Baby Blue Blue Spruce
Picea pungens 'Baby Blue'
Height: 50 feet
Spread: 25 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3
Other Names: Blue Colorado Spruce;Colorado Blue Spruce
Description:
A shimmering blue evergreen tree, with a dense habit, full stout branches, and elegant silvery-blue needles, a tree of great beauty and color which is retained throughout the year; extremely hardy and rugged
Ornamental Features
Baby Blue Blue Spruce is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive silvery blue evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain silvery blue throughout the winter. The rough gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.
Landscape Attributes
Baby Blue Blue Spruce is a dense evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
This is a high maintenance tree that will require regular care and upkeep. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Baby Blue Blue Spruce is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Vertical Accent
Planting & Growing
Baby Blue Blue Spruce will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 25 feet. It has a low canopy, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.
This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.
