hey mary ... conifers dont hold there needles forever ... most losing them after a few years... yours has to be different that when you bought them.. a few years ago ... or they wouldnt have any needles ... i am wondering if you didnt get some mislabeled dwarf or mini picea pungens thrown in with the lot.. and only a picture or two.. would answer that ken

on reviewing my thoughts .... a block is a block.. it serves a purpose.. and it may or may not be best for the plants ... but the plants are secondary to the purpose ... but.. in regard to the plants ... in the long run ... in regard to the various diseases of MATURE blue spruce ... i am talking 30 to 50 years down the line ... spacing them out would probably be better ... to increase sunshine and air movement ... etc ... i hope that explains it better ... and if you like the xmas tree idea .. dont forget.. you can cut the top 6 feet off a 20 foot tree ... ken

Hey feed the, your post has me a bit confused: If I read correctly, in January(!) of '08, you transplanted this tree, which is now 27 feet tall? If right so far, then this was a rather large tree when it got moved, no? If yes, than it would be expected to see it take some time to get reestablished in its new spot. As such, you may not actually have a problem beyond fairly significant transplant shock which could well be still sorting itself out. Like most here, I de-emphasize fertilizer in most situations. If the tree is in a lawn, I would be surprised if there was not already adequate nitrogen available in the soil. I also do not consider Picea pungens to be an especially problematic species in pH's up to and including your 7.5. Surely this tree is common in your Chicago area. For the most part, I'd say just give it more time to regain its root system. If you do ever get dry in your rain-soaked area, then pay attention to keeping both the original root ball and the surrounding soil moist. That's the biggest thing at this point. +oM

Since they will all grow really large in time, I'd just let them be. You may even discover you need to offset them a few feet (alternate every other one forward a little, back a little)rather than have them in a straight line. That is one thing about gardening-you have to be patient, but it is almost always worth it in the end. If not, you can always change it. It looks like you are trying to screen the road and a couple of deciduous trees (anything you like-flowering or not)could also be interspersed with the evergreens-again, not in a straight line, but they might grow more quickly and then the small blues won't bother you as much. I know this is way more than you asked for, but your photos got me envisioning what I would do. Of course, when I begin to do that here at home DH just zones out! Feel free to do the same!!