Blue Cloak White Fir

If, like many gardeners who live in cooler zones, you have been thinking of planting the old standby, a blue spruce, think again. The Blue Cloak White Fir is considered by many experts to be the bluest of all evergreens, and this gorgeous tree is far superior to yet another blue spruce. Growing steadily into a dense, upright column 8 to 10 feet tall within 10 years, this tree will in time pass 40 feet, and could grow much larger. So allow plenty of room – the width will eventually be 20 feet or more – for this wonderful tree when planting. The long needles cluster densely along the stems, with a strong central stem surrounded by radiating horizontal side branches gives this tree a spectacular look. Lower branches on older trees become descending. As blue as they come, cold resistant and simply drop-dead beautiful, if a blue evergreen is what you want, then this is the tree for you, the crème de la crème of blue conifers.

• The bluest of all conifers
• Magnificent vertical column of dense horizontal branches to 40 feet in time
• Branches tightly covered in long, brilliant silver-blue needles
• Mature trees carry large purple cones held upright
• Very cold hardy and thrives in colder zones

Plant your Blue Cloak White Fir in full sun, in well-drained soils that are moist but not wet. More difficult to grow in heavy clay. Cold-hardy to minus 40, and grows even in zone 3. Not suitable for areas with hot, humid summers, or for inner city gardens. Pest-free and untroubled by deer, this tree is easy to grow and ideal for colder parts of the country. Don’t trim, but do remove any secondary leading stems so you keep a single central trunk.