Conifer · Pinaceae Draft — unreviewed
Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens Engelm.
Also called blue spruce.
Stiff, pyramidal spruce with silver-blue needles in the best selections. Thrives in cool, dry mountain climates.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 9–15 m (30–49 ft) tall and 4–6 m (13–20 ft) wide; slow growth, about 35 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #15 install size.
Design notes
- Prone to needle cast and Cytospora canker in the humid East; it often declines after 15–20 years there.
- Native to the high mountains of the Southwest but not suited to low-desert heat.
Regions
Native range: Rocky Mountains, including high elevations of Arizona and New Mexico.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Dwarf Alberta spruce
Picea glauca 'Conica' · Conifer · 2–4 m (7–13 ft)
White fir
Abies concolor · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Arizona cypress
Cupressus arizonica · Conifer · 9–12 m (30–39 ft)
Pinyon pine
Pinus edulis · Conifer · 5–10 m (16–33 ft)
Yoshino Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica 'Yoshino' · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Plan with Colorado blue spruce
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.