I have a couple of problems with this plant. First of all the name is illegitimate and second, it is indistinguishable from 'The Blues'. When it was first shown at the Farwest Show in 2005, Larry Stanley was beside himself. There was another nursery that tried the same thing at the same time but they have dropped off of the radar. You cannot base any conclusions on one or two specimens. Look at nursery rows of each and then make a preliminary determination. Eshragi applied for a trademark of the name and did not do any followup. That is a bit suspicious. Look at the four pictures on this site and see how different these plants look from each other at the nursery. The top left picture looks like Larry's original plant. Bob Here is a link that might be useful: trademarks

I think that the color you get after your tree has extended and hardened its needles--maybe three weeks or so, depending on the weather, will be the color they will always have. These trees do not have one color as young trees and then another after they get bigger. One thing that is important, however: some Colorado (blue) spruce have a really good color in early summer, and then it later fades to a more regular green. Even some of the special cultivars selected for their color have better blue color retention through the fall and winter than others Of the blue spruces I have, my hoopsi retains the blue color all year, my baby blue eyes blue color fades badly by fall. --Spruce

the blueness is a waxy coating .... after initial budding.. it is its brightest color ... immediately starting to dull.... based on heat ... rain ... heavy rain during heat ... and winter ... they are all dull in spring ... how dull they are.. is a function of how hard all the above was on them .. plus .. for yours.. throw in excessive manual handling in the process of getting it to your garden ... some varieties are named.. due to their ability to 'hold' the blueness' over the course of the year ... such as hoopsi, thomsen and some others ... you have an old workhorse .. a very nice plant.. been around for forever ... it is not going to be all that intense of a blue.. compared to others famed for such blue ... once they bud out... you will forget about the dullness ... especially in a year or two.. once it gets fully established ... once the wax is gone.. thats it for that year ... it will not mutate into some all green plant ... the globosa form .. to me.. indicates that you have a grafted plant ... i dont THINK they would be seedlings ... due to the replication of the form .... ergo ... they should all be the same ... yours.. upon becoming established .. should perform ... just like all the other ones you see around town .... try to relax.. and give it some time to get moving.. i think you will be pleased with it.. if you can let it do its own thing ... there are hundreds of named varieties of picea pungens cultivars .... if you are so inclined.. we will welcome you to the collectors corner.... its spring.. and lots of pix are starting to roll in.. visit the conifer forum often.. and start making lists ... but be aware ... some are very hard to come by ... and the hunt is half the fun good luck ken

Thanks everyone! You have me quite excited about this tree. It is in part shade/part sun. It is tucked a little back in a wooded area but is south facing to an open field(the back side of the tree-1st pic, doesnt get as much sun as it should, and the front could probably use more as well - I was already "planted out" when I planted this). In the pic it is behind/to the right of the globe spruce on standard(middle of right side). It appears this is worth moving to a full sun location. Not sure that I have any more of those spots, but next year I will more than likely move it (when would be the best time? what about if I can move it in the next month- Ive planted conifers as late as Jan 9 (chiseling with shovel) with success. Ill figure out a better/full sun spot and replant something else if I need to make a spot. Might as well give it more ideal conditions(at least its not in my large vernal pool that lasts until August, even September some years) like other conifers I have planted -conifer islands) . Since deer have yet to mess with even a single one of my picea pungens (they prefer japanese maples, birches, willows, white pine, aspen, some picea abies,etc-they took it easy on the weeping white spruce in the pic a couple years ago) I dont think a fence will be necessary. Thanks for everyone's comments, I feel lucky to have stumbled upon this.