Weeping Blue Spruce

When we think of Blue Spruces, we usually think of tall, majestic upright trees, with horizontal branches, covered in beautiful silvery-blue stiff needles. They make the perfect tree for a lawn. However, over the years, enterprising gardeners have developed many different forms, and one of the most dramatic and different is the Weeping Blue Spruce. In this tree, the branches cascade downwards, but still with a central trunk, creating a striking specimen for your garden, with a unique, rugged appearance. This is a beautiful evergreen addition to any garden, bringing all year round interest and color with almost no effort.

Your tree will arrive already attached to a stake to develop an upright, central trunk. The branches cascade downwards, twisting and turning in a dramatic fashion, and with no additional work it will develop into a semi-upright cascading plant, eventually also spilling across the ground at the base, like a broad skirt.

Alternatively, you can put a strong stake in the ground – as tall as you wish – and tie up the tree, to maintain a central upright stem, with branches hanging down in a curtain. With a good strong stake, you can create a pendulous tree 10 feet tall, or even more. This creates a very dramatic effect and an eye-catching feature in any garden.

Growing Weeping Blue Spruce Trees

This tree has short branches about 12 inches long, growing from long stems in a tumble of shoots. The stiff needles stick out all around the branches, and they are a dramatic silver blue color. Older trees may eventually produce cones as well, adding another decorative feature. As it spreads upwards and outwards, there is no final limit to its growth, just age, but you can easily trim it if it needs controlling. With its rugged look, it is especially beautiful growing among rocks and boulders, or on a gravel slope, but it also grows well in ordinary garden beds. You can even grow it in a large pot or planter, making a dramatic feature on a terrace or patio.

Planting and Initial Care

Your Weeping Blue Spruce will grow in full sun or partial shade, in all areas, from very cold to hot. It will grow in almost any soil, from sand to clay, and does best in well-drained soil. During the first year or two, you should water your tree well until it is established, but after that, it is drought resistant and will need almost no attention to reward you with its spectacular and fascinating patterns of growth. It is free of serious pests and diseases, and it is even deer-proof.

History and Origins of the Weeping Blue Spruce

The Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) is also called the Colorado Spruce. It grows in the Rocky Mountains, from Montana to New Mexico, often at high altitudes, so it is hardy down to minus 50 degrees. Growing in such a harsh environment has made it a tough, hardy tree, which will tolerate drought and is resistant to pests, diseases and particularly to deer, which hate its sharp needles. The wild tree can grow to 100 feet, but there are many smaller garden forms, that make great garden specimens, such as the Globe Blue Spruce, which makes a dense sphere of rich silver blue branches.

Gardeners found that if they took side branches of the tree, which already grow in a horizontal or weeping fashion, and joined them to the roots of seedling trees, they kept their weeping or pendulous manner of growth. Different gardeners gave different names to these forms, but they are all similar. How blue they are depends on how blue the parent tree was, and this too varies from tree to tree. The form known as ‘Glauca Pendula’ is perhaps the very best, because the parent tree was an intense silver-blue color, and the branch taken developed into a weeping form, but still with an upright central trunk, so the tree grows upwards, but the branches hang almost vertically, while twisting into dramatic forms.

Adding Weeping Blue Spruce Trees to Your Property

No two trees are identical in the way they grow, as each responds to the environment it grows in and to how it is trained. By staking and trimming you can develop you own unique tree, which will bring to your garden – whatever its style – something very special and attractive. This is an exciting tree to have in your garden, and our growers produce only the best quality, weeping forms with foliage of an intense blue color. We have good stocks, but this popular tree always sells quickly. So if you want to have a unique, easily grown and dramatic tree in your garden, order now, or you may be disappointed.