Decorative spruce: description, varieties and cultivation

Ornamental fir trees very often decorate city park areas, as they absorb noise and help cleanse the air from dust.

The main botanical description of spruce is an evergreen tree with needle-shaped prickly leaves and a delicate pleasant aroma. There are a huge number of different types of coniferous beauty. The names of the most common representatives are rather unpretentious and speak about their main characteristics. When ennobling garden areas, about 20 types of spruce are used, which have different shades of needles and the shape of the crown.

• Norway spruce. The most common species, which has 50 garden varieties. For a personal plot, undersized and medium varieties with a height of 1.2 m to 3 m are recommended. Shades of foliage vary from pale gold to emerald. Branches are cushion-shaped or pyramidal in shape.

• Colorado spruce. Varieties are presented in great variety. They can grow up to 25 m, there are also dwarf representatives no more than 2 m in height. A beautiful crown can be pyramidal or cone-shaped. The needles are prickly, light blue, silver or green.

• Gray spruce. More than 20 decorative forms of this species have been bred. Both tall with a conical crown and low spherical trees look great. It received this name because of the bluish tint of the foliage.

In landscape design, to decorate the territory of the garden, a variety of varieties look very impressive.

• Akrokona. Outwardly, it resembles a bush about 1.5 meters high, it can rarely grow up to 4 m. A young Christmas tree has a rich green color, but as it grows, it acquires a more emerald hue. At the ends of young twigs, cones appear in large numbers, which give a special decorative effect and stand out vividly against the background of needles.

• Aurea. The needles of this variety have a delicate golden-green hue. Winter-hardy, keeps well in the cold. The tree is demanding for light, it is not recommended for planting in a shaded place. Single landing is preferable.

• Barry. The crown of the cultivar consists of strong vertical branches. At a young age, it has the shape of a ball, and over the years it looks more like an oval. Crohn needs periodic circumcision. The tree looks more impressive in group compositions.

• Bialobok. The tree is medium in size, grows up to 1.5-2 meters, the size is 1 m in diameter. It is especially irresistible in May-June, when young growths of a cream color appear and create a contrast against the general background of blue needles. For the first three years, cover for the winter.

• Glauka. Unpretentious fast growing variety. Annually it grows 30 cm in height, 15 cm in width. Reaches up to 20 m in height, 7 m in diameter. The crown resembles a wide pointed cone. The needles are dense and prickly, at a young age they are bluish-blue, over time they acquire a green color with a bluish bloom. They look interesting and attractive in landing at the gate of the house.

• Inversa. Refers to the weeping species. Branches grow downward and spread along the ground. Each year, their length increases by 30-40 cm. The total height of the plant does not exceed 1.5 m. For horizontal growth, additional support is needed.

• Konica. The size of the tree is small, the crown is thin, cone-shaped. The needles are very delicate to the touch, thin and absolutely not prickly. It grows rather slowly, during the year it adds only 4 cm. It is easy to maintain, and therefore is popular with gardeners.

• Nana. A low-growing species, the maximum reaches 5 m. The twigs look up, the foliage is very lush, the crown is in the form of a ball. It is used for planting in a group, as a hedge, and also looks interesting in small gardens next to bright flowers.

• Oldenburg. A beautiful and unassuming look, it tolerates frost and drought well. The crown is conical. The needles are pale blue. Each year, the height of the tree increases by 30-35 cm. It can be a wonderful decoration for garden compositions. In a single fit, it looks great too.

• Treblish. Amazing mini-tree with blue needles. The crown of the spherical shape is slightly elongated upward. It grows very slowly, does not exceed 0.6 m in height.

• Formanek. Creeping variety. The branches grow horizontally, forming a dense covering of the needles. To give it a vertical look, the trunk should be tied to a support as it grows.

• Zuckerhut. A low-growing, slow-growing species, undemanding to the soil. The crown is cone-shaped. The needles are short, bright green in color. Needs sunshine. Suitable for small rocky gardens and alpine slides.

• Ehiniformis. Very compact, low spherical plant. Growth does not exceed 0.5 m, diameter is 1 m. Slow growth rate is characteristic, does not need frequent haircuts for crown formation. The needles are short, silver-blue in color. It is better to use for decoration of rock gardens and compositions in containers.

Subject to the rules, planting spruce will not cause difficulties even for an inexperienced gardener. It is better to purchase a seedling for planting in a summer cottage in a nursery or a specialized store. They are usually sold in pots or containers. For most varieties, a two-year-old specimen will be the best option.

The best time for planting in the country is late April - early May. During this period, the buds of the plant are in a dormant state, and it is easier to take root. Can be planted in late August - early September, when the root system is actively growing.

Planting steps involve a number of steps.

• It is better to prepare a pit for planting in advance, about 4-7 days in advance. It must correspond to the size of the roots. For a two-year-old seedling, a size of 60 cm by 80 cm will be sufficient, and if you plan to plant a large spruce, then a hole must be dug deeper. When planting several spruces, the distance between the pits for tall ones should be about 4-5 m, for medium ones - at least 3 m, for dwarf ones - from 0.5 m to 1 m.
• It is advisable to lay a layer of broken brick or drainage stones at the bottom of the planting pit. They drain the soil well and do not allow excess moisture to stagnate. Pour a layer of fertile soil on top, for this you need to mix the soil from the garden with fertilizer or compost.
• Lower the seedling into the pit along with a lump of earth. It is important that the root collar is level with the ground and not buried in the soil. Carefully fill the hole with soil and compact slightly. About 20 cm from the seedling, you need to slightly raise the ground, forming a roller in a circle, and fill the space inside it with sawdust.
• Water the plant abundantly. This is necessary not only to quench your thirst, but also to prevent the formation of air cavities in the ground.
• Dig in a peg next to it, and tie a tree to it.

The main care for a green beauty comes down to watering and cutting branches.In the first weeks after planting, you can water every day, but in small portions so that excess moisture does not stagnate. After 2 weeks, watering should be carried out 2 times a week, the volume of water for a young tree should be 5 liters.

Loosen the soil periodically, but shallowly, about 5-6 cm. Sprinkle on top with a small layer of peat 4-5 cm. Apply fertilizers from mineral fertilizers only in the first 4-5 years, otherwise there is a chance that a forest-sized tree will grow on the site.

Be sure to remove dried branches, and then just start cutting healthy branches. Spruce tolerates pruning, breaking and plucking well to form the crown and keep the growth within the desired range. The first haircut can be done no earlier than a year later. Thereafter, spend annually in the spring.

The height of the tree can be reduced. To do this, you need to twist and cut off the upper shoots so that the available nutrients are smoothly distributed over all branches. Thanks to this, the strength of the plant will be preserved for the adventitious branches, and it will delight with its fluffiness. Spruce can be given any shape depending on how the branches are pruned. It is best to use a hand pruner or a delimber for clipping. To avoid unwanted splitting of branches and the occurrence of wounds, tools must be sharpened sharply. The cut sites can be treated with a 7% carbamide solution.

Evergreen conifers will beautify any territory. With the change of seasons, the landscape panorama changes, but coniferous plantings will revive it even in cold winter time. They look great with lawn grass, low shrubs and large flower beds.

• Paths and reservoirs. Spruce is often planted as a decoration for paths and decoration of alpine slides. To decorate a straight path, it is better to choose trees with a cone-shaped crown, and small fluffy trees look spectacular near the reservoir.

• Hedge. Many gardeners are very fond of living fences made of coniferous representatives. They delight not only in the spring-summer season, but all year round. They are used to protect the territory from the wind and to highlight zones. Pyramidal and spherical views are better suited. The hedge stands out perfectly against the background of other spruce plantings with a blue or steel shade of needles.

• Lawn. Grassy lawns can be diversified and revitalized with several spruce crops. Tall or medium-sized trees will add elegance. The cone-shaped and spherical plants will add charm. A single spruce will also look aesthetically pleasing on a miniature lawn.

• Group landings. When forming multiple compositions, it is important to take into account the combination of plantings according to the shape of the crown and the color of the foliage. Picturesque plantings are obtained, formed taking into account the contrast of the color of the needles and the shape of the configurations. For example, pyramidal species are in good harmony with spherical and creeping. A colorful effect is obtained when placing spruce trees with flower beds. The neighboring hydrangea bushes look amazing.

• Mixborders. Design of compositional ensembles with the use of various representatives of the flora. At the same time, evergreens are usually assigned the main place in a prefabricated flower bed or as a background for flowers. Ideal - planting in one mix of blue spruce together with barberry, cotoneaster or hydrangea. When forming a mixborder, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of plants. Falling needles increase the acidity of the soil, which is not suitable for all plantations.

• Rockeries. The design of fashionable rocky gardens requires the presence of conifers. The choice of representatives depends on the size of the rockery.In a small one, creeping and dwarf varieties will look great, a large one will undoubtedly decorate high or medium species.

• Bonsais and potted gardens. The conditions of the average climate do not always allow planting some ornamental varieties of spruce in a permanent place in open ground. Trees in the southern regions react painfully to temperature changes, which is bad for their well-being. The optimal solution is planting in flower pots and containers. In warm weather, they are in the garden, and in winter they are brought to a closed veranda. Creeping and dwarf conifers grow well in pots. Moreover, the larger the plant, the more spacious the container should be for it. The advantage of container gardens is that their design can be easily changed over time when changing the arrangement of compositions.

For the formation of the crown of the spruce, see the video below.