Woody > Picea > Picea pungens > Picea pungens 'The Blues'
Picea pungens
'The Blues'
The Blues Colorado Blue Spruce
Origin: The straight species is a North American Native tree. The creator of this cultivar is Larry Stanley of Stanley & Sons Nursery (Now Blue Mountain Nursery), Boring, Oregon.
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Picea |
| Species |
| pungens |
| Cultivar |
| 'The Blues' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 3a - 8b |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 1b - 8a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H5 - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-39.9) - (-9.4) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-40) - 15 |
| Height |
| 1.5 - 2 m |
| Spread |
| 1 - 1.5 m |
Photographs
Awards
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Picea pungens ‘The Blues’ is a weeping cultivar of Colorado blue spruce. It has blue and silver hued foliage and can reach heights of 2 m and spread up to 1.5 m. |
| Landscape |
| ‘The Blues’ makes an excellent specimen plant in any coniferous garden. This spruce must be staked at the desired height of its owner before letting it weep and mound. It can also be trained to become a bonsai or shaped as an accent tree. Due to its informal growth habits, it wouldn’t be well suited in a garden designed to be studious and uniform. |
| Cultivation |
| This spruce should be kept in a neutral to slightly acidic, well drained and moist soil. It is tolerant of salt, drought, and shade but should be given full sun. |
| Shape |
| This weeping Colorado spruce forms in a weeping/mounding/arching way, after being staked. Not much pruning is required other than removing die-back, but it can be trained into a desired shape. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| ‘The Blues’ is easily identified by its vibrant hue of blue and silver and by the droopy, depressed foliage. The height of the spruce is also below 2 m, adding to its ease of identification. |
| Pests |
| Small issues with Crown Gall and White Pine Weevil. Potential for Diplodia and Phomopsis becoming more common in and around the Michigan area. |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Rough, deep grooved, thick grey bark. Slight purple hue. New stem growth is slightly orange-brown. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Non-flowering cultivar. |
| Leaf Description |
| Whorled, sharp, squared, and stiff. |
| Flower Description |
| This cultivar is sterile. |
| Colour Description |
| Blueish silver foliage. Grey bark with a brown-purple tinge. New stems grow with a brownish orange tinge. |
| Texture Description |
| Rough plated bark. Sharp, stiff, square needles. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Blue Mountain Nursery in Boring, Oregon, USA. |
| Propagation |
| Asexual propagation via grafting or softwood cuttings. |
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