Blue spruce - varieties. Spruce - species and varieties

The representative of one of the numerous species of hindlings of the Sosnovy family, the spruce tree well known to all, owes its name to the ancient Romans. That is the translation of the word "pitch". In the green kingdom, spruce occupies one of the first places and belongs to the genus, in which there are almost 50 plant species spread all over the world: from Northern Europe and Central Asia to North America. What is spruce, what is this tree? How long does she live on Earth and what forms does she take? Let's try to find answers to these questions.

Description of spruce

Tall, straight-stemmed, evergreen slender trees with a dense cone-shaped crown, narrower at a young age, spruce trees covered with branches to the very base. Their trunk is difficult to see - it is hidden by the widest fir "paws". Young trees have a smooth bark of gray with a brownish tinge, on older spruce trunks it is thinner, in some places it is peeled. Needles are needle-like and can hold on branches up to 7-9 years, although with a deteriorating environment, these terms are shortened, and in an urban environment the duration of saving needles does not exceed 3 years. The needles are single, tetrahedral or flattened, spirally located on the branches. Cones hanging, elongated, cylindrical. Ripening in the fall, they open up when seeds scatter. Seed scales cones with a broad base cover small seeds, equipped with wings, cupped around them.

Characteristics of the plant

The description ate unequivocally: this is one of the quite unpretentious plants on Earth. It is undemanding to the fertility of soils, it is well acclimatized on very poor soils. She is not afraid of shady slopes and slight waterlogging of the soil cover. It is incredibly hardy, and it is not afraid of the sharply continental climate. But most species do not withstand gas pollution and smoke, however, the tree is used in urban greening and is used both in single and in group plantings for park alleys and snow protection zones. Dwarf or undersized ornamental forms are perfect for decorating the landscape of small personal plots, hills and rock gardens.

European spruce, or ordinary

The name of this tree speaks for itself and precisely indicates its habitat. European spruce grows in It is the foundation forming the taiga. In the north of Siberia and European Russia, arrays of common spruce are gradually replaced by Siberian spruce. What is this tree? There is no clear distinction between these species. In the selection of growing conditions, spruce differs significantly from larch and pine, but there are no intraspecific sharp differences. They are so shade-loving that it is rather difficult to grow in open treeless areas, since at the stage of shoots that have started to grow they are damaged by return spring frosts or get sunburn. In addition, they suffer greatly from grass fires triggered by seasonal arsons.

Periods and features of tree growth

The first 10 years, the tree is growing slowly. Then the growth rate increases dramatically, and after 100-120 years, they again stop. Uneven, spasmodic growth distinguishes European spruce. What is a recognized long-liver is long known. If conditions permit, it easily lives to be 250-300 years old. The best soils for it are loam and sandstone. On them, it forms a deep root system, firmly holding it on the surface. But spruce - lover enough raw places. On excessively moistened soils, the tree forms a small surface root system and, with strong gusts of wind, it may not hold and fall to the ground. Spruce makes even a small waterlogging, if it has a flowing character. It should be noted that spruce trees are significantly smaller than those of pine trees, which explains its instability during winds. The peculiarity of the tree is that its lower branches do not die off and remain dry, therefore it is quite dark and damp in spruce forests.

Spruce growing conditions

Spruce can be grown in most regions of the European part of Russia, in Siberia and in the south of the Far East. But this is a very delicate breed of wood.

It is better to plant it under the canopy of more resistant representatives of the flora - oak, birch or pine. This is especially important for rather dry and poor soils on which spruce grows hard, since well-moistened soils are preferable for it. Spruce is much more demanding to the growing conditions than pine, which can grow well on dry sandy soils. That is why spruce and pine rarely grow together - they need too different conditions.

Breeding

It is easy to grow spruce from seeds, which are very simple to collect: it is enough to cut some in the fall and keep them at home until it is completely dry. Peel them not necessary. Having dried, the cones will open themselves and give away the seeds, which usually have excellent germination. They should be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then placed in pots with calcined river sand, buried by 1-1.5 cm. Containers are placed on the upper shelf of the refrigerator for stratification. This procedure is necessary, since in nature all the seeds of conifers are exposed to cold. Stratification stimulates the germination of seedlings. Untreated cold seeds can lie in the ground for several years, but never to ascend. Containers should be in the cold for 3 months. After this time, containers with planted seeds are placed in a bright and warm place.

Landing dates

The ideal time of sowing is the end of October - November. If the seeds are planted during this period, then the container should be taken out of the refrigerator in February-March. This is the most favorable time for germination, as spring comes, daylight increases, and all plants start to grow.

Watering and care

The period of germination of seedlings requires particularly generous watering, as it should act in accordance with natural conditions. After all, in spring, during the snowmelt, the soil is especially moist. Heat and humidity are the basic conditions for the activation of conifer seedlings. After a couple of weeks, the baby-fir tree should ascend. That this is a real conifer is immediately visible: the first needles appear. Now it is necessary to exercise caution and maintain a balance, i.e., water the sprouts as much as necessary, avoiding both underfilling and excessive moisture. Every two weeks, the young Christmas trees need to be fed and loosen the upper soil layer.

When it becomes warmer in the open air, and return frosts will recede, small seedlings can be planted in the ground. Compost or humus mixed with soil and some complex mineral fertilizers are added to the well before planting. More Christmas trees are not fed. By placing the seedlings in the hole, the roots are gently covered with soil, tamped, well sprinkled with water and create a small
greenhouse from a covering material, film or glass jar.

This is necessary for faster acclimatization of seedlings.

Seedlings in greenhouses should be ventilated every day. They need to open, remove condensate and check the soil moisture. After 7-10 days, shelter can be removed, and the soil around the fir-trees can be mulched to preserve the soil moisture. As a rule, in nurseries spruce seedlings are grown in containers for 3-4 years. Since the tree grows very slowly, such a period is considered optimal for the successful further development of the conifer called this age are more adapted to temperature extremes, they are no longer afraid of frosts and sunburn. They are also planted with one dressing and good irrigation.

Varieties of spruce and their use

Like many coniferous trees, spruce rather decorative. She has always been a decoration of the Russian manor, gardens and parks. Today, thanks to the large selection work, many species of spruce trees used in garden landscape design have been developed. Herringbone, personally grown from seed, not only decorates the site, but can also become the ancestor of family traditions. This method of growing spruce from seeds is suitable for all tall species. In addition, such cultivation is a guarantee of excellent adaptation of the seedling to the climatic conditions of the area. Of the existing species, the attention of landscape designers attracts dwarf spruce. Low-growing varieties usually do not exceed a meter height, have a wide dense crown.

They are great for decorating garden compositions, stone and alpine slides. One of the most spectacular and sought-after representatives of such species is spruce Nidiformis.

Dwarf forms: description

Nidiformis - a variety with a round crown shape and a central recess. The height of the tree barely reaches 1 m, and the crown reaches 3 m in diameter. The oblate crown is formed in the form of a nest, since the main branches of the tree are absent, and numerous shoots grow fanlike. Gorgeous short dark green needles, very thick and evenly covering branches. The tree grows very slowly, adding not more than 3-4 cm in height and 5-7 cm in width in a year. The spruce tree is undemanding to the soil, grows well on moderately fertile sandy soils of any acidity level, but can die if ground water is constantly in the vicinity of the root system. This spruce, like all low-growing conifers, photos of which are presented, is very decorative. And its slow growth makes it possible to preserve the landscape once created for many years. Nidiformisy frost-resistant, but young plants are better to cover with the threat of returning spring frosts.

Evergreen dwarf cattle: reproduction

Low-growing forms are not pure species and reproduce exclusively in a vegetative way - cuttings and layering, but not seeds.

The fact is that such plants appear as a result of the mutation of various species of conifers, and from their seeds, as a rule, grow ordinary tall, rather than dwarf conifer trees. Photos of ornamental undersized species can be found in the special literature. If you grow such a conifer yourself it is impossible, there is only one way - to the store. usually sold in containers. The main rule in the purchase of this rather expensive acquisition is the firm belief that the root system of the seedling is strong, well developed, and is not damaged either mechanically or by pests. And before going to the store should be familiar with the form of the crown, features, size of plants and care for him.

Many coniferous species for many years retain a good shape regardless of the variety. Low-growing species may first have a spherical crown, and over time form a cone. Nevertheless, spruce and pine trees are such common trees that it is impossible to imagine Russia without these magnificent conifers.

Spruce - universal decoration of any site. In winter and summer, it remains beautiful, revives the landscape and gives it respectability. The most important thing is to choose the right spruce for the site, the types and varieties of which are calculated in several dozens.

In the nature of spruce - tall evergreen trees with a narrow cone-shaped crown and a smooth trunk. Thanks to the selection, new varieties have been bred, and the spruces are of great interest due to the variety of needles and unusual shapes.

Did you know? Many have noticed that breathing easier in the coniferous forest. This is because the spruce contains phytoncides that have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs.

Norway spruce (European)

Spruce (in common people - Christmas tree) belongs to the pine family, the genus of spruce has more than a dozen species and varieties, differing in the location of the branches, size, shape of the crown and color.

The plantings of different types of this beauty occupy the main part of the forest on the European territory. In urban areas, such spruces practically do not grow, since a large amount of gases in the air adversely affects growth and is practically destructive for them.

Under natural conditions, common spruce (Picea abies) changes very easily, due to which a huge number of varieties have been developed. The most common are such varieties:

. It has the shape of an irregular cone or bush. The size and shape depend on the conditions in which Acrocone grows. When favorable, it can grow to three meters in height and four in width. However, the usual size for a ten-year spruce is 1.5 meters. Young needles of a light green color darken with age. Young bright red cones, growing abundantly at the ends of the shoots, become bright maroon in spring. Thanks to this decoration, Acrocon is a decorative species, fits perfectly into group plantings and looks good alone. Winter-hardy view, perfectly feeling in the shade. The dry salty soil and stagnation of water in the ground are not suitable.
. It has a dense crown formed by strong branches growing vertically. Needles - a rich green color, buds - large. Small fir trees have a spherical shape, eventually stretching and becoming oval. When growing on a plot, it is recommended to occasionally carry out a shaping cut to get the desired shape. Fits perfectly into the composition.
Wills Tswerg (Will "s Zwerg). Uzkokonichesky dwarf variety with a dense crown. The height of an adult tree is 2 meters, diameter is 1 meter. The needles are light green with a yellowish tinge.
. These spruces are traditionally grown with a "weeping" crown, for which the trunk at the beginning of growth is attached to a support. It grows up to 6-7 meters in height with a needle diameter of 2 meters. If you do not take care of Inverse, it will not grow above 50 cm and will move along the ground, growing by 25-40 cm per year. Due to its unusual shape, it can become an original decoration.
. If you are thinking about which spruce to choose, pay attention to Maxwell. This is a dwarf species, the maximum height of which is 2 meters. The crown has a spherical or pillow with yellowish-green needles. The crown width of an adult tree is 2 meters. Perfectly tolerates shade and harsh winter.
. Dwarf spruce, whose height in adult form does not exceed one meter with a crown diameter of two meters. The shape of the crown nest. Does not like overmoistening, resistant to frost. Young trees need to cover.
. Slow-growing spruce, reaching 6 meters in height and 3 meters in diameter in adult form. Crohn dense, spherical or shirokokonicheskaya. Young bright red cones become reddish-brown by the end of ripening. Poor tolerates both dry soil and stagnant moisture. Feels good on acidic and alkaline soils. Perfectly tolerates shading and frost. Before you choose this spruce to give, you need to take into account that it may overshadow the area over time.
. Dwarf variety growing to 1-1.5 meters. The diameter of the wide-conical crown is 1.5 meters. Feels great in the sun, in partial shade, the soil is not demanding. Krone almost does not need additional care and pruning.
. It has an elongated shape and grows in a horizontal plane, due to which it forms a natural dense coating. In order for this fir to grow vertically, during its growth it is necessary to form a trunk and tie it to a support. Thus you can get a "weeping" spruce with thick fluffy needles. Formanki can be used as a room spruce. Ideal to decorate the site with an open terrace.
. It features a spherical crown of a dense structure with small bluish-green needles. It grows for a long time, so it does not need frequent pruning. Small size allows you to use this spruce in small areas in group or single plantings.

Important! Young spruces in hot summer need weekly watering (12 liters under the tree) and loosening the soil.

Another name for this beauty is caucasian Spruce (Picea orientalis). In nature, it grows to 50-65 meters in height, while having a crown with a diameter of 22 meters. The shape of the crown is pyramid, with hanging branches of a beautiful brown shade.

Young Christmas trees have a light brown (sometimes reddish) color, slightly pubescent, shiny. At the top of the young there are droplets of resin. The needles are slightly flattened and bent upward, thanks to which they are not prickly. The needles are stiff, thick, golden first and dark green during maturation. A distinctive feature - the needles as if covered with varnish.

The color of mature buds can range from reddish to violet-purple. Grow at the ends of the shoots in the upper part of the crown.

Important! Growth of eastern spruce absolutely does not tolerate direct sunlight. This species can grow on thin soils, but is sensitive to dry winds and drought.

In landscape design is used in group plantings, but it looks more impressive in solitude.

Spruce spiny (blue)

The Latin name of this species is Picea pungens. Frost, wind and drought resistant. Better than other species suffers gas pollution and has a long life expectancy (almost half a century).

Spruce spruce belongs to the pine family, the genus of spruce has more than a dozen varieties, the appearance of which always causes admiration. It is a slender, large (up to 40 m high and 3 m wide) tree, which is considered to be the birthplace of North America. Cones in this species are light brown, ripen in September and decorate the Christmas tree until spring.

Decorative forms of needles can have yellow, blue and gray shades - it all depends on the thickness of the wax coating. With the onset of winter, the patina disappears and the needles turn dark green.

Blue spruce is rich in luxurious decorative varieties. For growing and design are good:

Spruce black

This conifer grows to a height of 20-30 meters, has a narrow conical shape of the crown. Branches of adult trees tend to the ground.

Young sprouts are red-brown with a dense glandular, reddish edge. Needles - tetrahedral, prickly. Cones in mature form have an ovate (sometimes - spherical) shape. Color - purple-brown.

It is frost-resistant, well transfers shading, unpretentious to quality of soil. In dry periods needs additional watering.

Did you know? In the wild, black spruce grows in North America. In Europe it has been cultivated since 1700, and in Russia it has been cultivated since the middle of the XIX century.

This type of Christmas tree grows slowly even in favorable conditions, which allows it to be used in small areas.

If you want to choose spruce on the plot, pay attention to these varieties and types:

Did you know? The Latin name for spruce Picea originated from the ancient Roman Pix, which means “resin”. These forest evergreen beauties are known for more than one millennium and are long-lived - they can live up to 300 years.

Serbian spruce (Balkan)

No matter how many species of spruce exist in nature, the most harmonious is considered serbian spruce. In the wild, it is rare and is grown mainly artificially. A distinctive feature of this species is a low-conic narrow cone-shaped crown. Traditionally used in New Year's celebrations.

Spruce spiny (Picea pungens), undoubtedly, the most famous and probably favorite plant for every gardener. Common synonym for spruce barbed - blue spruce, although not all specimens of this species are blue colored needles. Surprisingly beautiful silhouettes of these fir trees adorn central parks and streets, as well as significant areas of urban buildings. For these beauties did not spare the place and planted in small suburban plots of six acres, wanting to see in their yard "Christmas tree", which later occupied half of the territory. At the end of XX century. Prickly spruce became a symbol of success and prosperity.

Therefore, today many owners of large plots are striving to plant blue spruce trees to the maximum. Love for them, of course, deserved, this is a very spectacular and fairly trouble-free plant.

One of the virtues This spruce is high dust and gas resistance, which makes it grow well on busy highways where all other conifers do not survive. Blue spruce is not as strong as, for example, pine, damaged by pests. Yes, and they are sick much less often than the same spruce, especially with proper planting and care.

The natural range of spruce blue is found in western North America and extends from the south-east of Idaho to the south through Utah and Colorado to Arizona and New Mexico. It grows most often in mountain valleys at an altitude of about 2000-3000 m, located along rivers and streams, on moist soil.

The tree is very tall, grows up to 35-40 m and reaches the age of 600-800 years, especially if it is in its homeland. It grows best on loamy or sandy, fairly fertile soil. Despite the fact that the spruce is spiny enough shade-tolerant, trees grown in the shade look less decorative due to the loss of brightness of the needles and large distances between the whorls of the branches. Grows at a young age slowly, and after 10 years the growth rate increases significantly. The plant tolerates cutting and molding of the crown, which makes spruce more lush. Like any species popular in landscaping, spruce is spiny has many forms, differing in height, crown structure, needle length, its intensity
coloring and other indicators. We briefly discuss the most common ornamental varieties and, of course, touch on the possible problems of their cultivation.

Decorative varieties

The most widely used in landscaping is the form ‘Glauca’. Under this name, almost all high non-breeding trees with a blue shade of needles pass. The krone is beautiful, symmetrical, conical. Spruce grows up to 15-20 m in height and usually has a growth of more than 30 cm per year. Needles on the branches kept more than 3-5 years. Propagated by seed and grafting. Very resistant to urban conditions. It has high winter hardiness and frost resistance. It is better to plant in large areas, as in small areas spruce looks cumbersome.

Click to enlarge!

‘Glauca Globoza’, Gray Spherical, - ‘Glauca Globosa’.

Very widely used in landscaping and loved by landscape designers, site owners.

Compact, neat, blue dwarf form of spruce barbed, which usually grows up to 1 m in height and up to 1.5 m in diameter. Very decorative looks when growing soliter-no, and in the group with other plants. The original look is ‘Glauka Globoza’, grafted onto the arms of different heights.

‘Hopsi’ - ‘Hoopsii’.

One of the most beautiful and bluest forms of fir tree is barbed. Amazing silver-blue color is preserved and does not tarnish even in winter.

Despite the high cost of this form, compared with the form ‘Glauca’, el ’’ Hoopsii ’is in high demand, which is due not only to the beauty of this form, longer needles, but also to a more moderate growth.

‘Halsey’ grows more slowly and is more often used on plots as a New Year tree. At the age of more than 20 years, it grows up to 8-10 m in height. In young years, in order to avoid the curvature of the spruce trunk, it is worth aligning it with a stick that fixes the top of the plant.

‘Montgomery’ - ‘Montgomery’.

Dwarf, slow-growing form of spruce eaten, the increase of which is not more than 5-6 cm per year. Even after 30 years the height of this form and diameter
crowns - 1.8 m. The needles are very beautiful, silver-blue, up to 20 mm in length, long preserved on the branches. Beautiful fir for landscaping.

Spruce Barbed ‘Montgomery’

For planting on the plot as a New Year tree, I would recommend ‘Fat Albert’, with a dense, conical crown, but not growing more than 3-4 meters in height.

It is interesting to look at the site dwarf forms that can be planted in rockeries, to make a composition with other conifers, these are relatively recently derived forms, such as ‘Mrs. Cesarini ’(1981, United States), ‘Lucky Strike’(1983, Holland) and others.

Spruce barbed ‘Mrs. Cesarini ’

Dwarf. The annual growth is about 2.5 cm. It grows a little more than 1 m in height. The crown is pillow, very dense, irregular outlines. The branches are short, thick. The needles are bluish-green, on young shoots - light green. Witch broom.

Spruce Barbed ‘Lucky Strike’

Dwarf. At 10 years, height is 1.2 m, width is 0.8 m. The crown is vertical, dense, irregular. The branches are very short, thick. The needles are thick, short, green. Abundantly fruiting. Young cones are red, protruding, then brownish, drooping.

Spruce barbed ч Nidiformis Kalous ’

Dwarf. The central leader is poorly developed. Branches prostrate. Blue needles. It can be grafted on the shtamb.

Spruce Barbed ‘Oldenburg’

A tree of medium size, powerful. An annual gain of 10-15 cm. Grows up to 10 m high. Crohn dense, shirokokonicheskaya. The needles are bluish-gray.

Spruce barbed ‘Blaukissen’

Dwarf form. The annual growth is about 2.5 cm. Sizes are 10 years old: 90 cm high and 1.8 m wide. The krone is oval, very dense, equal. The branches are short, thick. Blue needles, especially on young shoots.

Spruce Barbed ‘Blue Trinket’

Low tree Crohn compact wide coconical. The branches are horizontal, arranged in regular tiers. The needles are short, rigid, greyish-blue color, matte.

Spruce barbed ‘Brynek’

Miniature variety. The krone is dense, hemispherical, flattened. The needles are greyish-green. Witch broom. Grafted on shtamb.

Spruce Barbed ‘Christmas Blue’

Tree of medium size. The krone is very correct, conical. The needles are silver-blue.

Spruce Barbed ‘Edith’

Middle-height. At 10 years old, the height is about 2 m. The crown is pyramidal, rather flat. The needles are thin, short, silver-blue. A good alternative to the ‘Hoopsii’ variety.

Spruce barbed ‘Fat Albert’

The crown is pyramidal, flat. The height is 3-4.5 m. The needles are bright blue when blooming, then verdant, less than 1 cm long.

Spruce Barbed ‘Filip’s Blue Compact’

Dwarf. Very beautiful. The crown is broad-pyramidal, dense and even. Blue needles.

Spruce Barbed ‘Frieda’

Dwarf. At 10 years old, height is 1.2 m, width is 0.6 m. The crown is round, irregular, very dense. The needles are bluish-green. Witch broom.

Spruce barbed ‘Hermann Naue’

Dwarf. At the age of 10, it reaches 0.5 m in height and 0.7 m in diameter. The crown is cushion-like, of uncertain shape. There is no central leader. The branches are short, diversely directed. The needles are grayish-blue. Fruits at an early age, numerous cones at the ends of branches look very impressive. A similar variety ‘Early Cones’, which grows much more slowly.

When landscaping the site should pay attention to the spruce with an unusual form of the crown, such as ‘Glauca Pendula’, ‘Glauca Procumbens’. We began to use the well-deserved attention of the form with a narrow pyramidal crown and branches directed upwards: ‘Fastigiata’ Clseli Fastigiata), and ‘IseliFoxtail’(1965, USA) and ‘Blue Totem’.

Spruce Barbed ‘Glauca Pendula’

The central leader is weak, crooked, can droop the tip. Skeletal branches hanging with raised ends. Hanging twigs. The needles are silver-blue.

Spruce Barbed ‘Glauca Procumbens’

Dwarf, prostrate. There is no central leader, it can be replaced by side branches. Skeletal branches are long, prostrate, with rising ends, similar to swirling waves. Hanging branches. Gray needles. Sport from ‘Koster’. To save the creeping shape, you must remove the vertical shoots.

Spruce Barbed ‘Glauca Prostrata’

It grows slowly. Crohn indefinite form. Usually it is outspread, branches creeping and elevated above the ground. The old type specimen (Germany), however, has a vertical trunk 6 m high. Creeping variety that rarely produces vertical shoots is ‘Gotelli Prostrate’.

Fir-tree prickly "Fastygiata" and its version of "Izeli Fasitiata"

Fir-tree prickly Fastygiata was bred in the 1960s in the USA. In height, the trees of this class reach the same height as the trees of wild form. Spruce is prickly “Isabeli Fastigiata” (‘Iseli Fastigiata’) has a narrow pyramidal crown with skew-rising branches. Upper branches are almost pressed to the trunk, characteristic long apical shoots depart from them. The needles are bluish-green. Other narrow varieties are ‘Iseli Foxtail’ (1965, USA) and ‘Blue Totem’.

Spruce barbed "Bonfire"

‘Koster’(until 1885, Holland). Glauca Group. Spruce barbed "Koster" - a tree with a neat pyramidal crown. The branches are arranged vertically, strictly horizontally. The needles are 2025 mm long, silvery, protecting the color in winter. The basis for the variety "Koster" was originally a genetically heterogeneous material.

Thus, there are many interesting decorative forms of spruce barbed on the market now, but after planting them on the plot, do not forget that, like any plant, they may suffer from under-watering or wetting of roots, bad soils, root penetration of the collar during planting, and effects of diseases and pests.

A new variety of blue spruce Plcea pungens ’Blue Dlamant’ (дай Blue Diamond ’- blue diamond)

This variety, like most varieties of spruce, was bred in America, in 1990, and most recently appeared in European and in our nurseries.

The variety is distinguished by very thin, gentle needles of sky-blue color, even wide wide conical shape and slow growth. During the year the plant grows only 10 cm in height, the 10-year-old plant has a height of 1 meter and a width of 0.6-0.8 m, therefore, adult plants are very expensive.

An adult plant reaches a height of 5-7 m. The branches form regular dense longlines around the trunk from the ground to the very top, the plant is very dense and fluffy, has a natural beautiful shape and does not need special shaping.

Prefers a sunny place, drained and slightly acidic soil.

Blue Spruce - Varieties

A fine selection of decorative trimming of the garden plot - planting blue spruce. There are many varieties of this conifer tree and every gardener will easily select a tree for his taste and needs.

general information

North America is considered to be the original site of blue spruce growth.

The original place of growth of blue spruce is considered to be North America. In nature, the place of growth of this tree is the highlands, which is why it is well adapted to low temperatures and gusty winds. In Russia, this type of tree is widely used as an ornamental.

The popularity of blue spruce has won not only because of its beauty, but also unpretentious care.

The main difficulty arises only at the very beginning of the growth of the tree. Further, it practically does not require human intervention. The key to good growth is competent determination of the landing site. Almost all varieties of blue spruce do not like shady areas, some like loose soil, and several varieties can grow even in rocky terrain.

Blue Spruce Varieties

During the years of selection, many varieties of this tree have been obtained. For your suburban area, you can choose a high spreading tree or a low compact tree. Especially popular with Russian gardeners are:

Blue diamond

This variety is characterized by a conical crown, long barrel. It grows slowly, about 15 centimeters per year. Mature trees reach seven meters.

Walburn

There are many varieties of blue spruce

Low spruce with good frost resistance. Most often they are planted in stone gardens. The shape of the crown is spherical with a diameter of up to one meter.

Biobok

The maximum height of this variety of blue spruce is two meters. Crohn grows unevenly, branches are short and hard. Young trees have shoots of golden color, which landscape designers love to use.

Heseli Fasgiata

The branches of this variety stretch upwards to form a pyramidal crown shape. Reach a height of ten meters. This variety is able to tolerate droughts, but it is painful for wetlands. Used in a single landing and as a hedge.

Montgomery

The peculiarity of the variety is the pillow crown, which acquires the appearance of a cone over time. Trees grow no more than two meters high and grows extremely slowly. The younger the tree, the brighter the needles.

In seedlings, the color is closer to silver than blue. This variety is very susceptible to care and without proper treatment quickly loses its decorative effect.

Glauka Misty Blue

The crown has a regular conical shape with neat tiers of branches. Trees tall reaching twenty meters in height.

Aurea

The main feature of this variety is the golden color of the needles of young trees. Crohn thick. The branches grow horizontally and in large numbers. Frost-resistant variety who loves the bright sun.

Bonfire

There is a Dutch blue spruce variety

Dutch blue spruce variety with pyramidal crown shape. This variety is expensive. It grows slowly, but reaches ten meters in height. The girth of the crown of an adult tree reaches 3-4 meters.

Fat Albert

Trees of this variety have a conical crown shape and reach four meters in height. Growth is fast. It can be planted both separately and as part of a group of trees. He loves the sun and does not tolerate swampy soil.

Hoopsie

Suitable for growing exclusively in the garden. The branches of the tree are evenly spaced and form a beautiful crown. The width of the crown of an adult tree reaches four meters. The tree grows relatively quickly adding 10-20 centimeters per year.

Blue totem

Trees reach 4-5 meters in height. Crowns in diameter reach one meter and have a conical shape with branches tight to the trunk. Frost-resistant variety that loves the sun and wet soils.

Blue pearl

It belongs to the class of dwarf firs. It grows extremely slowly and reaches a maximum of 1.5 meters in height. It has a spherical shape, which with age can turn into a conical. This variety is unpretentious to watering and can grow in clay areas.

Blue Keychain

Trees have a compact conical crown. The height of adult spruce trees reaches 7-8 meters. The branches are arranged in right tiers and form a crown from the very base. Unpretentious to the conditions of growth, but feels best in wet sunny areas.

Many of the species have a beautiful crown.

Blue wander

It belongs to the class of Canadian blue firs. Every year the tree grows by 10 centimeters and reaches a maximum height of 2 meters. The crown of the tree is lush and soft forming a cone. He loves the sun's rays, but is prone to spring sunburn.

Bismarck

Tree with a straight trunk and a cone-shaped crown. It belongs to the dwarf class and reaches a maximum height of half a meter. Frost tolerance and drought tolerance are good. Propagated mainly by seeds and blackberries.

Morheymi

Strongly growing tree of narrowly conical shape. Differs in uneven growth, for the year the tree adds 10-15 centimeters and reaches a maximum height of ten meters. Color needles the same year-round. The needles are 30mm long and are attached to each other.

The branches are short and grow horizontally. It is preferable to plant this variety in fertile soil. Excess like lack of moisture is bad for tree growth. It can grow in the shade, but the sun has a positive effect on the overall dynamics and appearance of the tree. It is frost-resistant. However, at an early age requires increased attention and care.

When choosing a tree in addition to height, it is customary to pay attention to the form. The classic pyramid shape looks very aesthetic and beautiful.

We plant and care for blue spruce

You can start growing spruce on your own plot in several ways:

Plant seeds;
Plant the cuttings;
Use seedlings.

You can start growing spruce on your own plot in three ways.

With any method, to grow a beautiful tree is not difficult, but a certain order of action still needs to be followed.

Seed planting

The seeds should be collected from the cones of the variety of interest in winter. Next, you need to store the collected cones in a warm place until their disclosure. When the lump is uncovered, remove the seeds, dig into the wet sand and leave in the fridge until spring. At the time of planting, treat the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate and plant in the soil from a mixture of peat and garden soil. Deepen the seeds should be no more than 1-2 cm. Further, until the moment of emergence, it is necessary to water the soil abundantly.

At the site, dig holes about 30 centimeters apart and lay drainage to the bottom. The next time you need to transplant spruce in the third year of growth and plant them at a distance of one meter.

Planting cuttings

The method of growing a new tree from a branch of a vending variety is considered even simpler than growing seeds. Suitable branches of adult firs collected from the top in springtime. Peel the stalks and soak them in the manganese solution. Further, the procedure is similar to planting seeds: a hole is dug, a drainage is laid. Sprinkle with a sprig must first be primed, and the top to add sand.

Liberally pour and cover the cuttings with foil or burlap. To accelerate growth - water the cutting four times a day. In winter, arrange cuttings with sawdust.

Planting seedlings

At the time of transplanting the seedling from the pot into the open soil, it is worth paying attention to the location of the root collar.

You can use this method of planting with any varieties of blue spruce. In this way it is possible to get a luxurious tree as soon as possible.

At the time of transplanting the seedling from the pot into the open soil, it is worth paying attention to the location of the root collar. It should remain at the same level as in the pot. Although blue spruces love the sun, for the first time after planting it is advisable to keep the seedlings in the shade.

Watering blue spruce

Initially, care takes time and effort. It is necessary to water the plant every day and regularly spray the crown of the tree.

Blue spruce moisture-loving plants, who love abundant watering at least twice a day. In the morning and in the evening. Watering is necessary sprinkling method. When planting spruce on the lawn, you can combine watering cycles. Use only warm water.

We fertilize the soil

It is not recommended to take organic matter as a fertilizer. Also, spruces negatively relate to an excess of fertilizing. If you have fertilized spruce heavily in the summer, in winter it is at greater risk of freezing. For the first five years, the trees are fed with mineral fertilizers.

One of the proven means of fertilizer can be called "Kemira wagon."

It is necessary to start the fertilizer process immediately after the snow has melted. Fall asleep fertilizer in pristvolny circle and lightly tamped into the ground. Trees older than five years do not need fertilizer.

We perform pruning spruce

In the Russian climatic zone, the crowns of fir trees are usually neat and symmetrical in themselves. The pruning procedure is still carried out - the diseased and broken branches are removed.

When crown trees are formed from spruce trees, a hedge is formed. Pruning is done in the summer, after the shoot growth has ended. Initial pruning is done almost immediately after disembarkation.

Formation of the crown is possible during the first seven years.

Formation of the crown is possible during the first seven years, then this process will be inexpedient. Do not prune trees in the fall; this can lead to freezing of pruned branches.

Also, it is not necessary to treat the cut-off sites with a healing pitch. Wood releases a sufficient amount of resin.

Preparing the blue spruce for winter

Almost all blue varieties are cold-resistant. Prepare for winter is necessary in the presence of young trees and short growing varieties. It is necessary to press the branches against the tree trunk to prevent them from breaking by the snow mass.

The use of blue spruce trees as ornamental is an inexpensive alternative to other ornamental trees. Ate perfectly fit into the landscape design, can be planted as a whole group or one by one. Some varieties look advantageous as a hedge.

If you intend to independently grow blue spruce, then difficulties will arise only at the initial stage of cultivation. In the future, blue spruces do not require careful maintenance and it is only necessary to treat them with fungicides and insecticides to protect against fungal diseases and insects.

While watching the video you will learn about growing blue spruce.

Summing up, we can say that blue spruce is a spectacular and unpretentious plant that is ideal for growing in Russian climatic conditions. Definitely worth planting a couple of three of these trees in their suburban area, because planting blue spruce in your area, you emphasize the sophistication and sophistication of your garden.

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In the spaces of the former Soviet Union, Picea pungens spruce were planted in central squares in front of government buildings, in private areas it was rare. This North American long-lived plant was actively cultivated on our continent a little more than a century ago. In nature, there are more than fifty different varieties. A beautiful plant, for most gardeners known as the “blue” spruce, reaches 30 m in height, grows rather slowly, the annual growth is 5–8 cm.

The needles of different varieties of wood can be blue, gray, silver-green in color up to 4 cm long. The tree is the most prickly of the entire family of well-known spruce peers. The trunk of an adult plant is powerful, straight up to 1.5 m in diameter, the branches depart from it directly or at a slight angle upward. The needles from the lower branches are showered with a lack of light, they remain only on the branches and lateral growths of 5-6 years of age, although the plant does not lose its decorative effect.

Spruce gained popularity by unpretentiousness and vitality in the harsh urban environment. Due to the wax coating on the needles, it perfectly carries the polluted air of cities and does not require additional treatment for the crown.
The root system of the spruce barbed tree is the same as that of all Christmas trees - a fibrous root; suction roots are located close to the soil surface. This must be taken into account when planting a plant on the site. It will not tolerate permanent tillage near itself, and even more under the crown.

Varieties of spruce barbed (blue)

Ornamental species of spruce barbed have a little more than two dozen plants, and they all enjoy the same popularity. Young plants must be sheltered in the winter, protecting them from freezing. In summer, young spruce trees need weekly watering in the tree trunk. Mineral fertilizers, but not nitrogen fertilizers, must also be added there, since an excess of such dressings reduces the winter hardiness of the tree. Young plants as well as adults are attacked by aphids and fungus Schütte, which damages the needles.

Spruce spiny
Picea pungens Blue Diamond

Blue Diamond spruce Picea pungens “Blue Diamond” (blue diamond) is a relatively new variety. A tree with a tall, slender trunk and a uniform conical crown grows slowly, a young growth of no more than 10–15 cm per year.
The needles of unusual color of pale blue color decorate any part. Spruce trees of large size do not reach (5–7 m), so it can be used as a tapeworm in mixed mixborders, as an option, as a natural barbed hedge along the edges of the plot. The plant loves windless, open and sunny places, it feels great on fertile and drained soils with a weak acid reaction, it propagates by grafting, it is frost-resistant.
Spruce tree "Waldbrun" Picea pungens "Waldbrun" - dwarf winter-hardy variety, which is great for decorating rocky gardens, mixed rockeries in contrast with other garden dwarfs and rock gardens. The tree develops into a loose ball of short, prickly twigs with bright blue, gray-gray or greenish-blue thick soft needles, growing slowly.
In an adult plant, a “ball” in diameter reaches 1 m. To increase the height of the plant, if it is necessary for composition, the upper branches of the tree are tied up, asking them the angle of growth. The maximum height of spruce is 80 cm. The variety does not impose any special requirements on soils, it does not tolerate stagnant water under the roots, therefore, in preparing the planting pit, you need to take care of good drainage. It grows in partial shade, but it is preferable to land on a sunny place.
In winter, to keep the plant in a healthy state, it is necessary to shake the snow out of the core of the ball so that the sun does not burn the bark and needles from the ice crust. The variety tolerates well the adverse effects of frost in the spring and all-season polluted atmosphere.
Fir-tree prickly "Bialobok" Picea punges "Bialobok" - a grade of the Polish selection. A low tree of two meters in height, the crown of which is formed unevenly, therefore in a group planting there will never be two similar trees. The trunk is often straight, solid short shoots depart from it. The plant became popular due to the unusual coloring of young shoots. Against the background of the main color of the needles (silver-blue), a growth with a golden-yellow color of the needles grows.
Spruce frost-resistant, but before reaching the age of 3 years in the winter, it should be sheltered from cold winds and frost. Soils should be fertile, spruce requires a moist soil without excessive moisture. In the penumbra the plant loses its decorative effect. Since it grows slowly, it can be an excellent decoration of coniferous mixborders, in a bed with dwarf leafy ornamental shrubs or as a soliter in contrast to the general garden solution. Propagated by seeds, which vypvevayut at the end of the summer season, cuttings take root well.
Spruce barbed Picea pungens "IseliFastigiata" is a compact variety that owners of small plots like to draw up their possessions. A tree with raised well leafy branches develops into a narrow compact pyramid of up to 10 m. Bright blue needles, the variety is undemanding to the composition of the soil, is not afraid of drought, does not tolerate excessive watering.
Looks spectacularly solitary, but is also actively used for the formation of hedges.
Spruce barbed Picea pungens "Montgomery" in "youth" has a cushion shape, which over the years changes to a wide cone up to 1.8 m. Due to its slow growth, it often decorates beautiful landscape compositions, as an emphasis on contrast with ornamental shrubs it is planted in mixborders .
The needles of a silver-blue hue in young shoots and bright blue in old branches is very tough and prickly. In the shade, the fir-tree loses its decorative effect, does not like dense and heavy soils, one of the few representatives of the species, requiring loosening in the near-stem circle and sprinkling. When landing on a sunny place you need to constantly water the plant. To form a crown can be an annual pruning, at the end of the season removing unnecessary growth buds.
Fir-tree prickly "Aureya" Picea pungens "Aurea" is outwardly similar to the common spruce, but it differs in the golden color of the needles of the young growth. The predominant shade is dark green. It is distinguished by a dense crown with a large number of horizontally arranged branches of white or light brown color. Light-loving tree, winter-hardy, it is often used for spectacular single plantings.
Fir-tree prickly Picea pungens "Koster" is an old variety of Dutch pyramidal selection. This tree is often planted in group plantings of parks, as single plants will decorate any garden. Reproduced only by grafting on the stock, it is considered an expensive variety of spruce-eaten barbed. The plant grows slowly, losing its lower branches with age, reaches a height of 10 m and a crown width of 3–4.5 m.
Branches of young growth enliven the common silver-blue color of the needles with orange-brown spots, pleasing the eye with decorative effect. The plant requires good lighting, does not tolerate swampy and over-wetted soil, even for adult specimens, protection from the wind is necessary. Under adverse conditions, the trunk of the spruce bends, losing its majestic beauty.
Spruce spiny "Oldenburg" Picea pungens "Oldenburg" - a tree with a crown in diameter up to 8 m. It is a semi-dwarf form with young branches, wax and bright orange-brown shade. Old needles of bluish-gray color live up to 9 years.
The plant quickly grows in growth, adding every year up to 35 cm with the creation of optimal growing conditions. He loves the sun, poorly tolerates partial shade, loses its decorative effect and the strength of young growth on constantly overmoistened soils. Worthy of the wind, despite the shallow root system. It is optimal for the urban landscape, since it carries pollution, is also drought-resistant, and there is no need for covering up for the winter period. Spruce is used for single plantings and in the formation of small decorative groups.
Fir-tree prickly "Fat Albert" Picea pungens "Fat Albert" has a wide conical dense crown with a pleasant blue color of often planted needles. It grows quite quickly, reaches the 4th height by the age of 10 years. In the cultivation of this tree, it is important to preserve the leading apical escape. It actively develops on fertile and weakly acid soils, without stagnant moisture and in well-lit places. Good winters, in summer requires additional irrigation in dry weather. Spruce is used to design park areas in group plantings, ideally fit into the landscape of small gardens.
Fir-tree prickly Picea pungens "Hoopsii" is a decorative variety for garden cultivation, leading its history from the middle of the last century. It features a uniform arrangement of branches in the crown with a diameter of up to 4.5 m. The growth of young shoots from 10 to 20 cm per year provides impeccable beauty and density of the crown of the variety.
Young growth of bright reddish-brown shades with hard, directed to the end of the branch of pine needles. Cones that appear already at 3-4 years of age, with their bright crimson color enhance the decorativeness of this variety. The maximum height of the tree is 12–15 m, it is light-requiring and winter-hardy, it does not tolerate overwetting, it copes well with urban gas pollution. It is used for single landings or planted with tape along the edges of the tracks.
Not all varieties of spruce can be grown from seeds. Some plants graft and sell immediately on the shtambe.

Seed propagation requires the stabilization of the seed (pre-germination), and then planting in wet sand with further rooting sprouts in containers. The cuttings give the best results: the branches of the plants are rooted, previously holding in special solutions for the development of the root system.

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Spruce - the "queen" of the forest, topping the popularity rating among the masters of landscape art. This sacred tree, acting as a talisman of the site and a powerful source of bioenergy, is valued not only for its unique healing properties, but for its extraordinary decorative effect.

Acicular foliage of emerald green, dark green and even blue shades can transform plant composition, giving a unique highlight to the landscape design of the site.

Variants of application of spruce in landscape design

Few can remain indifferent to the luxury of color and the frozen beauty of the needles of conifers. Not surprisingly, the spruce in landscaping the site is used quite often. It looks great as a container landings for framing garden paths and the design of stony gardens.

The ephedra is ideal for creating multilevel compositions, harmoniously combined with low-growing shrubs and flowering perennials.

Trees with acicular foliage of a rich green shade look interesting in combination with bright flowers of single and perennial plants. To create compositions are perfect: Japanese anemones, pansies, aquilegia, phloxes and hosts. Conifers are the ideal basis for creating evergreen sculptures that can make the garden look richer and more colorful.

Among the main advantages of spruce in the design of the site is to highlight:

1. The ephedra will delight with the saturation of shades of needle greens in the summer, without fading under the sun, and the winter period, in contrast with the whiteness of snow.

2. Phytoncides emitted by a plant are capable of productively purifying the air, exerting a healing effect on the human body.

3. Spruce is great for any landscape design style.

4. Fluffy branches are convenient to use in the manufacture of handicrafts: the creation of paintings, herbaria, Christmas compositions.

But spruce, like any other plant, has its drawbacks. For example, this ephedra is able to grow strongly, darkening the territory and depleting the ground. Therefore, for the design of gardens using types of fir trees that have a dwarf shape.

Spruce is also convenient because it is easy to prune. Due to this, with giving the crown a unique shape, even an experienced gardener has no problems.

It is advisable to plant spruce along the fence. In a short period of time, the ephedron builds up lush forms, and its thick paws form a solid and dense wall.

Variety of decorative forms

In modern parks and gardens more than 20 species of spruce. The main thing when choosing the type of conifer is the configuration of its crown and the size of the plant in adult condition.

In landscape design, the most common are 3 types of fir trees:

1. Ordinary- typical type, represented by more than 50 garden forms. The stunted forms created on its basis reach a height of 1.2 m, and sredneroslye - 3 or more meters. The wide color palette of needles, starting with golden and finishing with rich green, on the branches, gathered in pyramidal or pillow-shaped crowns, makes the hvoyniki of this kind welcome guests in the garden plots.

2. Barbed- more than 70 varieties are represented in culture. Most of them are medium and tall trees up to 40 meters high with a beautiful cone-shaped crown. Although there are also dwarf forms up to 2 m high. The needles are very prickly: hence the name of the species. It can be bluish-white, blue-steel, silver and bluish-green.

3. Gray- has more than 20 decorative forms. The name of the species was due to the ash-gray color of the bark and the shade of pine needles. Dwarf forms of this species have a spherical and nest-shaped crown, and tall ones are cone-shaped. The color palette of needles is quite wide, starting with yellowish-golden and gray-blue and finishing with bright green.

Ate, like any other plants, are divided into three groups: dwarf, medium and tall. When gardening plots of land, dwarf and middle-growth representatives of conifers are most popular.

Among the variety of coniferous ornamental plants in landscape design, creeping and dwarf varieties are especially popular.

Dwarf varieties

Among the undersized forms are plants, the size of which in adulthood is several times smaller in comparison with the original maternal species. For example, in nature, an ordinary spruce, referred to as Picea abies is a 50-meter beauty with a neatly decorated crown, whose width reaches 8-10 meters.

The decorative form of this tall conifer, known by the name Picea abies "Nidiformis" or spruce "pillow", reaches no more than two meters in height with a crown width of 2-3 meters.

The main advantage of dwarf forms of conifers is the minimum annual growth of young shoots, which in most cases is limited to 10-15 cm.

Among the modern varieties created on the basis of the common spruce, the most decorative are the ephedra, whose crowns have a nest or spherical shape.

For the formation of low borders and design of stony gardens, miniature bush Picea abies "Nidiformis" is perfect.

Dwarf spruce "Nidiformis" in adulthood reaches a height of only 40 cm, forming a sprawling crown with a diameter of up to one meter.

The fan-shaped thin graceful shoots "Nidiformis" are decorated with soft and short needles of a gentle emerald hue.

No less attractive is the "Little Gemme." Outgoing from the middle of the crown shoots, framed by dark green thin needles, form a neat hemispherical "pillow". It looks particularly interesting in the form of a standard form, planted in a floor tank or a pot.

The branches of the petite beauty Picea abies "Little Gem" form a soft short needles of rich dark green color.

Picea abies "Will’s Zwerg" has a beautiful narrowly conical crown shape. The plant is interesting thanks to the soft-green shade of young needles covering the milk shoots, which contrasts favorably against the dark green of the old needles. Evergreen shrub is well suited for small garden gardens.

Spruce "Will’s Zwerg" looks interesting in group compositions and as a tapeworm when arranging gardens with a small area.

Glauka Globoza, bred by selection, is famous for its unusual decorativeness. The dwarf plant has no clearly defined stem. Its sprawling branches, dotted with millions of thin needles of elegant silver-blue tint, form a beautiful spherical crown. The cones formed on the branches, resembling Christmas decorations, give the tree a special attraction.

The blue beauty “Glauca Globosa” is often used to decorate urban landscapes, often speaking as an elegant addition to park alleys.

It is impossible to ignore the stunted varieties, which are picturesquely spreading along the ground. The miniature “Nana” resembles a soft pillow, and “Echiniformis” is identified with a bun, the round shapes of which are the original frame of garden paths.

Most species of spruce trees are shade tolerant in themselves, but often their dwarf forms are very sensitive to a lack of light.

Medium species

When creating a backyard design, it is also customary to use medium-sized hnochniki, whose height reaches no more than 15 m. A low-rise single tree with a clearly defined crown looks picturesquely against the background of a lawn "carpet" or walls of a house. A dramatic snag or a white stone will help to complete the picture.

Spruce trees with spreading crowns are able to create a shady recreation area, filled with a special atmosphere of home comfort and unity with wild nature.

Blue spruce is one of the most popular types of hilt, revered by designers not only for its unpretentious care, but also for the fascinating change in shades of needle foliage throughout the year. Only 20% of the representatives of this species have a pronounced color of the sky, the rest are rich in green and gray tones.

Blue beauties are not able to withstand temperature fluctuations in the northern regions and feel comfortable only in temperate latitudes. Spruce with blue needles looks advantageous along garden paths, against the background of wooden buildings or stone buildings.

A bright representative of this type is Picea pungens “Blue Diamond”, which translated means “blue diamond”.

The elegant beauty “Blue Diamonds” with a high thin barrel and a neatly shaped conical crown is often used for mixed mixborders.

To diversify the collection will help weeping species of firs. Considering their tendency towards the aquatic environment, the ephedra can be safely involved in the design of the banks of the reservoirs.

Full-size weeping spruce trees reach a height of 10-15 meters with a width of 2-3 meters. Thin branches, hanging down, round the curved stem of the plant, giving it a weeping shape.

Serbian spruce "Glauk Pendula" with flexible thin shoots hanging along the trunk - a win-win option when translating non-standard solutions in garden compositions.

Canadian fir is more adapted to our climate. Konica is famous for frost resistance and unpretentiousness in leaving. It is interesting for landscape design because it has a decorative cone-shaped crown, for the year gives a small increase and harmoniously fits into the design of even very small areas.

The young shoots sparkling in the sun make the coniferous beauty “Maygold” look like a queen wrapped in gold.

the mantle of the Krona tree, reaching a height of 6 m, has a loose pyramidal shape. After a few weeks the creamy yellow needles on young shoots gradually change their color, acquiring an equally attractive bluish-green hue.

Conifer Combinations

If the plot area allows, it is better to use different types and varieties of spruce to create a picturesque and original picture.

Tall trees successfully fit into any landscape in the role of tapeworms, the more compact forms of conifers can be easily combined with other plantations.

In order to create a harmonious and attractive composition, masters of landscape art advise to take into account a number of key points:

The composition should not be too motley. For a group of three conifers, use two colors. When composing the composition of the five evergreen plantations, use only three colors.
Composing a multi-level composition, including 20-30 plantations, place the elements in groups, selecting them by color.
The fir-shrub ensemble requires competent placement of accents: low-growing plants occupy the foreground, and the back honeys must be medium-grown conifers.
To avoid the feeling of density of Christmas tree plantings, the arrangement of ordinary or Moorish lawn coniferous forests in the near-forest area will help.

Juicy needles of a dark shade will emphasize the beauty of a nearby flowering shrub. In addition to the flowering plants, shrubs with unusually colored foliage will become a good addition to the coniferous beauty: weigela, chubushnik, barberry.

Fir trees are perfectly combined with other conifer varieties and flowering perennials, creating a picturesque picture that looks elegant at any time of the year.

Proper fit and care is a guarantee that conifer beauties will delight with their presentable appearance almost all year round.

Wanting to decorate your site with one or more spruces, experienced gardeners advise you to follow certain rules:

Landing time.The ephedra is better to plant in early spring or early autumn, when the plant has not yet entered or has already passed the phase of vigorous growth. In order to keep young shoots from frosts and rodents, it is desirable to mulch the near-foot zone for the winter with peat.

Placement. Under natural conditions, spruce grows well in the valley of the river, where it receives enough moisture to power a powerful root system. But at the same time, she does not like swampy terrain, and therefore needs a drainage arrangement.

The composition of the soil. All types of fir trees love fertile alkaline and sour soil. They are intolerant to heavy soil types. When disembarking a conifer in a depleted soil, a planting pit should first be enriched by adding 100 grams of complex mineral fertilizer. With a lack of oxygen and nutrition, the plant may even die.

It should be borne in mind that spruce strongly affects the flowers and shrubs surrounding it, so it is better to place it at a short distance from the sun-loving plants. You should not plant conifers close to each other, because their branches will limit the access of sunlight.

Observing these simple rules in the selection of varieties and preparation of plant compositions, you can create on your site a cozy and picturesque design that will delight the eyes throughout the year.

Video instruction: we set up a fir fence

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Spruce - coniferous evergreen pine family tree. This is a mystery about her: "Winter and summer one color." The message will take you closer to this interesting tree, tell you about where it grows and how it is used in the national economy.

Description

A Christmas tree is a slender tree that can grow up to 35 meters high. The first 10 years grow very slowly - several cm per year, then the growth rate increases, but after 100-120 years it slows down again. It has a pyramidal (triangular) crown with a sharp tip. Branches are densely around the trunk. It is often difficult to see behind the spruce paws.

A young tree has a smooth gray-brown bark, an old bark becomes gray and exfoliates thin plates. The needles are dark green and shiny, sharp and prickly. The needles are much shorter than those of pine, they are up to 3 cm long.

They firmly hold on the branches of 7-10 years. But in urban conditions with a strong smoke of air, the life of pine needles is greatly reduced: it falls off after 3 years.

The root system of the spruce is located close to the surface, so a strong wind can tumble down a tree.

Spruce - long-lived, she lives 250-300 years.

Where grows

She is growing throughout the Northern Hemisphere. She can be found in Central and Northern Europe. It is widespread in Russia: in Siberia, in the Urals, in the Far East, in the Caucasus, in the steppe zone. Also growing in China and Japan.

Total counted 50 species spruce. The most common: Siberian, European, Caucasian, Canadian, white, red, black.

Christmas tree - the basis of taiga. It grows in mixed forests, well adjacent to, pine, oak, linden, aspen, hazel. Also forms pure spruce forests that have a number of features:

it is damp and dark here;
the ground is completely covered with moss;
under fir paws grow thick thickets of bilberry, lingonberry, kislitsy, kukushkin flax.

Conditions of growth and reproduction

To spruce grew well, she needs the following conditions:

Shadow. This is a tree not very fond of the sun Young Christmas trees often get sunburns in the open.
Adequate hydration. Christmas tree poorly tolerated drought.
Temperate climate. Cold-resistant wood, not afraid of frost but it grows poorly in the southern regions, where it is too hot and long summer,
The soil should not be too dense, moderately fertile.

Spruce - monoecious plant. This means that male spikelets and female cones grow on the same tree. Propagated by seeds germination is very good. Cones open at the end of November - early December, the seeds fall out, the wind picks them up and carries them far around the neighborhood.

In early spring, the seed awakens and begins to grow. The main condition is that the sprouts are rooted and develop well - a warm spring, because they die during the spring frosts.

Use in the national economy

Spruce plantations can often be seen in sanatoriums. Because their the needles allocate the phytoncides clearing and disinfecting air. Also, spruce often becomes the basis of landscapes in private plots.

High-quality musical instruments are made from this tree. Paper, rayon, smokeless powder are made of soft wood. Receive pitch, tar, rosin, turpentine.

Spruce cones are widely used in traditional medicine. Healers believe that the tree is a donor tree, if you lean against it and stand for a few minutes, it will give a person energy and strength.

Forest Guest waiting for the New Year kids.

How much joy she brings, filling the house with a special forest smell and pleasing the eye with its beauty!

If this message came in handy for you, she is glad to see you.

It is impossible to remain indifferent to forest beauties, but for many reasons not every gardener will plant a spruce tree. We have created a huge number of new species, including dwarf ones, for people who want to admire the small Christmas trees and watch their growth for a long time. Especially if it is a slowly growing variety. For me, spruce is one of the favorite trees. It appeared in my childhood: parents brought 3 spruces from the forest, each child had a Christmas tree. Now these Christmas trees the size of a two-story house, they are perfectly settled down and rose quickly and unnoticed.

Spruce, it also belongs to the pine family and has a large number of species. These are large trees with a narrow cone-shaped crown and a straight trunk. Thanks to the selection, spruce has gained tremendous interest from gardeners due to the different colors of pine needles, unusual shapes and different heights.

Planting firs

Decorative forms and saplings growing in the forest are the same in planting. The main thing is not to overdry the roots, because in the air bare roots die very quickly: from 15 to 20 minutes. therefore take care to protect the roots from the sun and wind. If you buy a seedling, the roots must be closed, wrapped or placed in any container. They do not like stagnant water, so they definitely need drainage. The soil should be loose. Ate like light soils and loams.

It is necessary to land large firs in winter.
The depth of the landing pit should be 50-70 cm.
The distance between tall spruce leaves 2-3 m.
Most firs do not like dense soil around the trunk. The soil layer should contain turf, hardwood, peat, sand.
The thickness of the drainage should be about 20 cm, you can take fine gravel and sand.
After planting, you can make nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. If you take a spruce from the forest, then take a layer of earth from the spruce forest for planting and add spruce needles to the pit in addition to the soil mix.
Ordinary spruce grows in a sunny and shaded place, unlike Serbian and blue spruce: these forms grow mainly in the sun, otherwise they lose their decorative effect.

Breeding spruce

Spruce can be propagated by seeds and seedlings. But experienced gardeners can graft on the frost-resistant stock of another. If you still decide to sow the seeds, then you need to take freshly harvested, because during the year their germination is lost.

It can be extended for 15 years if the seeds are stored in an airtight place at temperatures from 0 ° C to + 5 ° C. For spring sowing, a temperature of + 3 ° C to + 5 ° C is required. Before sowing, the seeds are translaid with a moist substrate 1: 3 and infused for 1-3 months.

You can choose the seeds of spruce in our market, look in the selection.

Solid Fir, 3 pcs. 52 rub WATCH
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Spruce Common / European "Uwe Horstmann", 10 pcs. 76 rub WATCH
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Spruce Canadian / Sizaya "Sander" s Blue ", 10 pcs. 125 rub WATCH
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Canadian Spruce "MN", 0.1 g (? 20 pcs.) 98 rub WATCH
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Fir tree care

In hot, dry summer, young firs should be watered once a week with 12 liters of water per tree.
The soil around the young tree to a depth of 7 cm will not be superfluous.
Place around the tree sprinkled with peat layer about 6 cm. After the winter, the peat is not removed, and mixed when loosening with the ground.
Adult plants do not need, but young trees are useful to feed with mineral fertilizers.

The decorative forms of the spruce tree are covered with lap branches from late autumn or spring frosts, because the needles of young saplings suffer from low temperatures. Big trees do not require shelter.
By and large, the spruce trees are not pruned, only in the case of landing in the form. On the intricacies of trimming article will tell.

Types of firs

I will give you the types of fir trees and decorative varieties derived from them.

Norway spruce, it is European (Picea abies)

This species has a cone-shaped crown. It grows up to 30 m in height with a diameter of needles about 5 m. In a year it grows to a height of 30 cm and a width of 40 cm. Up to 10 years it does not grow quickly, after ten years it can grow up to 70 cm. Loves moisture, but not stagnant, grows on loamy soils. Morozov is not afraid of shadows either. Often used to create hedges, in alleys, group plantings.

It has decorative varieties:

"Acrocona" - height about 3 m, diameter with needles about 4 m. In a year it grows by 8 cm, the width of a branch is 10 cm. The shape of the crown is wide conical. The color of the needles is dark green. With young cones of bright red color. Raised branches, arched hanging. It tolerates winter and shade. He does not like salty and dry soil, stagnation of water also does not tolerate well.

Spruce "Acrocona". Photo from savepic.net

"Inversa" - The height is about 6-7 m, but the height can be “adjusted by tying up the main shoot at the desired height and directing it down. The diameter of the needles about 2 m. The branches are weeping, spreading down from above.

Norway spruce "Inversa". Photos from ussad.ru

"Maxwellii" - refers to the dwarf varieties. Grows up to 2 m. Spherical or pillow shape with yellow-green needles. The width of an adult tree with needles is about 2 m. It tolerates shade and frost well.

Norway spruce "Maxwellii". Photo from dvusadba.ru

"Nidiformis" - also applies to dwarfs. Height is about 1 m, diameter of the crown is about 2 meters, nest-shaped. In a year it grows by 3 cm. It is frost-resistant, but young spruces need to be covered. Does not like stagnant moisture and waterlogging.

Norway spruce "Nidiformis". Photo from pitomniksad.ru

"Ohlendorfii" - refers to the slowly growing dwarfs. About 6 m in height, about 3 m in diameter. The shape of the crown is dense, wide-conical or spherical. It grows by 5 cm per year. Young cones are bright red in color, reddish brown by the end of ripening. Does not like dry soil, but stagnant water also does not tolerate. Can even grow on acidic and alkaline soils. Frost-resistant and shade-tolerant.

Norway spruce "Ohlendorfii". Photos from ussad.ru

"Tompa" - refers to the dwarf varieties. It grows from 1 to 1.5 m, the diameter of the needles to 1.5 m. In a year it grows by 3 cm. The widespread form of the crown. It grows in the sun and partial shade, even a shadow is possible. Undemanding to the soil. The decorative form of the crown requires almost no maintenance and additional trimming.

Spruce "Tompa". Photo from gardenstreet.ru

"Will" s Zwerg " - dwarf variety with narrowly conical dense crown. The height of the tree is up to 2 m, the diameter of the crown is about 1 m. In a year it grows up to 3 cm. The needles are light green, slightly yellow.

Norway spruce "Will" s Zwerg ". Photo from centrosad.ru

Spruce Prickly (Picea pungens)

This beautiful spruce is most common in landscaping. The shape of the tree is pyramid. She is attractive because of her lowered crown, which cuts well. Reaches 25 m in height. This species of fir trees has a sharp needles of 2-3 cm with a large range of colors from green, blue, gray, to almost white. He loves the light, but in the shade also grows well, but in this case, the conifer needleiness is observed and the color intensity decreases. Very winter hardy, tolerates all weather conditions, likes loose soil and moderate moisture. In culture, a natural species is rare.

Popular varieties:

"Glauca" - it is blue spruce, differs with a bluish-green needles.

"Glauca globosa" - the miniature form of Glauca, a crown spherical or shirokochnichnaya, grows 10 cm in width and height per year, reaches 2 m in height.

Fir-tree prickly "Glauca globosa". Photos from zp31.ru

"Iseli Fastigiata" - the crown is narrowly conical, the branches grow almost vertically upwards, the needles are blue. It grows quickly, reaches a height of 10 meters by the age of 10.

Spruce barbed "Iseli Fastigiata". Photo from static.landscape.ua

"Hoopsii" - middle spruce, up to 11 m tall with bright blue dense needles.

Serb spruce (Picea omorika)

It has a low, narrow crown, grows up to 30 m. It can exist in drought, but not for long. Shade-tolerant It grows on acidic and calcareous soils.

Decorative shapes:

"Pendula Bruns" - Up to 3 m tall, needles are weeping.

Serbian spruce "Pendula Bruns". Photos from hesslandscapenursery.com

"Karel" - refers to the dwarfs, grows to a meter, the diameter of the crown reaches about 1.5 m with a pillow crown. The crown is dark green, short. It grows well in cities. Resistant to all weather conditions. He loves the sun, but also grows in partial shade.

Photo from gardenstreet.ru

"Nana" - very decorative dwarf look. The height of an adult plant reaches 3 m, the crown diameter is about 2 m. It grows 3 cm per year. It has the correct decorative symmetrical crown. From above krone dark green, from below white-blue, brilliant. This spruce is suitable for moderate moisture, but without stagnant moisture.

Serbian spruce "Nana". Photo from ilbosco.ru

Spruce gray or Canadian (Picea glauca)

"Conica" - dwarf variety up to 4 m high, needle diameter up to 2 m. Per year it grows up to 3 cm. Needles are light green in color, thin. With ostropyramidalnoy form of the crown. Grows well in partial shade. She shelters for the winter so that the needles do not burn out in the spring.

Spruce Canadian "Conica". Photo from florinfo.ru

"Alberta Globe" - dwarf variety, up to 1 m in height, grows up to 2 cm per year. It has thin short shoots, very decorative, often located, soft needles. He likes moderate moisture, tolerates frost well.

Spruce "Alberta Globe"

There are also less common species that are not covered in this article, such as Siberian spruce (Picea obovata), Schrenk spruce, or Tien Shan (Picea shrenciana), black spruce, Alcock spruce, or two-color (Picea bicolor).