Spruce prickly Misty Blue

We associate blue spruce with something solemn, festive, even austere. It has long been customary to plant them near memorials, monuments, important administrative buildings, to form alleys and decorate central squares. For some time now, these plants have gradually migrated to the territory of ordinary garden plots, adding to their "official" fame of beautiful decorative conifers.

Description of the variety

Origin

The overwhelming majority of those conifers, which are commonly called "blue spruces", are Glauk spruce. Glauk is a group of varieties that go back to a wild species widespread in western North America, in the Rocky Mountains and surrounding regions.

If we talk about our heroine, then Misty Blue (Picea pungens Glauca Misty Blue) is the same Glauka, only of “aristocratic origin”, grown in renowned European nurseries. Here, under ideal conditions, under the supervision of specialists, the selection of seedlings and their primary rearing takes place, as a result of which the seedlings of the highest consumer quality, with ideal forms, are obtained.

Crown

It is flawless both in shape and color. The tree looks slender, symmetrical, pyramidal, with an even bluish color. If you put several copies in a row, they look like twins. Depending on the growing conditions, in adulthood it has a height of 12 to 30 meters, with a crown diameter of 4 to 5 meters.

"Blue fog" (as the name of the variety is translated) fully justifies itself. Indeed, if you look at the alley consisting of this spruce, it seems as if it is covered with a bluish haze, like the slopes of distant mountains. It is noteworthy that the older the tree, the more silvery its color becomes.

The branches are strong, very densely located on an even, straight trunk. The needles differ in the same density. It is prickly, tough, reaching a length of 2-3 cm. A gray waxy coating is noticeable on the needles, especially increasing in the dry season.

In spring, the tree is decorated with long, about 7-10 cm, brown cones, in the first weeks of their appearance they are almost pink.

Features of agricultural technology

Misty Blue fell in love with breeders and gardeners not only for her external solemn appearance, but also for her unpretentiousness. Spruce is characterized by increased resistance to low temperatures and diseases, it perfectly tolerates a high level of air pollution.

It also does not impose special requirements on the soils, it is only necessary that they are well drained, not too dense. For this reason, prefers sandy or sandy-gravel substrates.

Loves good lighting, can grow in open areas. In this case, young plants should be shaded in the first half of spring so that the fresh growth does not get sunburn.

The trunk circle needs to be mulched, this is especially important in the first years of life. And in the future, it is desirable that the soil under the spruce does not dry out to a great depth, because it has rather shallow roots.

It is not necessary to prune and shape the tree, it perfectly keeps an excellent shape, based on its nature.

Features of use

We have already mentioned that Misty Blue is most often planted where special solemnity is needed, underlined officialdom. Here, its impeccable forms and uniformity of specimens are indispensable. In private gardens, this spruce has become famous as the "Christmas tree", an excellent tapeworm that attracts the eyes of people. It will come in handy in a green composition, giving it austerity and order.

Often in the first years of life, the variety is used as a plant in a tub, until the tree reaches such a size that it becomes problematic to transfer it.

This spruce looks elegant at any time of the year, its appearance on the garden area gives the place a peculiar elegance and severity.