Picea pungens Blue Diamond - Blue Spruce

Picea pungens Blue Diamond is a very beautiful variety of Blue Spruce, an exceptional subject to be placed prominently in gardens of all sizes. This conifer of reduced size and slow growth forms a perfect pyramid over time, with intense blue-silver foliage attracting attention in all seasons. It is a very good choice for a large rock garden or when creating a focal point in the garden. It thrives in full sun or partial shade, in well-drained, preferably neutral to acidic soil.

Picea pungens, also known as Colorado Blue Spruce or Blue Spruce, is native to the western coast of the United States and the Rocky Mountains of North America, up to Canada. It is a very hardy evergreen conifer belonging to the pinaceae family. In its natural environment, it grows slowly and has an elegant and very regular conical shape, with horizontally layered branches. This tree can reach a height of 25 to 40 m (82 to 131ft). The dwarf forms of the Colorado Spruce tolerate periods of drought quite well once well established.

The 'Blue Diamond' Colorado Spruce, derived from this species, has a slightly round shape at first, but conical to pyramidal later on. It develops a vertical leader and strong secondary almost horizontal branches regularly spaced on the trunk. Its growth is slow, around 15 cm (6in) per year, so that after 15 to 20 years, it will reach about 4 m (13ft) in height and 1.50 m (5ft) in spread, sometimes a little more depending on the growing conditions. It produces short and thick branches, very closely spaced, covered with very short and sharp needles, arranged in dense brushes radially around the branches. Its very pale spring buds release dense shoots of a bright silver-green and then the foliage takes on a bluish hue, with beautiful silver highlights.

The 'Blue Diamond' Blue Spruce, with the brightness of its foliage, its reduced development, low maintenance, and ease of cultivation, is a perfect plant for large rock gardens, borders, or for solitary planting, including in small gardens. This plant goes well with large stones, geometric lines, and masonry. It can be associated with spring or summer annuals, which will enhance its foliage. The architectural qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden. These plants with their reassuring permanence structurally enhance a bed and mark pathways or entrances. They go well with heathers and perennial salvias or with ground-cover plants such as aubrietas and cerastiums, as well as small grasses (blue fescue, Carex comans Bronze). The key is to play with volumes and colours.