Picea pungens Waldbrunn - Blue Spruce

Picea pungens 'Waldbrunn', is a rare small blue spruce and an excellent dwarf variety. It slowly forms a small bush in the shape of a round nest. Its foliage is a beautiful blue, slightly grey, with silver highlights. It consists of thick small needles densely placed around its short and horizontal branches. Its very slow growth and reduced size make it suitable for planting in rockeries, as well as in flower beds, borders or pots. It thrives in sun or partial shade, in well-drained, moist, neutral to acidic soil. Once well established, it can tolerate temporary drought.

Native to the west coast of the United States, and the Rocky Mountains of North America, up to Canada, the Picea pungens, also known as the Colorado blue spruce or blue spruce, is a very hardy evergreen conifer belonging to the pinaceae family. In its natural environment, it grows slowly and has an elegant and very regular conical shape, with horizontally layered branches. This tree can reach 25 to 40 metres (82 to 131 feet 2 inches) in height and tolerates limestone soils and some drought.

The 'Waldbrunn' variety, derived from this species, is a German selection still little known. It is a small conifer that is original and full of character, distinguished by its compact, bushy and flattened habit. Its growth is very slow, about 4 to 5 cm in height and 7 to 8 cm in width each year. After 10 years, it will reach 50 cm (19.7 in) in height and 80 cm (31.5 in) in spread, sometimes a little more depending on the growing conditions. It produces short and thick branches, very closely spaced, arranged horizontally and in successive layers. They are covered with thick and very hard needles, arranged in dense and radial brushes around the branches. Its spring shoots are a beautiful silver colour, then the foliage takes on a powdery blue-grey hue with silver highlights. This variety tolerates drought once established.

The 'Waldbrunn' blue spruce, with its unique habit, very compact growth, low maintenance, and ease of cultivation, is a perfect plant for large rockeries, terraces, or ground cover planting in flower beds. It thrives in many situations and in various climates, as long as the soil is well-drained and not too chalky and the exposure is very sunny. This plant is ideal for punctuating an entrance or a pathway, or for decorating a terrace in a large pot. It can also be associated with spring or summer annuals, which will enhance its foliage. The architectural qualities of conifers naturally emerge in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures to flowers. These plants easily replace the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. They pair well with heathers or grasses, as well as ground cover plants like aubrietas and cerastiums, and flowering shrubs like gauras. The key is to play with volumes and colours.