Larch,yew,cedar,weeping cherry,j-maple,japonica...may work.

that was not the proper planting season in your zone... and i am wondering why it was for sale at that time of year.. and am wondering.. if it wasnt meant to be an indoor xmas tree ... meaning ..... it wasnt properly hardened off for planting outdoors.. weeks before severe deep cold ... in which case.. all the needles burned off ... [freeze dried like chicken left in the freezer too long.. all the moisture sucked out of the needles] regardless.. life is all in the buds.. and if those survive winter.. properly dormant.. then there is a chance.. albeit small.. that it will reflush in spring .... i would contact the seller.. and ask them if they will replace the plant in spring ..... any chance at a pic?? ... if you cant read the buds yourself?? ... brown and hard is good.. black and squishy is not ... the proper name is Picea glauca 'conica' should you wish to learn more about this CONIFER ... no use posting in that forum... because most of us hang in both forums.. as conifers are trees.... ken ps: if you go for a replacement... ask how to plant it.. before you do so .... pps: i have had to replace many a gift plant ... lol.. been there.. dont that ... so dont worry about that part ... once even convinced dad.. that the green plant he gave me.. turned into the blue version... lol... P glauca Saunders Blue is the blue version of yours ... Here is a link that might be useful: link

Be sure to check out the mature heights of each cultivar before you buy - species' heights aren't necessarily the same as a cultivar... Another couple of plants to consider are Indian Hawthorne, both the regular and the dwarf, and some of the abelias. Boxwoods are another, non-flowering possibility, and rosemary, depending on the soil/drainage, either prostrate or one of the upright ones, is another flowering one.

i dont know why you buried this is some 6 year old post.. feel free to start new posts ... [newbie learning curve i see now] i NEVER fert conifers.. ever... never .. ever ... that said.. hollytone is about as benign as you can get.. isnt it something like 1-1-1 ... whether that or something else killed the failures is left to the mysteries of mother earth ... unless you care to give us more facts about the whole process ... in my cheap butt world.. the hollytone is just a waste of money ... but hey.. if you got it.. use it at will ... and i have no clue what you mean by layering it in ... it should be top dressed after the planting ... see link for a good planting guide... in regard to soil type.. water management, including drainage .... mulching.. etc ... welcome to GW ... we need more friends ... come back often.. with your own posts... look at your post above.. next to your name.. it says NONE... if you go to your members page.. and can change that to zone nd maybe a state.. like i did ... it will help us... ken ps: by my calender.. its still 2014... lol ... did i miss a year??? ... lol ... Here is a link that might be useful: link