Colorado Blue Spruce 'Iseli Fastigiate'

Colorado spruce 'Iseli Fastigiate' (Picea pungens 'Iseli Fastigiate') is a blue candle drawn upwards. The branches sweep steeply up and press against the trunk, so the tree gains height rather than width, while the needles keep their deep blue all year and glow brightest in full sun.

It is a find wherever you want a vertical and have little room: a narrow strip along a path, the space against a wall, a rhythmic group of matching columns. It grows strongly, more than 30 cm a year, so unlike the globe-shaped 'Glauca Globosa' this is no dwarf but a full columnar tree.

Key characteristics:

• Dimensions: At 10 years over 4 m tall and over 4 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -45 °C (USDA zone 2).
• Light: Full sun brings out the best in it: there the blue tone is at its brightest; light shade is also allowed.
• Soil: Happily takes ordinary acid, moderately moist, well-drained soil, and grows even more willingly on a fertile one.
• Watering: Moderate watering; in the first years keep the soil evenly moist and never let it dry out.
• Care: Asks for almost no care; just keep an eye out for aphids, scale insects and mites on the young growth.
• Landscape use: A vertical accent where space is tight: along paths, against walls, in rhythmic groups.