Yep, Blue Spruce (Picea pungens).

Looks like they've been hacked about a bit by the nursery, which is why they're an odd shape.

Resin

the key is learning the latin names ...

Picea pungens ... is known as a spruce.. a blue spruce ... a Colorado blue spruce ... etc .. ad nauseum ...

Picea pungens is NOT blue ... it can be blue.. but not necessarily ... too many sellers take seed from p pungens... which might throw 50% blue seedlings ... and then sell them all as CO blue spruce .... most of these sellers are forestry sellers .. as compared to conifer sellers who specialize in named cultivars ...

and therein lies the problems.. when a seller uses a common name.. rather than the latin ...

now if you get into named cultivars.. now there are blue spruces.. i think you already have.. Picea pungens "hoopsi"

your best sellers .. sell by the latin .. to avoid the confusion of the common name ...

ken

PS: as your collection grows.. as you already noted you are hooked.. these very nice green spruces will make gorgeous CUT xmas trees in a few years ... do NOT hesitate to cut them down ... to replace them with more exciting cultivars ...

The narrow ones do look a bit like they were hacked to create that shape.

Yes, the narrow ones looked trimmed and also have a single leader whereas the squattier ones look to be developing multiple leaders.

tj

Though the narrow tree in pic #2 has also got two leaders.

Typical sign of bad nursery practice.

Resin

It appears to me that the top two spruces' bottom 2/3 have been pruned past the past year's growth.

I'm looking at color changes and my inability to see any buds except at the tops.

Hank

These are probably seedlings. Species varies from forest green to powder blue. Seedlings with some blueness to them may be sold as blue Colorado spruce even though they are not as blue as the bluest (silvery) named forms propagated by grafting - or other seedlings that have better blue coloring.

Seeds providing a batch of seedlings may come from a good blue tree resulting in offspring all being called blue Colorado spruce even when some of them aren't as blue as the parent.

The narrowing ones were planted about a year ago. The squattier ones have been in my raised beds since mid January.

The narrow ones did have a great blue color for awhile ... then appeared kind of green in these pictures.

I was just looking at them today and the blue color is more obvious on the windward side than the other side.

The narrow one in the top picture is starting to show dead (or just browning) branches on the bottom only. These pictures don't show any of that brown ... I wonder if I over watered or underwatered it?

Thanks for your replies -- its interesting that they look trimmed ... they have been this shape since I got them a year ago. Could the trim last that long?

Hi Bunkers,
Look at your narrow spruces for bud locations. I think I am looking at mainly old needles. The tops show some growth from the previous growing season, and the very bottom of no. 2.
A branch needs a bud.
I had a couple last night.
Hank

on all blue leafed plants.. hosta.. conifers.. perennials.. should i ever say ALL ... lol

the blue is a wax.. as noted ... that reflects the blue sky ...

wax.. not unlike on your car.. wears off ... at spring flush ... they are very blue.. as the heat.. sun.. water.. rain.. winter.. roll along.. the wax wears off ... and the underlying green appears ...

green is food production ... so it must be there ...

blue can come and go .. and named varieties hold their color better thru the year ....

got it

ken

Thanks ... I am starting to figure out these plants ... slowly buy surely.

I was out planting my 10 new conifers (from FF) over the weekend ... and the 2 picea pungen in this thread were still looking great.

I was mistaken in my prior post ... it is my Black Hills Spruce which has brown branches on the very bottom in the last week or two. This tree is normally looking rather great previously. I noticed that this tree seems to have dried sap on its ends and no real buds noticible yet. I had wondered if a deer had eaten it, as one day a number of ended seemed pruned ... I do have deer wondering through during the year, along with mountain lions.

where are the pix of your FF order???

did i miss them????

forget about lower branches... when these trees are 20 feet tall .. and they will be.. they will not have any live branches for the first 5 feet or so ... the higher ones weeping down to the ground ...

lets just presume.. until proven otherwise.. that the tree sacrificed the lowest branches to invigorate the upper ones.. and the main leader.. due to transplant ... and the digging of the B&B .... and the idiotic shearing ....

stare at your first picture... long enough .. and you can delineate the sheared bottom half.. to the growth on the top half after transplant... a more 'natural' growth pattern.. instead of the forced conical shape ... it will become even more apparent this year.. after flush ..

ken

Ken, I have taken the pictures of my FF order and will post a new thread here very soon. Thanks for your interest and help as usual!