Picea pungens var. glauca NM Pagosa - Web page Navigation - Blue Spruce Page

Discover the beauty of Blue Spruce (Picea pungens var. glauca), a medium-sized evergreen tree that has become a cherished addition in any landscape due to its attractive blue foliage and sturdy growth. Commonly used for Christmas trees, this species features sharply pointed leaves, a deep root system that serves as a robust guard against wind, and a remarkable tolerance to extreme cold. This tree thrives in high altitudes, typically found along mountain streams where moisture is high, making it an ideal addition even in arid locales. It's a long-lived and slow-growing tree, with known specimens living up to 800 years.

As a native of western North America, it grows up to 75-90 ft tall with a trunk diameter of 4.5 ft. It boasts a thin scaly bark, stout orange-brown shoots, and needle-like leaves ranging from dull gray-green to bright glaucous blue. Expect its slender cylindrical cones to mature into a stunning shade of pale brown, which contrasts beautifully against its blue-gray foliage.

Blue Spruce is very specific in its preferences, appreciating abundant moisture at the roots, cold dry high mountain sites, and a pH balance between 4 to 6. It's not favorable of atmospheric pollution and bushfires. It can regrow after harvest and shows medium drought tolerance. With a slow growth rate, it can reach a height of 20 feet in 20 years, and at maturity, it can tower up to 100 feet. It's routinely available and is propagated by seed and cuttings.