Favorite dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce?

9 years ago

I'm trying to choose one of the dwarf CBS varieties for my farm yard. I have lots of blue spruce in my yard planted as a shelterbelt, but I love the look of the dwarf varieties; they seem "extra blue" and I think the way they get so wide is very cute. I know that conifers don't stop growing, and eventual height isn't a problem. I do want something that will take a LONG time getting there, though.

What is you favorite variety? The ones I commonly see at the local greenhouses are: Sester's dwarf, Fat Albert, R.H. Montgomery. I know that Fat Albert, at least, isn't really "dwarf"..semi-dwarf, maybe, but still a very large tree. And if you have a favorite, why do you like it most?

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Comments (9)

Lily777
9 years ago
This newbie votes for Picea pungens 'Procumbens'.
Sara Malone Zone 9b
9 years ago
I LOVE 'Procumbens' because of the way it flows along the ground (almost like a blue river). Great form. You may be looking for a more tree-like cultivar, though and you are right, 'Fat Albert' is really an intermediate, but he is very blue. I have 'Sester's Dwarf' in large pots on my deck - it's much slower (though will probably outgrow the pots at some point). RH Montgomery not as interesting to me. Some other s that I like a lot are probably not readily available where you are (or even anywhere). ''Koster Pendula' is another great weeper and 'Ruby Teardrops' has prolific ruby colored cones.

Sara
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This is a question I have asked over the years and the answer I got more or less each time was yes. Depending on how large a specimen you wanted, and depending on how large a pot you had, you could have pretty much anything you wanted in a pot. Three keys: **Proper soil in the pot. It must drain FAST. It would also benefit it to have occasional nutrients added. There are a number of ways to do this. **Super cold protection. Since the roots are more exposed to the air temperature in a pot(even a big one), they need to be protected from extreme hot and cold weather. This may be an issue for you in 5b. It's not for me in 7b. Frequent watering. Since a pot-bound plant cannot 'search' for water over a large area(in the ground), it will need more frequent watering then the same plant in the ground. During hot stretches, I have been watering my potted conifers about 2-3 times a week. So far, all of my plants are relatively small and in huge pots compared to their current size. I have a couple '100 gallon' pots with very large upright conifers in them that I am hopeful will be OK for about 10-15 years. After that I'm sure I'll have to plant them in the ground(that's going to be fun to move then - yikes!). A dwarf conifer would be easy to pot. Also keep in mind the price for conifers is cheap compared to how long you'll enjoy them. Why spend $20 on a movie you might not like and maybe won't remember in five years if you won't spend $20 on a neat conifer that will only add character and be fun to watch grow over your lifetime. Picea pungens 'St. Mary' would be a good one in a 10-20 gallon pot. Hope that helps! Will
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
none of those you list are TECHNICALLY dwarf ...

think along the lines of .. al Picea pungens:

st marys dwarf
donnas rainbow
and of course.. now i blank on others ...

do you know the technical definitions of such .... copy/paste this link:

http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer-sizes/

and yes.. the groundcover versions .. will stay low ...

are you really z2????

there is a good mail order place in canada ... whistling gardens or some such ... dax??? can correct me if i am wrong ... wait a minute... SK??? i thought saskatoon .... Saskatchewan ... where is there a z2b in the US???? ... i am so confused .. and your memebers page doesnt help .... where are you

next best planting time for most of us... is fall.. you have plenty of time.. to shop past local bigboxstores ... of course.. if you are z2 .... maybe summer is all that bad to plant ...

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: st marys .. it really helps.. in searching the web.. to use full latin ... rather than CBS ...
gardener365
9 years ago
I like 'Burl', 'Frieda', 'Porcupine' and one I really want and continue fail grafting is 'Olo'.

Dax
alley_cat_gw_7b
9 years ago
For the right application i think ' St. Marys Broom ' is tough to beat. Heres a pic from yesterday of one of mine.
weeper_11
Original Author
9 years ago
I didn't google search "CBS" ;) I was just too lazy to type it out. I know that, and not using the latin names, drives some of you collectors crazy...but. Yeah.

Ken, I live an hour south-east of Saskatoon.

I have seen St. Mary's Broom a few times, and I do think it is very nice, but I'm looking for more of a conical variety. I know that those ones I listed are more semi-dwarfing, but I do have the room for a full-sized tree, I'd just prefer if it takes a long time getting there. I also like how "fat" the varieties listed appear compared to the species. Sounds like Sester's Dwarf might be my best bet out of the ones that are easy to find in my area. The conifers at Whistling Gardens look AMAZING. I know you can mail order, but I'd love to visit the place.

Thanks for the help.
Sara Malone Zone 9b
9 years ago
'Fat Albert' is definitely fat! And at least at my house, he's much bluer than 'Sester's Dwarf', which is more of a gray blue. Check out the blue on the fourth photo down in the link. That is 'FA' peeking out behind the Spirea. And the color is not enhanced - that's its real color. It is a faster grower than 'Sester's Dwarf but

Here is a link that might be useful: Fat Albert has the blues
illinois_john
9 years ago
"Sester's Dwarf" has grown to be one of my favorite plants. I agree, not the purest blue of the bunch, but a nice slow and steady grower.

I'm always on the lookout for another for my yard.
gardener365
9 years ago
'Wendy' is a fine-plant, too. I'm sure Whistling Gardens will have that.

Dax

Favorite dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce?

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Lily777

Sara Malone Zone 9b

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Favorite dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce?

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