Picea pungens Brynek - Blue Spruce

Still difficult to find, Picea pungens 'Brynek' is a dwarf form of the blue spruce, showing a particularly regular spherical habit. Its very rigid and perfectly ordered branches give it a clean and well-groomed appearance. Its foliage is a magnificent steel blue that intensifies in winter. It is composed of very small needles covered in wax. Its slow growth and small size make it suitable for rock gardens, as well as borders or pots. It thrives in full sun or partial shade, in well-drained, occasionally dry soil, preferably neutral to acidic.

Native to the western coast of the United States, and the Rocky Mountains of North America, up to Canada, Picea pungens, also known as the Colorado blue spruce or blue spruce, is a hardy evergreen conifer belonging to the pine family. In its natural environment, it grows slowly, presenting an elegant and regular conical habit, with horizontally layered branches. This tree can reach a height of 25 to 40m (82 to 131ft), tolerates limestone soils and some drought.

The 'Brynek' variety, derived from this species, is a recent introduction, still little known in our region. It is an elegant small conifer with a compact, globose and perfectly spherical habit. Its growth is very slow, around 2 to 5cm each year. After 10 years, it will reach 80cm (32in) in all directions, sometimes a little more in cool and humid climates. As an adult, it will form a ball measuring 1 to 2m (3 to 7ft) in all directions. It produces short, rigid and thick branches, as if pruned with a tool, covered with very short and prickly needles, arranged in dense radial brushes around the branches. Its young spring shoots are a bright silver-blue, slightly darker in winter.

The 'Brynek' blue spruce, with its perfectly round habit, reduced development, low maintenance, and ease of cultivation, is a plant with a strong personality that will work wonders in rock gardens, on terraces, or in borders. It thrives in many situations, under various climates, as long as the soil is well-drained and not too chalky, and the exposure is sunny. This plant pairs well with large stones, geometric lines, and masonry structures. It can be combined with spring or summer annuals, which will enhance its foliage, as well as complementary grasses. The genuine graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of blooms. These plants, with their reassuring permanence, structurally define a border, mark pathways, and line terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. They also pair well with heathers or shrubby salvias, as well as ground cover plants like aubrietas, as well as flowering shrubs like Gauras. The key is to play with volumes and colours.