Slenderina Weeping Colorado Blue Spruce
Picea pungens ‘Glauca Slenderina Pendula’
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 3a-7b (8 in cool-summer climates?) Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Coniferous Evergreen Shrub
Height at Maturity: 12-14′ in 10 years; about 20′ at maturity
Width at Maturity: 6-8′ in 10 years depending on training
Spacing: Best as a specimen
Spacing: Best as a specimen
Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Weeping
Growth Rate: Moderate; 8-12″ per year
Foliage Color: Silvery Blue
Fragrant Foliage: No
Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun in cool-summer climates, Filtered Mid Afternoon Sun in hot climates
Water Needs: Average, drought tolerant when established
Soil Type: Clay (amend heavy clay to ensure good drainage), Loam, Sand, Silt
Soil Drainage: Moist to Lightly Moist but Well Drained; drought tolerant when established
Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.5 (Acid to Neutral)
Maintenance / Care: Very Low
Attracts: Visual Attention
Resistances: Cold Temperatures (-40F), Deer, Disease, Drought (when established), Insect
Description
A magnificent weeping version of our native Colorado Blue Spruce, Slenderina is a living freeform sculpture with every specimen being a one-of-a-kind. That said, you can somewhat decide the form she’ll take. Though she has a strong central leader and no pruning is necessary, if allowed to grow naturally with no training you never know what direction she might decide to grow. On the other hand, with an artistic eye, a young tree can be trained to grow this way or that…or straight upwards with nothing more than a single stake to get her started in the right direction. When grown to form a vertical weeping column, which we think looks like an abstract version of the Statue of Liberty, you might expect Slenderina to reach 15 to 20 feet or so in height and 6 to 8 feet at her base when all grown up. What’s more, she forms an attractive ground-hugging skirt of branches that spread out around the bottom of her flowing dress of silvery electric blue foliage. Make sure to pick just the right spot to showcase this spectacular specimen and give her plenty of sun and a well-drained soil as she doesn’t like wet feet.
Landscape & Garden Uses
The Slenderina Weeping Blue Spruce is ideal for use as a focal point specimen in small to even large landscape and garden spaces, home foundation plantings, rock gardens and containers. A fine addition to conifer gardens, blue theme gardens, native plant gardens and the Xeriscape (low water needs when established).
Suggested Spacing: We suggest using this tree as a focal point specimen.
Growing Preferences
The Slenderina Weeping Blue Spruce is easy to grow in a damp to moist but well-drained soil of average fertility. As with so many other conifers, constantly soggy or wet soils can lead to root rot or other harmful plant diseases. So make sure to plant this one in well-drained soil. In cool-summer climates of USDA Zones 3-8 it grows best in full. Where summers are really hot, it might prefer some shade or filtered sun during the middle of the afternoon. Once established water needs are quite low when growing in the ground. In pots, soil moisture will need to be monitored more closely, especially during summer. When the top two inches of soil is dry, provide water.
Note: Find helpful advice from our experts under the Planting & Care tab above on desktop monitors or below on mobile devices.
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