Blue Mountain spruce is one of the most attractive conifers. This crop has richly colored needles and a cone-shaped crown. These features make the tree a real decoration of any site. The culture is considered undemanding to care. It grows well even in the city, as it easily withstands exposure to polluted air. But to maintain the decorative appearance of the tree, it is necessary to properly care for it.
Description and features
Blue Mountain Spruce is a spectacular conifer growing approximately 15 meters in height.This plant is characterized by fairly rapid growth rates. Over the course of a year, it grows by 30-35 centimeters.
A distinctive feature of the plant is its symmetrical cone-shaped crown, the diameter of which is 4 meters. The crop has a straight trunk and strong branches that grow horizontally. The tree has fragrant needle-like needles, the length of which reaches 3 centimeters. The needles are arranged quite tightly and densely. They are characterized by a bluish-gray-silver tint.
The plant also has large elongated cones measuring 3-8 centimeters. At first they are distinguished by a green tint, but as they ripen they become light brown.
Blue Mountain spruce has the following advantages:
- excellent decorative properties;
- possibility of use as tapeworms and as part of compositions;
- high resistance to frost;
- low maintenance requirements;
- resistance to short-term drought;
- possibility of growing in the middle zone;
- resistance to strong gusts of wind;
- Possibility of landing in the city.
Landing
Blue Mountain spruce is able to maintain the decorative shade of its needles for a whole year. At the same time, it is permissible to plant it in regions with a temperate climate. To get an attractive ornamental crop, it is important to follow some rules.
Choosing a suitable location
The Blue Mountain variety is considered very undemanding to growing conditions. However, to obtain a bright and fluffy crown, when choosing a planting site, you should follow these recommendations:
- The area should be well lit by the sun. This ensures the active development of spruce and makes the color of the needles bright and rich.
- Young seedlings should be placed at some distance from other buildings and trees.The fact is that adult plants need enough space.
- The soil should be loose and fertile. It is important that it allows moisture to pass through well. A suitable option would be sandy or loamy soil.
- It is best to place seedlings on the north side of buildings. Thanks to this, the shoots and needles will not get burned from the bright sun.
You should not plant the Blue Mountain variety near building windows. Thick needles hardly allow sunlight to pass through. As a result, the room will be dark.
Step-by-step instruction
Planting Blue Mountain spruce is easy. When purchasing a seedling in a container, planting it in open soil is permissible at any time of the year. Most often this is done in the spring. In order for the young plant to quickly adapt to new conditions, you need to add a little sand and soil to the planting hole. It is also permissible to use store-bought soil for conifers.
A description of the step-by-step planting process looks like this:
- Dig a hole 60 centimeters deep. The width should be sufficient to accommodate the root system of the seedling and the ball of soil around it.
- Place a drainage layer of pebbles or crushed bricks at the bottom of the recess.
- Place the seedling with a lump of soil in the hole.
- Cover the hole halfway with loose soil.
- Water the hole with the tree with a small amount of warm water.
- After the liquid has been absorbed, lightly compact the soil around the trunk.
- Fill the planting hole with the remaining substrate and compact it again.
- Finally, water the tree with warm water.
Tree care
Blue Mountain spruce is considered an unpretentious crop that does not require serious care. However, there are basic agrotechnical procedures that are important to follow.It is recommended to feed blue spruce during the first 5-7 years after planting. Subsequently, there is no need to fertilize the crop. To feed the plant, you should use mineral preparations. They need to be applied in early spring.
Regular soil moisture is important. It is especially important to water young trees. Spruce trees that are 1 year old are recommended to be moistened up to 6 times a day, but little by little. This is due to the superficial location of the plant’s root system. Therefore, the tree will not be able to absorb a lot of moisture at once.
Spruce of this variety does not require mandatory pruning. Usually this procedure is performed to remove dry branches or for decorative purposes. If pruning is necessary, this should be done in late spring or early summer.
Application in landscape design
The Blue Mountain variety has excellent decorative properties. That’s why it is often used to decorate garden plots. This spruce goes well with a green lawn. The tree is also often grown in city parks or near multi-story buildings. It effectively cleans the air of harmful impurities.
In landscape design, Blue Mountain spruce can be used in different ways:
- to create coniferous alleys;
- as a tapeworm;
- in combination with other conifers;
- for forming a hedge;
- in combination with deciduous crops;
- for landscaping areas near brick or stone buildings;
- for creating compositions near bodies of water.
Blue Mountain spruce is a beautiful conifer that fits perfectly into various garden compositions. In order to preserve its decorative properties when growing a tree, it is important to adhere to some agrotechnical recommendations.
