Colorado Spruce 'Glauca Globosa'

Colorado spruce 'Glauca Globosa' (Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa') is a neat blue globe that looks as if someone had clipped it into shape. The needles are stiff and prickly, silvery-blue with a glaucous bloom, and they hold that colour all year: neither summer heat nor hard frost dulls it.

This is the accent that rescues a small garden: 0.5-1 m tall and wide, so the globe never outgrows a rockery, a container or a narrow bed by the front door. Set it beside golden or dark green conifers and the blue looks stronger still. Unlike the pyramidal cultivars of the species such as 'Hoopsii', it simply stays compact.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The crown shapes itself: the globe holds its form for years without any pruning, and the silvery-blue colour does not fade even in winter.
• Dimensions: At 10 years it is 0.5-1 m tall and 0.5-1 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -45 °C (USDA zone 2).
• Light: At its best in full sun: in shade the crown thins out and the blue of the needles fades.
• Soil: Likes moist but well-drained acid or neutral soil - clay, loam or sand all suit it.
• Watering: Water moderately and never let it dry out; in the first years keep the soil evenly moist.
• Care: No pruning needed at all; just give it shelter from cold dry winds and keep an eye out for aphids and mites.
• Landscape use: Made for rock gardens and low-maintenance plantings - holder of the RHS AGM.
• Origin: The cultivar holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.