Spruce, Black Hills Picea glauca var. densata Height: 40 feet Spread: 20 feet
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Hardiness Zone: 2b Description: A spire-like evergreen, tall and stately with bluish-green needles, more densely branched and fuller than the species; very tough and adaptable, makes a wonderful vertical accent for the larger home landscape, ideal as a windbreak or in a shelterbelt Ornamental Features Spruce, Black Hills is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has bluish-green evergreen foliage which emerges light green in spring. The needles remain bluish-green throughout the winter. The smooth gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape. Landscape Attributes Spruce, Black Hills is a dense evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance tree. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics. Spruce, Black Hills is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Spruce, Black Hills will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 90 years or more. This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is native to parts of North America. Special Attributes Black Hills Spruce Cones oval shaped, length 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches; young cones purple, mature cones dark brown. In some areas of the world spruce are considered drought tolerant, that depends on when does it rain. In the Pacific Northwest Desert evergreens need to be watered during the winter as well as the growing season. Our desert climate especially in late winter to early spring evergreens can suffer during next growing season. An easy way to remember check for dryness is on the holidays Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, Valentines Day & Easter.
