Another view...

it looks like the buds didnt trigger in spring..

those branches are dead..

snip them out ...

and may was well snip the the short weaklings just above .... since they get no sun.. they will also fail ... sooner or later ....

why.. i dont know ..when the next whorl is 20 feet wide.. it wont matter ...

pull the dark mulch away from the trunk .... and i hope you find the root flare there ..

regardless... bark is supposed to stay dry .. not have moist mulch against it.. and dont tell me the mulch is dry in august.. i know that... its all winter long.. etc ...

the blue is a wax coating.. that wears off over the year .... and yours is holding up nicely ... you forgot your latin name.. i will bet its a hoopsi ...

ken

Ken, maybe it's a 'Baby Blue' spruce specimen, which is in reality a 'Baby Blue Eyes'...

Right, the tag from the nursery shows Picea Pungens 'Baby Blue'.

I snipped those branches and pulled the mulch back. Should I expect to see any more growth this year?

If the needles have hardened off and are now sharp growth is over. If die off continues up the trunk then there is a problem and you could loose the tree.

Next spring will let you know when it is bud break time.

Dave

no... on pungens.. one growth spurt is it ...and that is the same with many trees.... especially conifers ....

only your expectation has failed ....

when buying at this size .... it takes a few years... for it to LOOK like its getting bigger ... have faith.. it will ....

ken