Jus an amateur here but I have already removed two of these from my yard. They are overused in my opinion and prone to spider mites if not in good conditions. Others could recommend alternatives.

I'd never buy a tree from a box store . . .

Please search out a local independant garden center and buy your tree there. Much, much better if you want a healthy tree and want to take care of your neighbors (your local economy).

I'll let the others tell you that Picea glauca 'Conica' really isn't all that great of a selection. On top of that, 6ft tall might be "mature" but trees don't stop growing upon maturing. I've seen 20ft tall specimens of this very cultivar. Look around our picture galleries and you'll find some really sweet trees here.

~Dave

This post was edited by Glaciers-End on Thu, Oct 3, 13 at 21:11

they must have gotten a fall delivery of plants.. ????

i would never buy a conifer that size ... if its been at the hardware store since spring ... or ever actually.. i go for volume over instant gratification ....

IMHO ... the most overused... conifer in the world ...

as a tree.. there is no set final size... on campus back in the day.. they had 30 year old ones... at least 20 feet tall .....

in spring.. you should be able to buy two or 3 footers.. for $10 .. max ...

of course you should have one... why not.. but i would not pay more than the ten bucks ....

and finally ... unlike many conifers.. these flush twice ... the plain old one.. a dusty green over the mature green ...

there is a better one.. and this is the one you should get ... Picea glauca Rainbows End ... its flush is butter yellow over the mature green... TWICE a season ....

find a mail order source.. and get a babe ... its worth paying for the better one .. and no reason to go for the instant gratification ...

ken

ps: there is a small/mini called daisy white also ... a ... wait for it.. white flusher .. duh.. lol ... have a great day ...

Here is a link that might be useful: pics 5 and 7 show it flushing out ....

Click on the link for a discussion of the ups and downs (well, mainly downs) of 'dwarf Alberta spruce', and some othe commonly found 'dwarf conifers'. It's probably the best explanation you'll find for why many do not favor this tree.

If you really like the look of Alberta spruce, there are named cultivars of Picea glauca that are similar in appearance and will be more reliable, better options. Depending on the desired growth rate, some options would be 'Jean's Dilly', 'Laurin' 'Zuckerhut', and there are many more. But most likely they won't be found at the local Home Depot.

Alex

Here is a link that might be useful: Dwarf conifer confusions

This post was edited by maple_grove on Sat, Oct 5, 13 at 14:59

I as well do not like the Dwarf Alberta Spruce. They are all over the place. When our neighborhood was developed, they must have been the number one landscape shrub on the developers list because every other house has one or more. I dug ours out because it got spider mites really bad and I replaced it with something that pulls it's weight in the garden....

I just got rid of my 20-year-old AS. It was bare on the inside due to mites and also grew crooked trying to get out of the shadow of a cedar. If you're space-challenged as I am, you could choose a thousand others that would be more desirable!

alex.. you forgot the link???

ken

It disappeared when I edited the post. I just put it back.

Alex