Recommended Spacing for a Blue Spruce

Characteristics

• As a young tree, the blue spruce is stiffly pyramidal, but it softens and relaxes somewhat with age, filling the yard with graceful boughs of year-round greenery. Each branch has needles that are approximately 1 inch in length and blue-gray to powder blue in color. Young, bluish cones add a decorative touch to the landscape in the spring and mature to light brown cylinders that are several inches in length in the fall. This robust specimen is hardy in USDA zones 2 through 9 and is tolerant of cold, heat, sun, poor soil and drought.

Uses

• The gorgeous texture and beautiful color of the blue spruce make it a desirable landscaping specimen; however, the massive size of a mature tree can easily overwhelm smaller trees and shrubs. Additionally, the stiff form of the blue spruce makes it difficult to incorporate into many design schemes; consequently, it makes a dramatic focal point when planted on its own or in groups around the perimeter of the property.

Planting

• Plant blue spruce saplings in the early spring as this allows the tree ample time to take root before the arrival of winter. Choose a sunny site in well-drained soil and leave at least 25 feet of space between trees; do not crowd the trees or place them near other plants that could shade the lower limbs. To avoid future problems, be sure to site the trees well away from power lines, sidewalks, driveways or building foundations.

Maintenance

• Prune blue spruce trees each year in the early spring, removing any dead, diseased or damaged branches. Lower branches can be removed if they die naturally; however, the trees take on a more elegant, relaxed form if the branches are allowed to droop toward the ground. Additionally, half of the new spring growth can be cut back to encourage branch density, if desired.