Types and varieties of Canadian spruce. Medicinal properties of spruce Which variety to choose

Description

Canadian spruce Sanders Blue (Picea glauca Sanders Blue) - It has dwarf dimensions and a cone-shaped shape, thanks to which it has earned considerable popularity among landscape designers. The beautiful cone-shaped shape of the crown, together with the delicate blue coloring of the crown, ideally emphasizes almost any composition. This one is quite original appearance allows you to make these plants quite versatile for the garden. This spruce grows relatively slowly, 5-7 cm per year. At 10 years of age, the height is within 0.7-0.8 m. Maximum size 2-3 m in height and up to 2 m in width. The crown has a conical shape with shoots that fit tightly to the column. Unlike other varieties of dwarf decorative spruce trees, this one is less susceptible to spring burns, which reduces the amount of care required. Gray spruce Sanders Blue It will grow best in sunny locations with some shade. It is sensitive to soil moisture and does not like stagnant moisture and grows better in fertile soils with good drainage. During the dry period, the tree should be watered in the evening, on the crown. With proper care, this type of spruce is wonderful decorative decoration with dense needles of a beautiful color. Such trees are used both in single and group compositions.

Form:	Dwarf conical shape of spruce.
Size:	At the age of 10 years it reaches 0.7 m in height. Later it grows up to 2-3 m tall and up to 2 m wide.
Needles:	The color of the needles is blue.
The soil:	Soil and moisture requirements are average. Grows in all fresh, moist, moderately nutrient-rich soils, from acidic to alkaline (see).
Light:	Photophilous.
Features of the plant:	Canadian spruce Sanders Blue recommended for rocky and heather gardens. Often during drought it is damaged by pine spider mites (see).
Characteristics of the variety:	All species of spruce have very similar needle structures and are therefore often difficult to distinguish. As a rule, these are trees with a narrow cone-shaped crown and a straight trunk, which evenly thins towards the top. The needles when cut are not flat, but more or less tetrahedral, often very hard and pointedly prickly. Cones weigh, ripen and fall in one year.
Winter hardiness:	USDA zone 3 (see).

Planting and caring for spruce Canadian Sanders Blue

Do not allow soil compaction and moisture stagnation. The planting site should be away from groundwater. It is imperative to make a drainage layer, in the form of sand or broken brick, 15-20 cm thick. If spruce trees are planted in groups, then the distance for tall spruce trees should be from 2 to 3 m. The depth of the planting hole is 50-70 cm.

It is important that the root collar is at ground level. You can prepare a special soil mixture: leaf and turf soil, peat, and sand in a ratio of 2:2:1:1. Immediately after planting, the tree must be watered generously with 40 - 50 liters of water. It is advisable to apply fertilizer (100-150 g of nitroammophosphate, 10 g of root per 10 l, etc.).

Spruce trees do not like dry, hot weather, so during the hot season they need to be watered once a week, approximately 10-12 liters per tree. Carry out shallow loosening (5cm). For the winter, sprinkle peat around the trunk with a thickness of 5-6 cm; after winter, the peat is simply mixed with the ground, not removed. Spruce trees can also be planted in winter.

Approximately 2 times a season you can apply fertilizer for coniferous plants.

Spruce trees usually do not need pruning, but if they form hedge pruning is allowed. As a rule, diseased and dry branches are removed. It is best to carry out pruning in late May - early June, when the period of active sap flow ends.

To protect the decorative forms of spruce from autumn and winter frosts, they can be covered with spruce branches. (cm.

These evergreen Christmas trees have always been considered the best decoration for the garden, because their decorative forms are ideal for landscaping and creating various garden compositions.

The most popular coniferous tree in our time is considered to be Canadian spruce and its low-growing conic form.

This tree is sure to be a highlight garden plot, thanks to the color of the needles and the surprisingly regular shape of the crown. Konica can grow both in open ground and in a pot, delighting you all year round with its beauty.

Botanical description

Gray conika spruce is a decorative form of a popular Canadian type of spruce. This tree has several more names that can often be found in the literature: white conic, glauca conic, gray conika. All these names extremely accurately describe the appearance of the spruce, which has bluish-colored needles.

This tree is considered a small copy of the gray spruce and great for landscape design. In 1904, the first mention of this coniferous tree was recorded, when a similar konica spruce was found in the mountains of Canada.

After that, it quickly spread throughout the world. And not in vain. After all, planting a huge coniferous tree on your site is quite difficult. Therefore, in such a situation, the best solution would be decorative spruce , which fits perfectly into absolutely any landscape design.

Description of the Canadian Christmas tree:

This type of spruce belongs to the evergreen coniferous trees.
Decorative form of a Canadian dove-gray Christmas tree. The decorative value of this tree is considered to be its height and correct form crowns
Konik spruce reaches one meter in height, which is very convenient for home use. Under such growing conditions it can grow up to three meters.
Can reach two meters in diameter.
It grows quite slowly. During the first 10 years of life, it grows only 6 or 10 centimeters per year. At the end of this period, the growth decreases significantly - to 3 centimeters.
Konica is considered a long-liver, as it can grow in one place for 300 to 500 years.
Decorating form Canadian spruce It has the correct original shape of the crown, which looks like a narrow cone. The most important feature of the tree is that the crown does not require any maintenance, since it takes its shape naturally.
The crown is extremely dense, consisting of short needle-like needles reaching one centimeter in length. The color of the needles is bluish-green. Spruce needles do not prick at all, so it is completely safe for children and pets.
It is quite rare to see cones on Canadian spruce. They are characterized by a conical oblong shape, which reaches a length of 6 centimeters.
The root system is superficial, so you need to be careful when loosening the soil around the spruce.

The Canadian Christmas tree has several mutant varieties:

"Dwarf".
"Alberta Globe".
"Elegance Compacta".
"Laurin."

Konika spruce: planting and care

Landing technology. To get a beautiful and healthy evergreen coniferous tree, you need to carefully prepare.

First you need to select and purchase high quality seedlings or prepare, grown with your own hands. It will also be important to find a suitable place for landing.

Selection of seedlings. In most cases, spruce seedlings are purchased in special nurseries, and much less often they are grown at home. When purchasing, it is important to follow some rules:

It is best to purchase a seedling in a pot with a closed root system. In this case, you will have the opportunity to plant it at any time from autumn to spring.
If you bought seedlings with an open root system, you need to plant them immediately.
With all this, do not lose sight of the root system; it should be with a clod of soil and carefully covered with burlap. This will help prevent damage to the roots.
Look carefully at the seedlings. They should not have dried or damaged branches.
It is recommended to buy seedlings from special nurseries, so you will be confident in what you are buying.

Choosing a landing site

This tree likes to grow in open, well-lit areas with little shade because it can be susceptible to sunburn. If you plant a coniferous tree in the shade, it will quickly begin to lose its decorative characteristics and the color of its needles.

In addition, it is very important that the chosen location is well protected from the wind, and also there was no close occurrence under it groundwater, because the Canadian Christmas tree is not able to tolerate stagnant water.

Please note that near Huge trees didn't grow. Otherwise, the spruce will not have enough space and may lose its decorative characteristics.

The choice of area for planting depends on the desired garden composition and your landscape design. It is important to remember that there is no need to plant a Canadian Christmas tree within the city limits - it cannot tolerate polluted air and therefore may die.

Soil preparation and planting process

Konik spruce is an unpretentious tree and will grow virtually anywhere. But to preserve its decorative distinctive features and eye-catching crown color, you need to choose a grassy area.

The soil must be light and loose, excellent air and water permeability. It is very good if the soil is generously enriched with organic matter. In addition, the area needs to be thoroughly dug up before planting.

You can plant a Canadian Christmas tree in open ground summer, autumn and spring. But you need to know a few rules, since planting differs depending on the time of year.

In autumn and spring, seedlings must be planted with bare roots. In summer, the planting material must be with a clod of earth, because there is a possibility of damage to the roots, since the root system of the spruce does not tolerate dry, hot air.
It is necessary to start planting by preparing the land. For spruce, a soil mixture of leaf and turf soil, sand, and peat in equal proportions is suitable. You can also add organic matter.
Next, you need to dig landing hole, the volume of which will depend on the size of the seedling itself and its rhizome.
The bottom of the pit can be covered with a drainage layer, which consists of crushed stone or broken brick.
Next, pour out some of the prepared soil, to which you can add complex fertilizer.
We place the seedling on this ground and sprinkle it with the remaining soil.
After planting, do not forget to water the tree; one seedling requires approximately 10-12 liters of water.
After this, you definitely need to mulch trunk circle to save water. Peat is used as mulch.

Features of care

The upcoming care of the spruce does not require special efforts or any labor-intensive actions. But you need to pay attention to the tree so that in the coming time it will amuse you with its luxurious crown and eye-catching coloring of the needles.

Watering rules. Canadian spruce prefers regular moderate watering, especially when it is hot outside. In this case, young trees need to be watered 2 times a week, using 10 liters of water for each seedling.

This tree, among other things, prefers sprinkling, therefore, using a watering can or hose, you should spray the needles several times a week. But be careful not to flood the root system.

Loosening and mulching

From time to time you should loosen the tree trunk circle, but this must be done extremely carefully, since the spruce rhizome is close to the surface and you have the opportunity to damage it.

After loosening, be sure to mulch the soil. Used as mulch peat or compost. This mulch perfectly protects the tree from the appearance of a huge number of weeds and drying out.

Shelter

Young tree seedlings need protection from direct sun rays because they may get burned and die. Cardboard and burlap are used as protection. It is necessary to cover in the fall for the entire period of cold weather, while leaving the lower part of the spruce open.

Top dressing

When they are added to the ground during planting complex fertilizers, as well as organic matter, at first the seedlings do not need additional feeding. Next, with the arrival of summer, you can feed the tree with various organic fertilizers, which are diluted with water.

Trimming

The Canadian Christmas tree is famous for its regular conical crown shape, which virtually does not require pruning. In spring and autumn, you can carry out sanitary pruning, during which you remove all dried, broken and damaged branches.

Canadian Christmas tree in landscape design

Canadian spruce is extremely popular among landscape designers due to its decorative features, so it is often found in areas. Methods for using wood in landscape design:

Spruce (lat. Picea) is an evergreen coniferous tree, a symbol of the New Year. Belongs to the pine order, pine family, spruce genus. The height of a spruce can reach 50 meters, and the lifespan of a tree can be 600 years, although usually a tree lives up to 250-300 years.

Spruce – description, appearance, photo.

U young tree During the first 15 years of growth, the root system has a tap structure, but then it develops as a superficial one, since as it matures, the main root dies off. In the first years of its life, the spruce grows upward and practically does not produce lateral branches. The straight trunk of the spruce has a round shape and gray bark, exfoliating into thin plates. Spruce wood low-resinous and homogeneous, white with a light golden tint.

The pyramidal or cone-shaped crown of the spruce is composed of whorled branches growing almost perpendicular to the trunk. Short spruce needles located on the branches in a spiral pattern and has a tetrahedral or flat shape. The color of the needles is usually green, blue, yellowish or gray. The needles remain viable for 6 years, and the fallen ones are renewed annually. Some insects are partial to spruce needles (for example, nun butterflies) and eat the needles so much that brush shoots are formed on damaged spruce branches - very short and hard needles that look like brushes.

Spruce cones have a slightly pointed, slightly elongated cylindrical shape. They can reach a length of 15 cm and have a diameter of at least 4 cm. The spruce cone is an axis, and around it grows many covering scales, in the axils of which the seed scales are located. On the upper part of the seed scales, 2 ovules are formed, endowed with a false wing. Spruce seeds ripen in October, after which the seeds are dispersed by the wind and remain viable for 8-10 years.

Types of fir trees, names and photos.

Today, more than 45 species of spruce have been studied, growing in natural conditions and having a trunk height from 30 cm to 50 m, different crown structures and various colors of needles. Among all the representatives of this genus, the most famous are the following varieties:

European (ordinary) spruce (lat. Picea abies). An evergreen coniferous tree, the average height of which is 30 m, but there are specimens up to 50 meters in height. The crown of the spruce is cone-shaped, the branches are whorled, drooping or prostrate, the bark of the trunk is dark gray in color, and with age it begins to peel off in thin plates. Spruce needles are tetrahedral, spruce paws arranged in a spiral. The common spruce forms huge forests in north-eastern Europe, and is found in the mountainous regions of the Alps and Carpathians, in the Pyrenees and the Balkan Peninsula, in North America and central Russia and even in the Siberian taiga.

Siberian spruce (lat. Picea obovata). A tall tree, up to 30 meters in height, with a pyramidal crown. The girth diameter of the Siberian spruce trunk can exceed 70-80 cm. The needles of the Siberian spruce are somewhat shorter than those of the common spruce and are more prickly. Siberian spruce grows in the forests of northern Europe, Kazakhstan and China, the Scandinavian Peninsula and Mongolia, the Urals and the Magadan region.

Eastern spruce (lat. Picea orientalis). The height of the tree varies from 32 to 55 meters, the crown is conical in shape, with densely spaced branches. The bark of the spruce trunk is low-resinous, gray-brown in color, and scaly. The needles are shiny, slightly flattened, tetrahedral, with a slightly rounded tip. Oriental spruce is widespread in the forests of the Caucasus and the northern territories of Asia, forming pure tracts there, or found in mixed forests.

Korean spruce (lat. Picea koraiensis). A rather tall coniferous tree, reaching 30-40 m in height, with a greyish-brown bark-colored trunk, girth up to 75-80 cm. The crown of this spruce species is pyramidal, drooping branches, pubescent with resinous tetrahedral, slightly blunt needles with a bluish bloom. Under natural conditions, Korean spruce grows in regions Far East, in China, in the Primorsky Territory and Amur region, in North Korea.

Ayan spruce (small-seeded, Hokkaido) (lat. Picea jezoensis). Externally, this type of spruce is very similar to European spruce. The pyramidal crown of the Ayan spruce has bright green, almost non-resinous needles with a sharp tip, the trunk height is usually 30-40 meters, occasionally up to 50 m, the girth of the trunk reaches a meter, and sometimes more. Spruce grows in the Far East region, in Japan and China, on Sakhalin and the Kamchatka Territory, in Korea and the Amur region, on the Kuril Islands, along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and in the Sikhote-Alin mountains.

Tian – Shan spruce (lat. Picea schrenkiana subsp. tianschanica). Spruce trees of this species often reach a height of 60 m, and the diameter of the trunk is 1.7-2 meters. The crown of the Tien Shan spruce is cylindrical, less often pyramidal in shape. The needles are diamond-shaped, straight, or slightly curved. A distinctive feature is the presence of anchor roots, which are able to bend and cling tightly to stones or rocky ledges. Spruce grows in regions of Central Asia, is widespread in the Tien Shan mountains, and is especially common in Kazakhstan and the mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan.

Spruce Glen (lat. Picea glehnii). Coniferous tree with a very dense, cone-shaped crown. The trunk height is from 17 to 30 meters, the diameter varies from 60 to 75 cm. The bark is covered with scale plates and has a beautiful chocolate hue. The long tetrahedral needles are slightly curved, sharp in young trees and slightly blunt in mature specimens. The needles are dark green, with a bluish bloom, and have a tart spruce aroma. Glen spruce grows in Japan, in the southern regions of Sakhalin, in the south of the Kuril Islands.

Canadian spruce (gray spruce, white spruce) (lat. Picea glauca). Slim evergreen tree, most often not exceeding 15-20 meters in height, the trunk diameter of the Canadian spruce is no more than 1 meter in diameter. The bark on the trunk is quite thin, covered with scales. The crown is narrowly conical in young specimens, and in adult spruce trees it takes on the shape of a cylinder. The spruce needles are long (up to 2.5 cm), blue-green in color, and diamond-shaped in cross-section. Canadian spruce grows in the states of North America, often found in Alaska, Michigan, and South Dakota.

Red spruce (lat. Picea rubens). An evergreen tree, 20 to 40 meters high, but bad conditions growth can have a height of only 4-6 meters. The diameter of the red spruce trunk rarely exceeds 1 meter, but is usually 50-60 centimeters. The crown is cone-shaped, significantly expanding towards the base of the trunk. The needles are quite long - 12-15mm, practically do not prick, as they have a rounded tip. This type of spruce is common in England and Canada, grows in the Appalachian mountains and in Scotland, found almost along the entire Atlantic coast.

Serbian spruce (lat. Picea omorika). An evergreen representative of coniferous trees, with a height of 20 to 35 meters, Serbian spruce trees are very rarely found, reaching a height of 40 meters. The crown of the spruce is pyramidal, but narrow, and closer to columnar in shape. The branches are short, sparse, slightly raised upward. The spruce needles are green, shiny, with a slightly bluish tint, slightly flattened on top and bottom. This type of spruce is very rare: it grows in its natural environment only in Western Serbia and Eastern Bosnia.

Blue spruce, she's the same prickly spruce(lat. Picea pungens)- a very popular type of spruce, often used as ornamental plant. Blue spruce can grow up to 46 meters in height, although the average tree height is 25-30 m, and the trunk diameter is up to 1.5 m. The crown of young spruce trees has a narrow conical shape, and with age it turns into cylindrical. The needles, 1.5-3 cm long, come in different shades - from grayish-green to bright blue. Spruce cones, 6-11 cm long, can be reddish or purple, turning light brown when ripe. Blue spruce grows in western North America (from Idaho to New Mexico), where it is widespread in moist soils along the banks of mountain rivers and streams.

Dwarf spruce, varieties and types, names and photos.

Among the huge variety of spruce species and varieties, dwarf spruce trees are especially popular - amazing elements of landscape design and a wonderful decoration for every garden. Dwarf spruce is durable, unpretentious, and easy to care for. These miniature trees amaze with the splendor of their shapes and colors and fit perfectly into rock gardens, rockeries, flower beds, and Japanese gardens. Here are some types of dwarf spruce trees:

Dwarf spruce Nidiformis- one of the forms of common spruce, a dense nest-like shrub with light green needles, grows up to 40 cm in height and no more than 1 m in width.

The result of the spruce mutation ordinary variety Acrocona - unusual plant uneven in shape, 30-100 cm high and 50 cm in diameter. Small pink cones that form on shoots of different lengths look especially picturesque.

Dwarf blue spruce Glauka Globoza (Glauca Globosa)- one of the popular types of blue spruce with a dense, wide-conical crown and light blue crescent-shaped needles. By the age of 10, the tree grows up to 3 m in height and gradually becomes almost round.

A very decorative conifer with a symmetrical pyramidal crown and two-color needles: the needles are dark green above and light blue below. The tree grows up to 3-3.5 m in height, and the diameter of the crown at the base is 2.5 m.

Dwarf spruce Bialobok (Bialobok) - unique variety spruce of Polish selection with blue, silver and golden shades of needles. The Christmas tree becomes especially decorative in the spring, when young shoots of a whitish-cream color appear against the background of mature dark green needles. The height of a dwarf spruce is no more than 2 meters.

The traditional Christmas spruce tree with a beautiful crown and fluffy branches has long become familiar. It is perhaps difficult to find an estate in Europe where at least one Christmas tree does not grow, and many summer residents try to plant this fluffy beauty in the center of the garden in order to decorate it on the eve of New Year's celebrations, thereby creating a cozy pre-holiday atmosphere on the site. Coniferous tree spruce ( Picea) belongs to the Pine family (Pinaceae). The genus includes about 50 species, distributed in the cold and temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, with more than half of all species growing in the mountains of Central and Western China. In this article you can see photos, names different types spruces, as well as their botanical characteristics and learn about the correct agricultural techniques for growing these trees.

What does spruce look like: photo and botanical characteristics

Spruce trees are beautiful, slender evergreen trees. Most species look like real giants - they are large, 60-90 m high, plants with a trunk diameter of 1.5-2 m, reaching an age of 500-600 years. All spruces are very similar: The trunks are straight, the branches are arranged in tiers and collected in whorls, the crowns are pyramidal. The bark is gray-brown, smoother in young plants, and rough and rough in old ones. The needles are small, needle-shaped, tetrahedral or flat, arranged spirally. The color of the needles is green or bluish-green. Male “flowers” carrying pollen are solitary, formed in the axils of the upper needles on last year’s branches, female “flowers” are also solitary, appearing at the ends of old branches. The cones are hanging, cylindrically elongated or ovoid. Young cones are green or purple, mature ones are brown or brownish-gray. They ripen by the end of the first year and fall off without crumbling. See what the spruce trees look like in the photo in their natural habitat:

Spruces rarely grow as solitary specimens isolated from others, predominantly forming large forest populations. In dry places, rich spruce forests are formed - “green moss forests” with a thick moss cover and an abundance of edible cap mushrooms. In damp areas, dense but oppressed spruce forests grow - “long-moss trees” with a sparse cover of sedges and sphagnum mosses. Along the valleys of small rivers and along streams there are the most beautiful spruce forests - “logs” with sparsely standing trees and lush grass. But, as a rule, spruce forests are quite dense and shady, which does not allow the formation of a dense grass cover and leads to the lush growth of mosses. In nature, spruce trees are extremely unpretentious and hardy - they are able to grow in almost any conditions. The vast majority of species are frost-resistant. Below is a description of the most popular types of fir trees with photos and names.

Popular types and varieties of spruce trees: photos, names and descriptions

Picea abies- Common spruce, or European.

The most common coniferous plant in Central and Northern Europe. The species' range is extensive and does not include only the British Isles and the North German Lowland. European spruce is a slender, shade-tolerant tree with a pyramidal crown and horizontally spaced branches collected in whorls. The trunk clears slowly, and often the lower branches are retained even in mature plants. Old specimens reach a height of 30-50 m and have a trunk thickness of up to 2 m. The bark peels off in thin scales and, depending on the variety, has a different color - from red-brown to gray. As you can see in the photo, the needles of the spruce tree are needle-shaped, small (1-2 cm long), prickly, green:

The cones are hanging, cylindrically elongated or ovoid. Young cones are green-purple, mature ones are brown. They ripen by the end of the first year. They fall without crumbling. In nature, Norway spruce (Picea abies) is highly variable. "Witches' brooms" can develop both on the leading shoot and on the side branches. Less common are natural mutations that completely change the natural shape of this spruce. This diversity has allowed last years cultivate and introduce into nurseries, and then into gardens a large number of plants with different habitus: type of branch arrangement, crown shape and needle color. This type of spruce is absolutely frost-resistant.

Recommended varieties of Norway spruce:

Picea abies Asgosopa

Common spruce variety. Large size. The crown is broadly pyramidal. The color of the needles is green. At a young age, fresh growths can be damaged by late return frosts. After the growing season, it forms bright crimson cones at the ends of the growths. After complete rooting, it actively grows. Annual growth is more than 30 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Pusch(synonym - Picea abies Asgosopa Nana)

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. There is no exact version of its origin. According to one of them, it is believed that it was selected from Asgosop spruce seedlings. Just like P. abies, Asgosopa forms crimson-colored cones at the ends of the growths in the spring. The crown of this variety of common spruce is wide-pyramidal. It grows more actively in width than in height. Annual growth does not exceed 10 cm. At 10 years of age it can reach a height of 1 m and a diameter of 1.5 m. The needles are small and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Aurea

Large-sized variety of common spruce. During the growing season, the growths turn into a bright golden color for 1.5-2 months. The needles, especially in young specimens, can burn in the sun. Annual growth is similar to that of common Norway spruce. Tapeworm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Aurea Magnifica

Large-sized variety of common spruce. The crown is pyramidal. In the spring, during the growing season, the growths turn yellow-golden. This color, changing its intensity, remains almost throughout the year. After complete rooting, annual growth is more than 30 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Aurea WB (synonym - Goldnugget)

Mini variety of Norway spruce, 'Witch's Broom', found on Picea abies Aurea. Compact, round-oval shape. Annual growth is 3-6 cm. Pay attention to the photo - this variety of common spruce turns bright yellow in October:

During the summer the needles are green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Vagu Mazayta

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact spherical shape. The color of the needles is stable, green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Possible size at 10 years of age is 20-30 cm in diameter. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Berry Garden

Mini variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Rare variety.

Picea abies Blatny

Micro-variety of common spruce. Round shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth within 3 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Bobek

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Characterized by an irregular pattern of branch growth. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth varies from 3 to 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Botanica Liberec

Mini variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. The needles are rich green. Annual growth is 3-6 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Bouchalka

Mini variety of common spruce. Compact, round, slightly irregular shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth varies from 3 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Brno(synonyms - Minuta WB, Minima Kalous WB)

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense round-oval shape. Annual growth is within 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Cervena Skala

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Clanbrassiliana

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Dense, round-conical shape. Annual growth is 8-12 cm. In North America, specimens are known that have reached 1.5 m in height. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Dado

Picea abies Dubenec

Mini variety of common spruce. Compact, round-oval shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Dumpy

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly loose shape. The needles are green. Annual growth varies from 3 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Echiniformis

A dwarf form of common spruce, very similar in size of annual growth to mini-varieties. They vary within 3-6 cm. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard, green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Formanek

Creeping form of Norway spruce. Dwarf. A very popular variety of Czech selection. To give it a more interesting shape, it is recommended to tie the leading shoot to a vertical support. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth varies between 8-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Frohburg

A medium-sized variety of common spruce. Weeping cascading form. The branches are located close to the trunk. Annual growth is within 15-20 cm. The needles are green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Gamshutte

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly flattened shape. The needles are green-blue. Annual growth varies from 3 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Gold Drift

A medium-sized variety of common spruce. A weeping, yellow-coniferous form found among seedlings of Norway spruce Inversa. Annual growth is within 10-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Hasin

Micro-variety of common spruce. Quite rare in our gardens. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies

Micro-variety of common Estonian spruce selection. Very rare in our gardens. Dense, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Holub Gold

A medium-sized variety of common spruce of Czech selection. The needles are soft, yellow-golden in color throughout the season. Annual growth is within 10-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Holub 1

Micro-variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dense, round-oval shape. The needles are hard, completely blue before the growing season, and subsequently acquire a bluish-green color. Annual growth within 2 cm. Rare variety. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Hradok

Micro-variety of common spruce. Rare in our gardens. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Humilis

A medium-sized variety of common spruce. Characterized by an irregular growth pattern. The needles are very hard and green. Annual growth varies from 10 to 20 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Husarna

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly flattened shape. The needles are green-blue. Annual growth varies from 2 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Inversa

Large-sized variety of common spruce. Weeping form. A very beautiful and popular variety among gardeners. After complete rooting, annual growth varies between 20-40 cm. The needles are hard and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Jana

Mini variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Very dense, round shape. With age, it takes on a more oval shape, reaching a size of 30 by 40 cm. Growing in the sun, it exhibits the qualities corresponding to this variety much better. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Johanka

Mini variety of common spruce. Round, slightly nest-like shape. The needles are green. Slow growing variety. Annual growth varies from 2 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Kevon

Mini variety of common spruce. Round-oval shape. The needles are bluish-green. Slow growing variety. Annual growth varies from 2 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Kirzhach

Mini variety. Natural mutation of Norway spruce. Found by one of the authors in the forests of the Vladimir region. At the time of introduction into the garden, it had a round-oval shape measuring 20 by 30 cm. The crown was located on a trunk, 30 cm from the ground. After 16 years of growing in the garden, it reached dimensions of 1.5 m wide by 1.0 m high. Does not have a clear leader. Multivertex. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Kuba

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Rare variety.

Picea abies Lhota

Mini variety of common spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth varies from 3 to 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Little Gem

Micro-variety of common spruce. A very beautiful and popular variety. Round shape. Annual growth is 1-3 cm. At 15 years of age it is 50-60 cm wide by 30-40 cm high. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Loreley

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Creeping growth form. By attaching the leading shoot, as well as one or two auxiliary shoots, to a vertical support, you can achieve a beautiful cascading form of growth. The terminal growths of descending branches tend to grow in the vertical direction. At 15 years of age, the crown diameter can be 1.5 m. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Luua Pari

A dwarf variety of common spruce of Estonian selection. Has 2 different growth forms. May develop as bonsai, having a pyramidal growth shape. In Estonia, there are 30-year-old specimens 3 m high by 1.5 m wide. It can also have a dense, round-oval shape that shows faint signs of pyramidal growth with age. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Malecek

Micro variety of Czech selection. Compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 3 cm per year. The needles are hard and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Maracana

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact, round, very dense shape. Annual growth is 2-3 cm per year. The needles are hard and green. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Mikulasovice

Mini variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dwarf, very dense, conical shape. The needles are hard, dark green. Annual growth is 2-5 cm per year. The cushion-shaped form of this variety is much less common. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Mionsi

Micro-variety of common spruce, very compact, dense, rounded shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Most

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Muhlerin

Mini variety of common spruce. Compact, round-oval shape. The needles are hard, bluish-green. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Od Goly

Micro-variety of common spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Ohlendorfii

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Pyramid shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is within 5-10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Palecek WB

Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Parsonii(synonym: Zwergnase)

Micro variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Pavelka

Micro-variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dense, round-oval shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Pekarek

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Rare variety.

Picea abies Pet Kamenu

Micro-variety of common spruce of Czech selection. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Prokopka

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Reflexa

Common spruce variety. Weeping form. The branches are rigid and cascading. The needles are green. Annual growth is 15-40 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Very decorative.

Picea abies Rydal

Large-sized variety of common spruce. During the growing season, the growths turn a rich crimson color for 7-10 days, after which they turn green again. The needles are soft, the branches are thin. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Slavice

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Very rare.

Picea abies Sonneberg

Micro-variety of common spruce. Quite dense, rounded shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Strapac

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Characterized by uneven growth of branches. The branches themselves are thick, the needles are hard and dark green. Annual growth within 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant, rare variety.

Picea abies Suncrest

Mini variety of common spruce. A very dense, rounded shape, with age it becomes broadly conical and multi-vertexed. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 3-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant,

Picea abies Super Majxner

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Svata Mari

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Svojek

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Truba 5

Micro-variety of common spruce. Dense, round-oval shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Uplaz

Picea abies Van Bemmel's Dwarf

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green, annual growth is 1 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Decoration of the collection.

Picea abies Vermont Gold

Mini variety of common spruce. Found on Picea abies Repens. Flat-round, creeping shape. After the growing season it becomes completely golden. Retains this color throughout the season. Annual growth is within 3-8 cm. Planted in the sun may burn. Recovers quickly. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Visel

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Vyrov

Micro variety of common spruce, very dense, rounded shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies WB on Pigmaea

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Wichtel

Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. Very dense branching, hard, green needles. Annual growth is 1 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Decoration of the collection.

Picea abies Willi's Zwerg

Common spruce variety. Dwarf. Wide-pyramidal, multivertex shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth within 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Zadusi

Picea abies Zahori

Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 3-6 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Zajecice

Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 3-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea abies Zvihadlo. Mini variety of common spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea abies Cukrak. Micro-variety of common spruce. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant. Rare in our gardens.
Picea abies Kobliha. Micro-variety of common spruce. Rare in our gardens. Very compact, round shape. Annual growth is within 1-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea abies Minuta(synonyms - Brno, Minima Kalous WB). Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense round-oval shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is within 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea abies Pitzi 2. Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea abies Zadverice. Micro-variety of common spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard and green. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

These photos show varieties of common spruce trees, the descriptions of which you could read above:

Picea asperata— Rough spruce

Grows in moist, well-drained soils in western China. Evergreen tree up to 40 m in height. The crown is dense, wide-conical. The branches are horizontal, slightly cascading at the ends. When describing this type of spruce, it is especially worth noting the rough, brown bark. Needles up to 2 cm, bluish-green, slightly silvery. Brownish-brown cylindrical cones measuring 10 cm. The species is practically untested, conditionally winter-hardy in middle zone. May be damaged by return frosts. Does not tolerate planting in the shade. In the last few years, several dwarf varieties of this spruce have been planted in Russian gardens. After 3 years of testing, it can be argued that the varieties are completely frost-resistant when under snow cover. Recommended variety of rough spruce:

Picea asperata Mongolei

Micro-variety of rough spruce. Very compact, round shape. Pay attention to the photo - the needles of this type of spruce are hard, almost blue:

Annual growth is 1-3 cm. Tested in the middle zone for 3-4 years, tolerates planting in slight shade. Completely frost-resistant under snow cover. Recently, the species identity of this variety has been clarified.

Picea engelmanii— Engelman spruce

One of the most beautiful blue spruce trees. Forms forests in the mountains of western North America. Close to Picea pungens - prickly spruce. A spectacular evergreen tree with a dense narrow pyramidal crown, reaching a height of 20-50 m. The branches are collected in dense whorls, the branches are slightly drooping. The needle-shaped needles are thin, straight, 15-25 mm long, bluish-green, more delicate than those of prickly spruce. The cones are hanging, cylindrical-ovate, 4-8 cm long. Young cones are green, mature ones are light beige. They ripen by the end of the first year. They fall without crumbling. In recent years, a sufficient number of dwarf forms of this spruce have been introduced into European gardens. The gardens of Russia were no exception. Its varieties Jasper, Tomschke, Talbot Lake, Hobo, Pocahontas are compact and spectacular. A very unusual variety is Snake. The twig-like branches of this cultivar are similar to those of the more famous Norway spruce variety Cranstonii. Recommended varieties of Elgelman spruce:

Picea engelmanii Jasper

Mini variety of Engelmann spruce. Dense, rounded-flattened shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 3-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea engelmanii Talbot Lake

Micro variety of Engelmann spruce. Very dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant. These photos show the types of fir trees, the descriptions of which are presented in this section:

Picea glauca- Gray spruce, or Canadian spruce.

Grows in eastern North America. The natural form is similar to the common spruce, but forms a looser crown due to some “infancy” of the twigs and branches. Needles are 8-18 mm long, bluish-green and rather thin, have bad smell. The cones are oblong, small, 3-6 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. Young cones are green, mature ones are light brown. The natural form is rarely grown in culture due to large sizes and low sun tolerance in spring. But varietal varieties are very popular. The shape of the crown and the arrangement of branches of cultivars are varied, but “dwarfs” of pyramidal and spherical shapes mainly prevail in gardens. The winter hardiness of the varieties is high, but they can be actively damaged by rays spring sun. It is better to plant all varieties in partial shade, and during hot periods provide additional irrigation to their crowns. In order to care for these spruce trees as proper agricultural technology suggests, before the onset of the growing season, all varieties of this species should be treated against fungal diseases with copper-containing preparations.

Varieties recommended for planting in gardens: pyramidal-columnar - Conica, Conica Blue, Sanders Blue, Daisy's White, Sport, Zuckerhut; spherical - Cecilia, Dendrofarma Gold, Elf, Minitip, Blue Planet, Burning Well.

Recommended varieties of gray spruce:

Picea glauca Alberta Globe

Micro-variety of Canadian spruce. Very compact, wide pyramidal shape. This spruce variety has dark green needles. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely tolerant to sunlight. Frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Cecilia

Mini variety of Canadian spruce. Compact, spherical shape. The needles are hard, dark green. Annual growth is 3-6 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Conica

Wide-pyramidal variety of Canadian spruce. The needles are dark green. Annual growth within 3 cm. In gardens of the middle zone, planted in the sun, it can burn in early spring. This often leads to the loss of decorative properties of individual branches or the death of the entire plant. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Conica Blue

Mini variety of Canadian spruce. Compact, narrow pyramidal crown shape. The needles are blue, annual growth is within 3-5 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Daisy's White

Mini variety of Canadian spruce. Dense, narrow pyramidal shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. At the end of May, the growth turns creamy for 7-10 days. When describing this spruce variety, it is worth noting that it is very shade-tolerant and frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Dendrofarma Gold

Micro-variety of Canadian spruce. "Witch's Broom" found on Picea glauca Alberta Globe. Dense, spherical shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is within 2-3 cm. At the same time as Picea glauca Deisy’s White, the growths are colored yellow-cream. Recommended planting in partial shade. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Sander's Blue

Mini variety of Canadian spruce. Dense pyramidal shape. Annual growth is within 3 cm. More tolerant of sunlight than P. glauca Conica. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea glauca Sport

Micro-variety of Canadian spruce. Narrow oval, somewhat pyramidal shape. Below are photos, names and descriptions of other varieties of spruce.

Other varieties of fir trees: photos, names and descriptions

Picea jezcensis- Spruce ayanskaya

Very ancient look ate. Grows on the mountain slopes of the Far East. A tree with a pointed conical shape up to 40 m in height. The needles are 1-2 cm long, pointed, bicolor, green above, gray and blue below. The cones are oval-cylindrical, light brown, 5-7 cm long. In culture, it is preferable to plant it in partial shade. Responsive to crown sprinkling. It has been observed in Russian gardens over the last 3-4 years. Recommended varieties of Ayan spruce:

Picea jezoensis Compacto

Mini variety of Ayan spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are very prickly, silver-green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea jezoensis Marianske Lazne

Mini variety of Ayan spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are prickly, silver-green-blue. Annual growth is 3-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea mariana– Black spruce

It grows in marshy soils and forms forests in North America and Canada. The description of this type of spruce is similar in appearance to the gray or Canadian spruce, but has grayer needles. The crown is narrowly pin-shaped, uneven, the branches and twigs are thin. The needles are 6-18 mm long, from green to bluish-green, rather thin and very dense. The cones are ovoid, small - 2-3.5 cm long. Young cones are dark purple, mature ones are gray-brown. Has varieties with different types location of branches and crown shape. Most varieties are pyramidal and spherical “dwarfs” with green or gray needles.

Previously, only one variety, Nana, could be found in gardens. In the last 3-4 years, the range of cultivars has expanded. During this time, the following varieties of black spruce were tested: Nana, Bessneri, Doumetii, Aurea.

Recommended varieties of black spruce:

Picea mariana Beissneri

Medium-sized variety of black spruce. Compact conical shape. The needles are soft, green-blue. Annual growth within 15 cm. Frost-resistant. Spring burning of individual branches is possible.

Picea mariana Nana

Micro-variety of black spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant and sun tolerant.

Picea obovata- Siberian spruce

Forms vast forests from Northern Europe to Kamchatka and Manchuria. Outwardly similar to common spruce, but has a narrower crown and slightly drooping branches. The branches are dense. Needles 10-18 mm long, matte. The cones are cylindrical-ovate, 6-8 m long. Young cones are purple, mature ones are gray-brown. Very stable and frost-resistant. It has a few but very decorative cultivars. Recommended varieties of Siberian spruce:

Picea obovata Bruj

Micro-variety of Siberian spruce. Quite dense, rounded shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth within 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea obovata Kandinka

Micro-variety of Siberian spruce. Round shape. The needles are soft and green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika- Serbian spruce

A rare species that grows on the steep limestone slopes of the mountains of Bosnia and Serbia. Outwardly similar to Siberian spruce, but differs in the shape of the crown and the color of the needles. The crown is narrow pyramidal, almost columnar. The branches are short, spaced apart and raised at the ends. Young branches are brown and pubescent. The needles are compressed, 8-18 mm long and 2 mm wide, shiny, dark green above and bluish below. The cones are ovoid-oblong, small (3-6 cm long), shiny, brown. Fruits from an early age. Highly decorative and frost-resistant. It has numerous cultivars, mainly various dwarf forms.

Recommended varieties of Serbian spruce with photos and descriptions:

Picea omorika Berliner Weeper

Weeping form of Serbian spruce. The needles are green-blue, Annual growth is within 5-7 cm. A rare variety in our gardens. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Chocen

Micro-variety of Serbian spruce. Very compact, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Cindarella

Dwarf variety of Serbian spruce. Oval-round shape. The needles are small, bluish-green. Annual growth is within 6-9 cm. Completely frost-resistant. A very beautiful, recognizable variety, still rare in our gardens.

Picea omorika De Ruyter

Dwarf. Dense, narrow pyramidal shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is about 8-15 cm. There is no exact information on its final size, but at 25 years its possible size is 3.5-4.0 m. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Frohnleiten

Compact dwarf. Dense, wide pyramidal shape. The growth of branches has a strictly vertical direction. Pay attention to the photo - the needles of this spruce variety are hard, green-blue, and silver:

Annual growth is 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Fusch

Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Compact, round shape. The needles are green. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Hallonet

Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, round, pillow-shaped. The needles are soft, green-blue. Annual growth is 4-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Havel 2

Micro-variety of Serbian spruce. Very compact, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Kuschel

Mini variety or Serbian. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, dark, green-blue. Annual growth is about 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Minima

Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Slightly loose, round-oval, cushion-shaped. The needles are hard, dark, green-blue. Annual growth is 5-8 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea omorika Miriam. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are green-blue. Annual growth is 3-6 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Nana. Dwarf. Very dense, beautiful pyramidal shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. At 20 years the height is 3 m. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Pendula. Medium-sized variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, wide oval, flowing shape. Distinctive feature This variety is the ability of several leading shoots to independently, without support, maintain a vertical-horizontal direction of growth. The needles are dark green-blue. Annual growth is 30-50 cm. The height of adult plants can reach 7-9 m. Tapeworm. Very decorative variety. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Peve Tijn. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, spherical shape. The needles are hard, green-blue in color, and during the summer they change their color to golden. Annual growth is 3-8 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Pimoko. A popular mini-variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, spherical shape. The needles are hard, green-blue in color. Annual growth is within 5 cm. With age, it grows more in width than in height. At 25 years old it reaches a size of 2 m wide by 1 m high. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Radloff. Dwarf. Dense, flowing shape, soft, green-blue needles. To give the plant a more vertical direction of growth, the leading shoot must be tied to a support. Annual growth within 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Valenta. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Compact, round-oval shape. The needles are slightly hard, green-blue. Annual growth is within 5-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Wodan. Dwarf variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, narrow pyramidal shape. Irregular growth of branches is observed. The needles are very hard, dark green. Annual growth is within 7-10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Zuckerhut. A dwarf, possibly a medium-sized variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, beautiful pyramidal shape. The needles are soft, green-blue. At 20 years, the height can be 5-6 m. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea omorika Pendula Bruns. Full-grown variety of Serbian spruce. Very dense, columnar, flowing shape. A distinctive feature of this variety is the ability of the leading shoot to independently, without support, maintain a vertical direction of growth of 20-40 cm. The height of adult plants can reach 10 m. Tapeworm. A very decorative variety. Completely frost-resistant - P. omorika Slavia. Mini variety of Serbian spruce. Dense, round shape. The needles are hard, green-blue. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea orientalis- Eastern spruce

Forms mountain forests of the Caucasus and Asia Minor at altitudes from 1000 to 2500 m. Often Nordmann with an undergrowth of evergreen hollies, cherry laurel, rhododendrons and ivy. This variety of spruce is similar in appearance to common spruce, but has some species differences. The crown is densely branched. The branches descend to the ground and are located whorled and unevenly. Young branches are light brown, almost white. The needles are dark green, glossy, short, 6-8 mm long, and arranged very densely. As shown in the photo, the cones of this spruce variety are cylindrical-ovoid, 6-9 cm long:

Young cones are purple, mature ones are purple. One of the few spruce trees that have problems wintering in northern conditions. temperate zone. In its cultivars, young growths, and sometimes entire branches, may freeze and lightly burn. The battle against snow and the sun's rays is especially dangerous on February and March days. In this regard, all varieties of eastern spruce planted in such conditions are considered to be conditionally wintering. Despite this, in recent years, positive experience has been gained in growing eastern spruce varieties.

Recommended varieties of eastern spruce:

Picea orientalis Aureospicata

A dwarf, possibly medium-sized variety of eastern spruce. Pyramidal, pointed shape. It is close in habit and color of young growths to Picea orientalis Aurea. In spring, it turns the growths golden yellow for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-5 cm. Limited winter hardiness. Recommended planting in partial shade.

Picea orientalis Juwel

Picea orientalis Minima Welle

Mini variety of eastern spruce. Round-cushion-shaped. The needles are green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Planting in partial shade is recommended. Limited winter hardiness.

Picea orientalis Schoven Horst

Mini variety of eastern spruce. Round-cushion-shaped. The needles are green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Planting in partial shade is recommended. Limited winter hardiness.

Picea orientalis Spring Grove

Mini variety of eastern spruce. Round-cushion-shaped. The needles are green. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Planting in partial shade is recommended. Limited winter hardiness.

Picea orientalis Tom Thumb Gold

Micro variety of eastern spruce. "Witch's Broom", found on eastern Skylands spruce in the USA, has a rounded-tiered shape. In spring, the needles turn golden for the entire season. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Planting in partial shade is recommended. Planted in the shade loses its golden color and may even die over time, but planting in the sun is also detrimental to it, especially at a young age. A very decorative and popular variety. Limited winter hardiness.

Picea pungens- Prickly spruce

The most common type of blue spruce in cultivation. In nature it grows in the Rocky Mountains, Utah and Colorado at an altitude of 2000-3500 m above sea level. An evergreen tree 30-50 m high. The crown is pyramidal. The whorls of branches are noticeably separated. The branches of young growths are light yellow-brown. This variety of spruce got its name because of its hard, prickly, dense needles of gray or green color, 2-3 cm long. The cones are oblong-cylindrical, 6-10 cm long. Young cones are green, mature ones are light gray-beige. In cultivation it is extremely resistant and absolutely frost-resistant. It has many varieties of different habitus with different types of branch arrangement, crown shape, and needle color.

Mini variety of prickly spruce. Round-oval shape. The needles are hard and blue. Annual growth is within 5-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea pungens Byczkowski

Pyramid variety of prickly spruce of Polish selection. The needles are blue-green. At the end of May, it turns the growths white-cream for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea pungens Fruchlings Gold

Dwarf. Pyramid variety of prickly spruce. The needles are blue. At the end of May, it turns the growths white-cream for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea pungens Hermann Naue

Dwarf. Round oval shape. The needles are green-blue. Forms crimson cones at the ends of vegetative branches. Annual growth is within 10-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea pungens Iseli Fastigiata

A medium-sized variety of prickly spruce. Most often the form is narrow pyramidal, but wide pyramidal specimens are also found. The needles are prickly and blue. Annual growth is 20-25 cm. Completely frost-resistant. To avoid collapse and breakage of branches in snowy winters, it is recommended to fix them.

Picea pungens Jablonec. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Round-oval, with age, perhaps slightly pyramidal in shape. The needles are hard and blue. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea pungens Maigold. Dwarf. Pyramid variety of prickly spruce. The needles are blue. At the end of May, it turns the growths a white cream color for 2-3 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea pungens Mecki. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Characterized by uneven growth of branches. The shape is close to conical. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea pungens Nimetz. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Pyramid shape. The needles are blue. At the end of May, it turns the growths white-cream for 2 weeks. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea pungens Olo. Micro variety of prickly spruce. Very dense, round shape. Blue-green needles, annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea pungens Ossario. A dwarf variety of prickly spruce. Round-oval shape. The needles are hard and blue. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea pungens Pendens. Large-sized variety of prickly spruce. Dense fastigiate form. In the early years it may have a flattened shape, but with age it actively pushes the conductor forward in the vertical direction. The needles are gray-blue. Annual growth within 30 cm. Tapeworm. Completely frost-resistant. There may be two different cultivars with the same name - Pendens.
Picea pungens Saint Mary's Broom. Mini variety of prickly spruce. Round-oval shape. The needles are hard and blue. Annual growth is within 5-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant,
Picea pungens The Blues. A dwarf, weeping variety of prickly spruce. The "witch's broom" that gave birth to this cultivar was found on P. pungens Glauca Globosa, but it is bluer and bluer than the mother plant. To give the cultivar a more interesting shape, it is necessary to fix the leading shoot at an angle of 45-60 degrees. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.
Picea pungens Waldbrunn. Mini variety of prickly spruce. Round-tiered, flat shape. The needles are blue. Annual growth is 5-8 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Picea sitchensis- Sitka spruce

Grows along the west coast of North America. It is considered one of the largest among spruce trees, reaching 50 m in height. The shape is pyramidal, pointed. The needles are bicolor, green-blue. Immediately after the growing season it acquires rich silvery shades. The cones are brown, up to 10 cm long. Prefers moist soils and high air humidity. In recent years, its cultivars have been successfully tested in our gardens. Mandatory conditions for their proper cultivation are regular sprinkling of the crowns, as well as twice-time treatment against fungal diseases with copper-containing preparations: in the spring, before the start of the growing season, and before winter. Recommended varieties of Sitka spruce: Below is how to grow spruce in the garden and how to care for these trees.

How to grow a spruce and how to care for a tree in the garden

When growing spruce trees, keep in mind that these are shade-tolerant but light-loving plants. Just on open place they take on a typical crown shape. In shaded places and in dense plantings they are not very decorative. An important condition for growing spruce trees of all types is the presence of light, fertile, loamy, slightly acidic soils. Also, these trees can develop quite successfully on any soil, including poor sandy loam and heavy loamy soil, but they will be less lush. Dwarf varieties should not be grown in overly rich soils - they may lose their typical crown shape.

Adult specimens have a powerful, branched root system and do not need feeding. Young plants can be fed in the spring after the snow melts on wet ground with complex or combined mineral fertilizer weakened concentration. Feeding with fresh manure and feces is strictly unacceptable.

Transplantation should be carried out either in the spring before the buds open, or in the fall. Plants with actively growing shoots take root poorly. Deepening the root collar is acceptable, but undesirable. Young plants tolerate replanting easily. Large specimens can be replanted only after preliminary preparation root ball To do this, 6-12 months before transplanting, the plant is dug several times around the circumference of the crown, cutting the roots, resulting in the formation of a dense root ball. When caring for a spruce after planting, abundant watering is necessary, and when spring transplant and spraying until rooting.

Mature spruce trees are very resistant to both waterlogging and drought, but it is not advisable to grow varietal forms in extreme conditions. Proper planting and care of spruce trees are shown in these photos:

Most species are frost-resistant. Young summer growth of spruce trees often suffer from late frosts, but grow back easily. To avoid loss of shape due to heavy snow, when caring for spruce while growing, it is recommended to tie up multi-stemmed varietal specimens for the winter. Creeping (elfin) varieties often rot away from heavy wet snow and ice accumulating near the ground. Therefore, in order to care for spruce trees in the garden as required by correct agricultural technology, branches of creeping forms must be laid on grates raised above the ground.

To create spectacular compositions in the garden, learn about the use of fir trees in landscape design.

The use of fir trees in garden landscape design (with photo)

Spruce is one of the main coniferous plants used in garden design in regions with long and frosty winters. The most common spruce is the common spruce, which has become the main “coniferous accent” in the compositions of northern parks. The use of prickly spruce in garden design is very popular - it is a favorite component in the design of compositions of public buildings and memorials. Other types of spruce are rare guests of parks and gardens. The dominance of Norway spruce and prickly spruce over other species is quite justified, since they are not only the hardiest, but also have a considerable number of different garden forms. The use of fir trees in landscape design is truly universal. Varieties with a classic pyramidal crown shape are used to create alleys, planted singly as dominants and in groups to divide space into zones. Spherical and dwarf pyramidal forms are included in complex compositions of small gardens, rockeries and mixborders. Creeping and spreading varieties are indispensable for background plantings and for grafting onto trunks. Spruce is one of the best coniferous plants for creating hedges; it lends itself well to pruning. The formation of more compact specimens is possible by plucking out the central buds of lateral shoots in the fall and shortening similar shoots in the summer.

Seeds of most species freshly dropped from cones are capable of immediate germination. Seeds with hardened covers need awakening of the embryo, which requires a period of even low temperatures for 1-2 months. There are several ways to germinate spruce seeds. The simplest of them is winter sowing in a ridge to a depth of 1.5-2 cm with mulching to a height of 1-1.5 cm. In the spring, after the emergence of seedlings, the plants are pricked out (planted with the roots pinched) or left on the ridge until autumn or next spring.

Snowmaking, i.e. sowing seeds in boxes in autumn or winter and then removing them under the snow until spring. In spring or early summer, after germination, the plants are planted in a ridge or left in boxes until autumn.

Before seeding, many people use the cold stratification method. To do this, at the end of winter, the seeds are mixed with coarse, clean, slightly damp sand, sawdust or sphagnum moss, placed in plastic bags and stored in the refrigerator or basement at a temperature of +3 to +5 ᵒC for 1-3 months. Another option is to sow seeds in boxes or bowls. The earth mixture should be clean, light, consisting of rotted leaf soil, peat and coarse sifted sand in a ratio of 3:1:1. After sowing, the seeds are stored in the refrigerator or basement at a temperature of +3 to +5 ᵒC for 1-3 months. During this period, it is necessary to maintain an even, moderate level of substrate humidity and avoid temperature fluctuations. After undergoing stratification, the seeds stored in bags are washed and sown in boxes or bowls. Crops are exposed to light in a warm place (+18…+23 °C), where they germinate. A necessary condition for growing spruce trees from seeds is to keep the seedlings in the light, but not in the sun, and moderate watering. If the sprouts are overly thickened, then picking is required. If the seedlings develop normally, then when it gets warmer they are taken out into the garden and after hardening (gradually getting used to the sun and fresh air) they are planted in a ridge for growing.

When propagated by seed, varietal varieties weakly repeat their characteristic characteristics, and it is very difficult to identify them in the first year. To propagate varietal forms, the vegetative method is used.

And finally, learn how to propagate spruce by cuttings and layering.

How to propagate spruce: methods of propagation by layering and cuttings

Natural forms are very difficult to propagate vegetatively; varietal forms are much easier. Varieties of species with thin branches reproduce more easily than others, for example, blue spruce (Canadian) and black spruce. Horizontal layering is a method of propagating spruce trees that does not damage the mother plant, but does not guarantee the preservation of the pyramidal crown shape typical of spruce. As a rule, lopsided or creeping plants grow from rooted branches. Propagation by horizontal layering is quite promising for varieties with a drooping and spread-out crown. Buried branches take root within two or even three years.

Cuttings from young varietal plants with a compact, densely branched crown take root relatively well. Cuttings taken from wild species, especially from old specimens, root very poorly.

Early spring, the moment the buds awaken, is most suitable for propagating spruce by cuttings. You can do this in the summer after the end of the first wave of growth, but in this case the cuttings never have time to form roots and overwinter only with an influx of callus, which is fraught with freezing. From columnar and narrow pyramidal forms, only vertical shoots are taken; at creeping varieties, on the contrary, any, except those striving upward; For spruce trees with a free, oval or spherical crown, the choice of cuttings does not matter.

The harvested cuttings are placed in a substrate consisting of coarse washed sand with possible additions of perlite, vermiculite, high peat, crushed sphagnum moss or fine sifted coniferous bark.

The temperature during spring cuttings of spruce trees is initially maintained at +15...+18 ᵒC, and after buds open, it is brought to +20...+23 °C. It is undesirable to raise it above +25 °С, above +30ᵒС is unacceptable.

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Home, garden, and even an office - the versatile and at the same time beautiful coniferous tree “Konika” will decorate any corner. Dense spruce does not need special care- if you follow the basic rules, then such a beauty is easy to grow even at home. We will find out further what a Canadian tree is.

Description of the Konika spruce

Canadian spruce was discovered for horticulture for the first time more than 100 years ago in the Netherlands. The tree itself is small, cone-shaped, it is even called dwarf. In a year, a seedling can gain up to 10 cm in length and up to 5 cm in width. The maximum length can be 4 meters, but the tree reaches this figure only after 60 years of life. The needles are soft, can grow up to 10 mm, and are light green. New growth is always brighter and juicier. This tree is fluffy and not prickly at all. It grows well in a slightly shaded place protected from strong winds.

Perhaps this is one of the few spruces that do not need trimming,- the form always remains the same.

Important! Spring floods can destroy the plant. Therefore, seedlings need to be placed on a hill or protected from flooding.

Needles are most often supplied from Holland, Poland and Denmark. However, these spruce trees can be grown and propagated anywhere.

Kinds

There are several varieties of Canadian beauty- Konika Glauka and Alberta Globe. They have slight differences, but, in general, each of them will fit into any environment.

This is a naturally bred dwarf spruce, which differs from other species in its accelerated growth in the first year of life. Also this frost-resistant variety, so there is no need to be afraid that the small tree will die. At first, you can notice how the needles grow in height, while not really maintaining their conical shape. There is no need to worry, as over time it will begin to grow in diameter.

This species is much smaller than others- up to 1 meter in length and the same in diameter. The most important difference is implied by the name - the shape of the bush is globe-shaped. The shoots are thin, short and grow slowly. Needles coniferous tree even thinner and sharper than the others. There are also small cones that are light brown in color. It is more susceptible to cold than Konica Glauka.

Application

An evergreen shrub will always look good in landscape design. It can be any style - oriental, European. A huge advantage of this spruce is that compositions with it will always look advantageous due to its almost unchanged size. Therefore, the garden or path to the house will look perfect at any time of the year. The tree will fit into any flower or bush arrangement; moreover, it itself will do an excellent job of decorating the area. It can decorate grassy lawns especially well - emphasizing simplicity and sophistication.

Rock gardens with stone mounds, sculptures and small ponds will look more impressive if dwarf spruce trees are planted nearby. spherical or cone-shaped- depends on the taste of the gardener, but the nice thing is that you don’t have to choose, but combine these types.

The bushes are neat in appearance, therefore, they will look very harmonious on small terraces, patios, green roofs, and will perfectly decorate the entrance to a house or garden. Cone-shaped trees will also look good near the gazebos.

In addition, it is not necessary to contact designers to make a composition. It is enough to simply plant the seedlings evenly, and any other plants between them, make stone paths around them - and the garden will already look exclusive.

Care

Of course, a tree will look good only with proper care. The most important conditions - the right soil and watering.

Important! The tree should not be planted closely with other plants, otherwise the crown may begin to dry out. The minimum distance is 15 cm.

Preparing the seedling for planting:

We choose a place - sun exposure is acceptable if it occurs through diffuse shadow. It is better to place it on a small hill so that the roots do not flood in the spring.
We pay attention to the soil - it must be moist and fertile. Loam content is at least medium. You can create an artificial one by mixing turf and leaf soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 2:2:1:1.
Spring, summer and fall are great times for planting. However, in summer it is better to plant in open ground with a closed rhizome, that is, there should be soil from the pot on it so as not to dry out the root. Ideal weather is cloudy but no rain.

Soil care after planting:

We monitor the humidity - especially at first. But you can’t flood a coniferous tree.
We hide it from direct sunlight with burlap.
The soil should be loose, not dense.
During drought, you need to water the plant, spray the branches with water in the summer, and regularly fertilize the soil with special coniferous fertilizers (“Hol”). Don't forget about mulching.

It is better to cover the root system of the tree for the winter. To do this, just take peat and compost, mix them in equal quantities and sprinkle 5-10 cm of soil around the trunk. Burlap will be needed in severe frosts to protect the branches from hypothermia. In general, nothing complicated, but each of these points is important for the normal functioning of evergreen shrubs.

Is it possible to propagate the Konica spruce yourself?

Experienced gardeners save on buying plants - they reproduce them. And Konika is no exception.

Did you know? The largest coniferous tree reaches 120 m - this is the giant sequoia.

Cuttings and seeds are used to propagate “Konica”. The first method is suitable for the spring period - young and beautiful branches from the middle of the crown are carefully cut off along with the heel (a piece of the trunk). Any cutting up to 11 cm will do. Next, the prepared branches are kept in a stimulating liquid for about a day. While the branches are saturated with the solution, you need to prepare the ground. We loosen it, fertilize it and then plant our seedlings at an angle of 30 degrees.

In order for shoots to appear, it is better to keep the seedlings in a greenhouse; over the next 6 months, their root system is established. At this time, it is better not to touch the future bushes - just water and ventilate the room.

Seeds can be collected from cones in winter. After treating them with a stimulating solution, they need to be planted shallowly in the ground in a greenhouse and watered periodically.

What problems might there be?

formation of resin streaks on wood;
presence of drill flour;
wilting of the bush.

Did you know? The oldest representative of coniferous trees grows in North America - this pine is more than 4 and a half thousand years old.

Also very common is the so-called Schutte's disease- it is provoked by fungi. The name itself translates as “to pour.” It is the parasite that causes the needles to shed. “Konika” succumbs to such a variety of this disease as snowy Schutte. This disease develops under snow at temperatures from 0 °C. Most often it affects those coniferous trees that are covered with snow more than half a meter.