Woody > Picea > Picea pungens > Picea pungens 'Wisconsin Cream'
Picea pungens
'Wisconsin Cream'
Wisconsin Cream Colorado Spruce
Origin: Discovered by Rich Eyre at Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery in Woodstock, Illinois, United States of America.
Mike's
Opinion
"
A rare cultivar that produces unique creamy white spring growth changing to a dark green colour as it matures. An excellent focal point for the landscape it works well as an accent plant in both winter and summer and is very much a collector’s conifer.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Picea |
| Species |
| pungens |
| Cultivar |
| 'Wisconsin Cream' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 3 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 1a |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-37) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-35) |
| Height |
| 1.2 m |
| Spread |
| 1 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| An upright, broad spreading, dwarf cultivar with new growth a creamy white colour progressing to a dark green as it ages. |
| Landscape |
| This cultivar has attractive creamy white tips in spring, making it stand out against the greenery of the garden. It works well as an accent plant in both winter and summer and is very much a collector’s conifer. |
| Cultivation |
| Prefers rich, fertile, loamy soils that are free-draining in full sun to partial shade. Tolerant of a wide range of soils types and pH levels. |
| Shape |
| This dwarf shrub is upright, broad spreading and pyramidal in shape. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| Pests |
| Susceptible to cankers, eastern spruce gall, pine needle scale, aphids, mites, and spruce needle miner. |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Grey-brown in colour, young plants have small thin scales which thicken and form shallow furrows with maturity. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The buds are small approximately 6 mm long, broadly conical and non-resinous. They have a whorled arrangement and are a yellow-brown colour. |
| Leaf Description |
| Simple, prickly or spine-like evergreen needles that are alternately arranged perpendicular to the stem and approximately 2-3.5 cm long. New growth is a creamy white turning green with maturity. |
| Fruit Description |
| Cones of the species are cylindrical and narrowed at the ends and 6-10 cm long, they emerge green turning to light brown with maturity. Scales are wavy and long with varied toothing. |
| Colour Description |
| Foliage of new growth is creamy white turning dark green with age and holds its colour throughout the seasons. It has a grey-brown scaly bark and small yellow-brown buds. |
| Texture Description |
| Medium texture with no change throughout the seasons. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Whistling Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario, Canada. |
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