2.25-Gallon Dwarf Alberta Spruce Feature Shrub in Pot (L8449) at Lowe's. Dwarf Alberta spruce trees may eventually reach 12 feet in height, but only over a long period of. Spruce, Dwarf Alberta ‘Tiny Tower’ Picea glauca conica ‘Tiny Tower’ This handsome conifer has an excellent pyramidal form, with a dwarf habit that is perfect for smaller gardens. The dense bright green foliage turns an attractive gray-green when mature. Outstanding as an accent, small specimen or container accent.

Last week, we ended up taking down our dwarf Alberta spruces, mostly because at 8 feet tall, they are giant dwarfs, and also because once they are that tall, you can’t prune them back to, say, 5 feet or anything, because you don’t have enough greenery to work with.Here’s the thing: dwarf Alberta spruces, which look like big fuzzy Christmas trees, have maybe an inch or two of green stuff on the outside, and then they’re dead all the way to the center. If you want to keep them small, you have to prune them carefully every year.This garden is pretty overgrown, and lots of things that were no doubt the right size 15 or 20 years ago are now Papa-Bear size: just too big.This is what the dwarves (two of them, one at each corner of the center bed) looked like before we started. The first photo, taken at dusk (I guess that’s why everything is so blue), has Red in it for size.

All that white stuff on the spruce, by the way, is cobwebs from spider mites. Or big spiders. And the second photo shows that that spruce has managed to become the lumpy leaning tower of Pisa over the last 2 years. The brown spots are caused by spider mites.The first thing we did was see if we could do a little topiary pruning, staying short of a unicorn, by cutting the greenery off the bottom a bit and having the tree show a bit of trunk.It did make the tree look airier, but it somehow also made it look like a big awkward elf. So we decided to take the whole thing down.There were two stems coming out of the main trunk, so the tree very politely split exactly in half.This is what we mean but “not too much greenery on the outside and dead in the center”:You’d think that taking out these two dwarves would leave big holes in the garden, but no.

You can’t really tell they’re gone, except the garden looks more spacious. Project gotham racing 4 cheats. That’s a sure sign that the garden was overgrown to begin with.The view from the bridge up toward the back of the house when we first moved in almost 2 years ago:And the view now, with the elder on the left pruned back, and the “dwarf” mugo pine and “dwarf” Alberta spruce gone:And now, with all the acidic needles gathered up and taken away, that end of the center garden bed can eventually be replanned and replanted.

Dwarf spruce trees (Picea spp.), like the blue or Norway spruce, are often used to add decorative value to your home’s landscape. Dwarf spruce is enjoyed for its natural conelike shape, average height between 6 and 8 feet and limited need for pruning. However, there are times when pruning is useful, such as to encourage a bushier growth habit in young trees or to shape the tree as it matures. Prune dwarf spruce trees in late winter to early spring when you first notice new growth appearing.

1

Put on work gloves to protect your hands. Inspect the growth of your tree to note areas that have lots of open space between branches rather than a bushy overall appearance, as well as locate which branches seem to stick out beyond the pleasing cone shape of the tree. Note which branches extend directly from the main trunk, called lateral branches, and which branches shoot off from the laterals, called side branches.

2

Prune to encourage lush growth and fill in pockets of space by clipping back the tips of both lateral and side branches in the open area to a point just after a visible, fat growth bud. This bud will then be encouraged to form a new branch and fill the space available.

3

Shape the dwarf spruce by cutting the tips of side branches back only 2 to 3 inches. Before you clip the branches, keep in mind the natural cone shape of the spruce, and trim to fit that shape. As you make each cut, clip the branch across the width of the stem with a single clean cut.

4

Pinch off the tips of lateral branches to maintain the size of the tree’s height or width by cutting away just the end 1/2 to 1 inch of length. While the dwarf spruce shouldn’t become excessively tall, this can maintain the tree if it is rubbing against structures around your home such as a deck, garage or siding.

5

Prune out dead or diseased branches as well as branches that appear to be rubbing by tracing the affected side branches back to where they extend from a lateral branch. Cut the damaged branch off the tree by making a cut that runs parallel to the lateral branch and just 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the lateral branch.

Tip

• To maintain a natural appearance in your landscape, take advantage of the dwarf spruce's ability to grow lower branches that don’t drop needles, and allow the low branches to drape and touch the ground rather than clip them back.

Warnings

• Avoid pruning the dwarf spruce back beyond where the needles grow, otherwise the plant may not produce side shoots to fill in the space with fresh growth. If pruning this far into the tree is necessary, then cut the lateral branch cleanly away from the trunk.
• Too much pruning on dwarf spruce trees can cause the needles to turn brown or die back.
• Slow-growing dwarf spruces Alberta, black and bird’s nest are intolerant of pruning and should be left alone when possible.

References (2)

• The Pruning Book; Lee Reich