Picea pungens Blue Mountain - Blue Spruce

Picea pungens 'Blue Mountain' is a superb selection of the Blue Spruce, a high-class conifer. It forms an elegant, regular, and dense pyramid, of a soft, truly luminous silvery blue. Its foliage is composed of small, sharply pointed needles densely implanted around its almost horizontal branches. Its elegant habit and medium growth make it suitable for planting alone or in the centre of a large group. It thrives in the sun or semi-shade, in well-drained soil, not too dry in summer, and preferably neutral to slightly acidic.

Originating from the west coast of the United States and the Rocky Mountains of North America, to Canada, the Picea pungens, also known as the Colorado Blue Spruce or Blue Spruce, is a very hardy evergreen conifer belonging to the pine family. In its natural environment, it grows slowly with an elegant and very regular conical habit, supported by tiered horizontal branches. This tree can reach 25 to 40 m (82 to 131 ft 2 in) in height and tolerates slightly chalky soils and some drought. But its preference is for slightly acidic and deep moist soils. Its location must be carefully considered, as it does not like to be transplanted.

The 'Blue Mountain' variety, derived from this species, is characterized by a moderate size and brilliant silvery blue foliage. Ultimately, this conifer forms a beautiful pyramid of 12.5 m (41 ft) in height and 4 m (13 ft 1 in) in width at the base on average. Its growth is slow while young, 15 to 25 cm (5.9 to 9.8 in) per year, then it accelerates a bit. It produces regularly tiered, almost horizontal branches covered with very short and prickly needles, arranged in dense brushes radially around the branches. Its young spring shoots are very light, then they turn to silvery blue and remain so throughout the year. Mature specimens produce light brown, elongated cone-shaped fruits, measuring 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) long.

The Blue Spruce 'Blue Mountain', sparkling all year round, is an ornament for the garden. It thrives in many situations and many climates, as long as the soil is well-drained and not too chalky and the exposure sunny. This conifer goes well with large stones, geometric lines and masonry works. It can be associated with spring or summer annuals, which will highlight its foliage. The architectural qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in a contemporary design. These plants structurally enhance a border and mark paths and entrances. They go well with heathers or sage bushes, or ground cover plants like aubrietas, cerastium, as well as flowering bushes like gauras. The key is to play with volumes and colours.