Picea
If you are thinking about trying out a living Christmas tree next holiday season then consider one of these three spruce trees (Picea). You will spend either a little more or even a little bit less than a cut tree whose corpse you will then have to deal with once the holiday is over! Planting rather than tossing a tree after the holiday can be a great addition to your holiday traditions. Especially if you pre-dig the hole now while the ground isn’t frozen! Or you can also wait until the spring time if you make sure to keep the tree watered. The process of bringing the tree inside for the holiday is easy and we have care sheets we are happy to send you home with so that you are confident in your new tradition.
First up is the Black Hills spruce. A nice compact evergreen that grows up to 40′ tall and 20′ wide. Particularly tough in heavy snow and ice storms like those in South Dakota where this tree was developed. A nice characteristic of white spruces in general which despite the name, the Black Hills spruce is in fact a white spruce. Hardy to zone 3 this is a great tree for any of us in Bend and for those of you in La Pine. These trees actually perform better in dry areas like ours than the wet and rainy coast where fungal disease from soggy roots can become an issue for this spruce.
Everyone seems to want a Colorado Blue spruce but not everyone has the space for one. That’s where the semi-dwarf ‘Baby Blue Eyes’ variety comes in handy. They mature to about 15’ wide and 15′ tall though it isn’t unheard of for them to reach a height of 30 feet so it’s worth keeping that in mind when choosing your planting site. Hardy to zone 2, there is no snowstorm or harsh winter that is going to take this tree out. Deer won’t pay any attention to it either. Even at a young age these trees are dense enough to literally hold their ground when trampled by rambunctious bucks. This tree looks best as a standalone accent tree in a garden with attractive boulders strategically placed to let those blue needles really pop. It’s pyramidal shape will be maintained without any pruning and if cared for properly, very few needles dropped each season which means less mess for you. If you want too keep your blue spruce looking extra blue consider picking up a bag of Marine Cuisine fertilizer made by Fox Farm. It is a slow release granular fertilizer that is famous for keeping blues truly blue.
The Alberta spruce is the smallest of them all though we do also have a very nice selection of true dwarf conifers on hand that we are happy to introduce you to when you come in. The Alberta matures at a height of only 10′ with a spread of just 3′ and also maintains a conical shape without much pruning. If you do like to prune however, especially into unique shapes like the photo below, then this would be a great tree to take on. They are much less expensive than most evergreens which takes a little bit of the risk out of trying to learn how to shape evergreens. They are great for in ground or container plantings which makes them very versatile. Many people like to plant these in entryway planters framing the doorway adding lights to them during the holidays.
