White Spruce 'Conica'

White Spruce 'Conica' (Picea glauca var. albertiana 'Conica') is a flawless green cone that looks carved to a ruler, though nobody ever trims it. The needles are very short, soft and light green, taking on a bluish cast over the years, while the crown broadens a little with every season.

It puts on just 10 cm a year and at ten years stands about 1.3 m tall and 0.85 m wide, so it keeps its shape for decades without pruning. 'Conica' is planted in containers and on patios, in rockeries, gravel and cottage gardens, often in pairs flanking a doorway. It needs a sunny, airy spot, and its main enemy is red spider mite.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The needles are so short and soft that they do not prickle at all, and rubbed between the fingers they give off a fresh resinous scent.
• Dimensions: At 10 years - 1.3 m tall and 0.85 m wide.
• Hardiness: It withstands frosts down to -40 °C (USDA zone 3).
• Light: It needs full sun, tolerates light shade, and wants a spot with good air circulation.
• Soil: It grows on clay, loam or sand of acid or neutral reaction - provided the soil is moist and well-drained.
• Watering: Watering is medium and even: the soil should stay moist, but without standing water.
• Care: No pruning is needed - the crown holds its shape itself; in containers it is sometimes clipped into topiary.
• Landscape use: Plant it in containers and on patios, in rockeries, gravel, city and cottage gardens, and in borders.
• Origin: The parent of every 'Conica' was found in 1904 in the mountains above Lake Laggan in Alberta; the cultivar holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.