One of the most popular plants in the landscape is the Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens).  This plant's strongest attribute is its stark and steely blue color, providing fabulous contrast to an ordinarily green landscape.  Many beautiful specimens of blue spruces exist in the Fredericksburg area, but one should be aware of the nature of the plant prior to selecting it for the landscape.

The Blue Spruce, like other spruces, has a slow growing, conical habit and sports stiff branches with short, sharp needles which are about 1/2 to 1 inch long.  The common Blue Spruce has the potential of growing to heights of 60 feet with a spread of up to 30 feet.  These sizes are uncommon in Fredericksburg due to hot, dry summers.  Couple the heat with pollution and heavy clay, and you will find that spruces will not usually attain the maximum dimensions in Fredericksburg.  This is not to say you cannot grow a spruce in Fredericksburg, but you must have good drainage and an even level of moisture.  Additionally, you must monitor for insects and diseases, taking special care to watch for spider mites.  (Spider mites can be detected on most plants by placing a white sheet of paper under the branches, batting the branches with your hand, taking the paper to a wind free area, and observing to see if the barely visible dusts specks begin to move across the paper - dust doesn't crawl).

    There are many named cultivars of Blue Spruces which are generally grafted from the parent plant, thus assuring the same characteristics possessed by the parent.  The cultivars vary greatly in growth habit, as shown in the following examples.  "Hoopsii" blue spruce grows to 30 or 40 feet with excellent dense blue/white foliage at maturity, though the plant's branches can be a bit sparse during the juvenile stages of growth.  "Hoopsii" is an excellent choice for the desired blue color.  "Bakeri" has a deep blue color and tends to grow slowly to a height of only 12 feet with a spread of 6 feet, making this a great choice for the smaller landscape.  "Fat Albert" is pyramidal in growth habit up, but tends to be almost as wide as it is tall as indicated by its name.

    The standard Blue Spruce is usually derived from seedlings.  The stark blue/white color of a spruce is a recessive trait.  Blue Spruce seedlings will flush out in the spring with a great blue color, but 90% of them will revert to a green color during the summer growing season as the foliage ages.  The 10% of the seedlings which retain their blue color throughout the season are referred to as "shiners" and are usually culled out by the grower and sold for a higher price.  When buying a non grafted Blue Spruce, avoid selection in the spring to assure good color. There is a good possibility that the inexpensive Blue Spruce will be more green than blue during the season.  I was once told, "There ain't no free lunch!"

    Blue Spruces can be an excellent addition to the landscape.  Just like everything else, do your homework first.  Until next week.