i dont care if you use chem's .... BUT .. always a big but.. 99% of the time you dont need chems... you should never spray chemicals willy nilly without a proper ID of the bug ... and you should always mix according to instructions ... and apply accordingly .... ----- since you did not ID them .. answer these questions ... did you kill any beneficial insects? did you needlessly expose the kids [i know you are a lost cause ... lol] in killing said bugs... etc ... i used to use chems all the time when i was hooked on roses .. luckily they all started dying as they are prone to do in z5 ... the foo foo collector roses .... and then kids started rolling in .. and i just decided that the bugs can have what the bugs want... because i dont need to expose the kids to it all ... i would like to confirm a recollection i have ... the biggest polluter in the US is the home owner .... spraying what need not be sprayed.. using improper mixtures.. and improper application.. etc ... etc ... anyway buckie .... you planted them last year... they were shocked from it all .. you tended them perfectly .. and they are thriving as indicated by the great growth ... you did well ... as the learning curve increases... just skip the chem's ... i just dont think you will ever really need them ... trim what.. those branches inches from the bottom.. yeah.. even it out ... ken

Not enough supporting root structure left. Especially for a 6 ft. conifer. It happens all the time. 90% was left in the ground you got the remaining 10%. Bad dig. They will usually look healthy at first and maybe put on a touch of growth but the kiss of death was there when it was planted. In this case it didn't matter how high or low the root flare was planted. You should have returned it before the year was up. Always inspect B&B very carefully. Make sure the root ball is adequate. Broken root balls are always a bad sign. This happens from poor handling by taking them off the truck and dropping them to the ground. Always a kiss of death when that occurs. Always buy them in the spring when freshly dug. Those sitting around all summer won't survive unless they have been potted up to keep root ball moist. Sorry about your loss. Hopefully better luck next time. Dave

I think the shade tolerance/sun requirements of these two species would be generally similar. I doubt that really specific information is available. For best growth/ best appearance, both will need full sun. But both can persist and maintain enough health to respond to release for some extended period of time in moderate shade. One problem making it difficult to get really specific information about small differences in shade tolerance, is that the relative shade tolerance of these species can be variable, depending on climate, soils, and specific strains of the Norway spruce involved. What seems true in one situatiion may not be true in another. Also, I think it would be difficult to find situations where the two species are both growing together in shaded sites so that good direct comparisons could be make--if fact, if there are any, I would think it would be very, very few. If you want a shade tolerant conifer, go with hemlock, if your area is free of wolly adelgids. Other wonderful shade tolerant trees are sugar maple and beech. I would go with those. Niether Norway spruce nor black hills spruce will provide really good long-term growth in shade, but both have considerable shade tolerance compared to many other kinds of trees. For a general comparison, both would have better shade tolerance than eastern white pine, which does have some reasonable shade tolerance when young. --Spruce

well .... one would not expect to see PINE cones on a spruce .... dont ya think ... lol ... i know.. you admit your newbie-ness .... but i couldnt help it ... coning is a function of maturity .... since you give no info on size or age.. all i can do is speculate that for some reason or another.. two are mature.. and one isnt ... i suspect the limey one ... had severe root damage on planting .... but again.. with no other facts ... as to size, process.. nor a picture.. we cant go much further .... so give us some more info .... and we can go from there... and while you are out there.. take a good look at those SPRUCE cones.. lol ... ken