Growth rate of picea pungens 'pendula'

13 years ago

Hi Everybody! I recently planted a weeping colorado blue spruce and plan to stake it for as long as possible. On the tag that came with it, it says that the growth rate is more than 12" per year and the 10 year size 'varies with culture'. I asked an employee at a nursery and he said that the blue spruces are very slow growing. I am just wondering if anyone knows really how fast they grow and what sort of size I am looking at in 10 years, knowing that it will continue to grow forever. Currently it is about 5 feet tall.

I have the space for it, I am just wondering how close to the spruce I can put shrubs knowing I will have to pull them out at some point in the future.

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

Embothrium
13 years ago
That rate would be shown by the lead shoot(s) of one doing well, as in a wholesale nursery where they were making a specific effort to get the stock to come along as quickly as possible.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
at least 12" per year ... i think one of my pendula did close to 18" last year

go take a close look ... you will know this springs growth.. trace down the leader and you will see a differing bark pattern... last years growth

and about 12 inches down.. you will see a third pattern ....

and now you will know.. how it grew for the last 3 years .... subject to its pot culture.. ball and burlapping... or whatever variables we dont know about....

the growth rate will be no different than a regular pungens... just not upward .... a pic below ... a hoopsi ....

it might take your transplant a few years to get chuggin on its normal rate.. until it is fully established....

ken
{{gwi:689859}}

and here is glauca pendula.. lets to its own devices ....
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ps: the guy at the nursery is an idiot .... IF that is all he said ....

pps: i think the correct name is Picea pungens 'Glauca Pendula'
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you are welcome... lol there is a reason its called enabling.. not 'being helpful' ... double lol here is the answer.. note the annual growth rate on MD... it went crazy ... after this pic .... even w/o a scale... cant you see the approx 10 inch leader growth the prior spring.. and what.. 8 inch lateral???? that pic is 2009 .. i bet its easily twice as big.. today ... now look at DR ... what do you see.. 3 to 5 inch leader growth??? ... this is.. and always will be.. a squat little pungens ... so the equation seems pretty simple to me.. how much space do you have... today.. and in 10 years ... ken ps: i am sad to see colby in the pic .. he is gone... and this must be one of the first pix i posted since he left us a year back or so ... and God help me.. i bet he is in half my thousands of pix... lol .. wonder how he missed the other pix... lol
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dcsteg
13 years ago
This one was 3 ft. tall 10 years ago...now 10 ft.

Key word: varies with culture or micro climate subjected to.

Great conifer and one of the most beautiful in the landscape.

Dave
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greenmachine10
13 years ago
It kind of looks like the one that dcsteg has was staked while ken's was just left to grow on it's own if the op is wondering why they look different
Embothrium
13 years ago
"this plant can be very hard to find as it takes many years to develop a mature outline"

Here is a link that might be useful: DWARF COLORADO SPRUCES
dcsteg
13 years ago
bboy says: "this plant can be very hard to find as it takes many years to develop a mature outline".

True...but they can be easily ordered from your local nursery if they are inclined to do it for you.

I guess it depends who you are, who you know and what area of the country you reside in.

Buy them small and train them for your own special needs.

Very adaptable for training into any look you desire. Mine was trained to fit the narrow area it resides in. It has been off the stake for 2 years and it is very unstable. Could be interesting as its nature changes every year.

If you are growing on the horizontal you will need to provide a large area for it to mature and prosper.

There are no two alike. Not a cheap conifer by any means. $300.00 and up for any size at all.

Dave

Growth rate of picea pungens 'pendula'

Comments (6)

Embothrium

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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