of varietal beauties in 1988. It will look great as a tapeworm.
Young shoots sparkling in the sun make the coniferous beauty "Maygold" look like a queen wrapped in a golden mantle
The crown of a tree reaching a height of 6 m has a loose pyramidal shape. Creamy-yellow needles on young shoots gradually change their color after a few weeks, acquiring an equally attractive bluish-green hue.
Conifer combinations
If the area of \u200b\u200bthe site 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 successfully fit into any landscape as tapeworms, more compact forms of conifers can be safely combined with other plantations
To make the conceived composition harmonious and attractive, masters of landscape art are advised to take 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 composing a multi-level composition, including 20-30 plantings, place the elements in groups, selecting them by color.
- The spruce-shrub ensemble requires competent placement of accents: the foreground is occupied by undersized plants, the back - by medium-sized conifers.
- To avoid the feeling of density of Christmas tree plantings, arrangement of ordinary or conifers in the near-trunk area will help.
Juicy needles of a dark shade will emphasize the beauty of a flowering shrub located nearby. In addition to flowering plants, shrubs with unusually colored foliage will be a good addition to the coniferous beauty:,.
Spruces are perfectly combined 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 with their presentable appearance almost all year round.
Wanting to decorate your site with one or more spruces, experienced gardeners advise you to follow certain rules:
- Landing time. Ephedra is best planted in early spring or early autumn, when the plant has not yet entered or has already passed the phase of vigorous growth. In order to preserve young shoots from frost and rodents, it is advisable to mulch the near-trunk zone with peat for the winter.
- Location. Under natural conditions, spruce develops well near the river valley, where it receives enough moisture to feed a powerful root system. But at the same time, she does not like wetlands, and therefore needs drainage.
- Soil composition. All types of spruces love fertile alkaline and acidic soil. They are intolerant of heavy soil types. When planting a conifer in depleted soil, the planting pit should first be enriched by adding 100 g of complex mineral fertilizer. With a lack of oxygen and nutrition, the plant may even die.
It should be borne in mind that spruce strongly affects the flowers and shrubs surrounding it, so it is better to place it at a small distance from sun-loving plants. Do not plant conifers close to each other, because with their branches they 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: we equip a hedge of fir trees
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 the mountain-forest belt of the Northern Hemisphere. Norway spruce is the largest wild tree in Europe (it 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 tend to decorate older trees. The root system of spruce is superficial, so transplanting spruce is undesirable, as well as various interventions. Spruce selections represent an amazing variety in height (from dwarf to tall forms), appearance and needles of plants.
Norway spruce (European) (P. abies). An upright, large, conical tree, 25 to 60 m tall and 6 to 10 m wide, with needle-like, prickly, dark green needles. The branches of the common spruce lie in layers. The growth rate of this type of spruce is medium. 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 hardy; prefers well-drained, fresh to moist soils; grows on not too fertile substrates. On heavy soils, the common spruce is windblown (it can be turned upside down with strong gusts of wind). Norway spruce is sensitive to soil compaction and flooding. Norway spruce cuts beautifully; 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. Nevertheless, Canadian spruce has several very attractive varietal forms that adorn many summer cottages. Growing conditions for Canadian spruce - sun or partial shade, she prefers cool, humid places, tolerates moderate soil compaction. Suitable soil for Canadian spruce is fresh or moist. Canadian spruce is sensitive to heat and drought, as well as soil salinity. Canadian spruce can be damaged by early spring sunburn, so it requires shelter. Sometimes ordinary shoots appear in varietal forms of Canadian spruce, which must be removed immediately, otherwise the cultivar will acquire a species form.
Serbian spruce (P. omorica). Slender, medium-sized or large tree from 15 to 25 m tall. The shape of the Serbian spruce crown is narrow-conical or columnar. Cones purple-brown up to 6 cm long, resinous; numerous even on young trees. The needles of Serbian spruce are shiny, dark green above, have two noticeable white stripes below, in general, it seems that a tree with bluish-green needles. Conditions for growing Serbian spruce - sun or partial shade; tolerates high temperatures; winter-hardy. Serbian spruce is undemanding and 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 thick. Spruce Serbian ‘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 hanging, 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 20 to 30 m high and 4 to 8 m wide with a dense symmetrical crown; slow growing. The branches of the eastern spruce are arranged in layers. Cones are narrow, up to 8 cm long, color - from brown to raspberry-brown. The needles of the Eastern spruce are short, shiny, dark green. Growing conditions for Eastern spruce - partial shade and shade. Eastern spruce tolerates high temperatures, winter-hardy; undemanding and easily adaptable. Eastern spruce prefers well-drained soils; in general, grows on any substrate - from acidic to alkaline and from fresh to wet, 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’ withstands shading.
(P. pungens). 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 prickly spruce is asymmetric. Cones light brown up to 10 cm long. The needles are prickly, pointed, bluish-green, gradually becoming grayish or dull green. Growing conditions for prickly spruce - the sun (in the shade it loses the specific color of the needles). Prickly spruce tolerates high temperatures, winter-hardy, wind-resistant, easily adaptable. Soils are relatively dry to fresh, very acidic to alkaline; prefers well-drained, sandy gravel or sandy loam soils. Prickly spruce grows in western North America.
Spruce black (P. mariana). Large tree, reaches 30 m in height. Black spruce needles are the thinnest of all spruces. Cones are dark brown, almost black. Black spruce Undemanding to soils, shade-tolerant. Spruce black winter-hardy. In decorative terms, it is almost as good as Canadian spruce. Black spruce has forms with white-motley needles ('Argenteo-variegata'), with golden, shiny needles ('Aurea'), weeping crown (up to 5 m tall 'Pendula'), undersized forms ('Empetroides' - similar to pa crowberry, 'Ericoides' - with very thin needles resembling Erica leaves) and others.
Siberian spruce
(P. obovata). Large tree up to 25 m tall. The crown is conical. The needles of the Siberian spruce are dark green, similar to the common spruce. Siberian spruce shade-tolerant; demanding on the soil. Cones are smaller than those of 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 birches.
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, chocolate brown. The needles of Glen's spruce are green or bluish-green. Spruce Glen 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 occurs naturally in the Far East and North Korea.
Spruce red (P. rubens). A tree with a height of 25 to 30 m and a width of up to 1.5 m 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, spruces are shade-tolerant, but they develop better in the sun. Spruces are demanding on soil fertility. They don't like transplants. Spruces do not tolerate trampling and compaction of the soil. Since the spruce root system is superficial, plants can suffer greatly due to gusts of wind on heavy soils (on fertile soils, the spruce root system becomes deeper). In addition, growing spruce is not possible on a site with high level groundwater, so due attention should be paid to the drainage device.
Application
Spruce is a plant that is used both in group and plantings. All spruces are beautifully cut, which allows you to create and give trees various shapes, using them in topiary art. Dwarf spruces are planted in.
Care
In hot, dry summers, spruce requires watering (once a week). Fertilizers are applied at planting, then it is not necessary to fertilize. Young plants are recommended for the winter. The near-trunk zone of young plants for the winter needs peat. Adult spruces are quite frost-resistant. Spruce species prone to early spring burns need to be covered.
reproduction
Spruces are propagated mainly by seeds, garden molds- and less often - vaccination. Spruces are slow or medium growing trees (young spruces grow especially slowly). Spruce seeds and spruce seedlings can be purchased at the garden center or ordered online.
Diseases and pests
Aphids, caterpillars of a night butterfly, spider mite and spruce leaflet.
Popular varieties
Common spruce varieties
Canadian spruce varieties
'Alberta Globe'- dense cushion-shaped or almost round shape. The needles are green. Spruce height ‘Alberta Globe’ - from 0.5 to 0.8 m; width - from 0.7 to 1 m.
‘Conica’- the most popular variety of all conical spruces. Spruce ‘Konika’ is a compact conical shrub 1 to 4 m tall and 1 to 2 m wide with a dense pyramidal crown and green needles. Canadian spruce ‘Konika’ grows slowly. The use of ‘Konika’ spruce 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 pillow-shaped, partly rounded shape. 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.
Prickly spruce varieties
‘Glauca’- spruce ‘Glauka’ - a conical tree of medium size from 10 to 20 m high and from 6 to 8 m wide. The needles are blue when blooming, later - gray-blue. The color of the ‘Glauka’ spruce is most intense in June.
‘Glauca Globosa’- a variety in height and width from 1 to 3 m with an initially rounded, then stocky conical crown. Spruce ‘Glauka Globoza’ has silver-blue needles.
‘Hoopsy’- tree of medium size, asymmetric, conical; 10 to 15 m high and 3 to 4 m wide. The needles are intense blue or silver-gray.
‘Koster’- tree of average size from 10 to 20 m high and from 3 to 4 m wide. The crown is conical, loose, somewhat asymmetric. Young needles are silvery blue, older needles are silvery green. Looks bicolor.
‘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.
Spruce photos and information on how to grow a spruce can be found on the Internet.
To create an all-season decorative design shady garden places are a wonderful choice. They grow well even with minimal sun exposure for an hour. At the same time, the recommended varieties are winter-hardy, unpretentious and differ in a variety of crown shapes and needle colors. Even from just one dwarf spruce varieties you can create a wonderful composition, and if you add decorative leafy or flowering perennials, shrubs or herbs to them, the flower garden will sparkle in a completely new way. Next to the "pillows" and "cones" of dwarf spruce, perennials with large leaves, such as hosts, and look great. Also good at joint landings with firs, ferns (, ) and cereals (, and spreading forest "Aurea"). From shrubs, you can plant hydrangeas (and), and, of course, incomparable ones.
Dwarf varieties of spruce.
Norway spruce(Picea abies) is an evergreen tree up to 35 m tall. The crown is conical. Needles up to 2 cm long dark green shiny. Young cones are purple or light green, then brown.
There are a huge number of varieties, I chose the most resistant for planting in the shade.
"Aurea Magnifica" "Aurea Magnifica" ("Aigea Magnifica") - the height of the variety is up to 3 m, the crown is round-conical, the needles in well-lit places are golden yellow, in the shade - light green, yellowish-orange in winter.
"Gregoriana" "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, it is distinguished by the presence of numerous small cones, when blooming pinkish-purple.
"Repens" "Repens" ("Repens") - prostrate plant up to 0.5 m tall and about 1.5 m wide, needles are bright green.
"Tompa" "Tompa" ("Tompa") - a variety up to 1 m tall, with a diameter of about 1.3 m, a cone-shaped crown, fresh green needles.
"Echiniformis Glauca" ("Echiniformis Glauca") - about 30 cm high, up to 50 cm wide, crown shape cushion-shaped uneven, grows very slowly, bluish-blue needles 2 cm long.
"Echiniformis Glauka" Serbian spruce(P. omorica) - 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 bloom, then brown.
Dwarf varieties:
"Treblitch" "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" ("Zuckerhut") - a plant up to 3 m tall and up to 2 m wide, the crown is very dense, regular cone-shaped, bluish-green needles.
El black(P. mariana) - the height of the tree is up to 30 m. The crown is cone-shaped. The needles are thin dark green up to 1.5 cm long. Cones are small, round, brownish-purple, then dark brown.
Basenery Compacta "Beissneri Compacta" ("Beissneri Compacta") - the height and width of the plant is about 2 m with an unexpressed top, the crown is wide-rounded, the needles are bluish-silver.
"Nana" "Nana" ("Nana") - a variety up to 50 cm tall and 100 cm in diameter, the crown is uniform flattened-rounded, the needles are bluish-green.
Location:
Dwarf varieties of spruce grow well in well-lit places, and in the shade.
The soil should be nutritious moist, but without close occurrence of groundwater. They do not like compaction and trampling of the soil.
Care:
In the first couple of years after planting, regular watering is necessary (every 1 - 2 weeks in a bucket on a tree) and a small shelter for the winter with white nonwoven fabric(agrospan, spunbond) with a density of 60 g/sq.m.
In autumn, it is advisable to mulch the near-trunk circle with peat or sawdust about 5 cm thick.
Adult dwarf spruces are winter-hardy without shelter.
