Picea pungens Blue Pearl - Blue Spruce

The Picea pungens Blue Pearl is a truly dwarf coniferous plant that is extremely beautiful. Falsely called Blue Fir, while it is actually a Colorado Spruce, this miniature conifer is undoubtedly blue. Its evergreen foliage, composed of short needles, allows you to enjoy this intense silvery blue colour all year round, which is absolutely astonishing. Ultimately forming a small ball with a diameter of 50 cm (19.7 in), this dwarf bush will thrive in full sun, especially in a rockery or contemporary setting. Despite its small size, it is a true tough plant capable of withstanding drought and very low temperatures (-25°C (-13 °F) to -°C (32 °F)).

The Picea pungens, also known as the Colorado Blue Spruce or Blue Spruce, is native to the west coast of the United States and the Rocky Mountains of North America, up to Canada. It is a very hardy evergreen conifer belonging to the Pinaceae family. In its natural environment, it grows slowly, presenting an elegant and very regular conical shape, with horizontally layered branches. This tree can reach a height of 25 to 40 m (82 to 131 ft 2 in) in its original habitat, which may seem surprising considering the number of available horticultural dwarf varieties. While this tree does not tolerate long dry summers well, its dwarf forms are much more sober.

The 'Blue Pearl' Colorado Spruce is an astonishing variety with an interesting origin. It is actually derived from a witch's broom found on a 'Fat Albert' Picea pungens in the late 1980s in a nursery in Oregon, United States. Witch's brooms are chaotic growths of shoots that can be found on tree branches while walking in nature. These tufts can be formed by various pathogens, which cause the development of axillary buds. 'Fat Albert' is a variety that reaches a height of 4 to 5 m (13 ft 1 in to 16 ft 5 in), but 'Blue Pearl', from which it originated, has retained the miniature aspect of the original witch's broom. This miniature conifer reaches a diameter of 30 cm (11.8 in) in 10 years, with a height of about 15 cm (5.9 in), forming a slightly flattened cushion. At maturity, it reaches a maximum diameter of 50 cm (19.7 in) with an even smaller height. It has an extremely slow growth rate (2.5 cm (1 in) per year), deserving the name of dwarf conifer, unlike some varieties that end up causing problems in rockeries. It has short, dense needles with a beautiful silvery blue colour throughout the year.

Its architectural habit and original foliage colour make the Picea pungens Blue Pearl a remarkable specimen for miniature and mineral gardens. By mulching the soil at its base to protect it from adventive weeds that could suffocate it, and by placing it in a carefully arranged chaos of rocks, it will be easy to create an attractive scene in a small space. To maintain proportions, be sure to surround it only with other dwarf to very compact plants. A 'Emerald Green' Shrubby Veronica with a rounded habit and persistent green foliage composed of tiny geometrically arranged leaves will be perfect company. The small Tiny Gold Japanese Barberry, with its height of 40 cm (15.7 in), will also not overshadow our dwarf Spruce and will provide a vibrant colour contrast with its small yellow-green leaves.