Canadian spruce Echiniformis

Synonyms: Glaucous spruce Echiniformis, White spruce Echiniformis.

Canadian spruce Echiniformis (Picea glauca Echiniformis) - a cultivar of Canadian spruce. The cultivar was found in 1855 in France.

It is a dwarf coniferous plant with a bushy habit. The crown is flat, cushion-shaped or rounded. Shoots are short and dense; in youth they form a globose crown, and at maturity a cushion-shaped one. It reaches 0.6 m in height and up to 1 m in diameter. It grows slowly, with an annual increase of up to 2 cm in height and up to 3 cm in width. Shoots are light brown, naked, slightly glossy. Root system superficial and deep, well developed. Branches spread along the ground, trunk upright.

Needles are arranged radially, bluish-green, narrow, short, thin, 5–7 mm long, very dense and closely set. New growth is light green.

Hardiness zone: 2-8 (-45°C).

Location: tolerant of smoke and gases. Can tolerate significant shade, but a beautiful, low-hanging, dense and symmetrical crown forms only in sunny, open sites. Prefers moist, fertile soil, light or medium loam. Does not tolerate dry sandy loam. The topsoil layer should be well permeable so that the roots receive an adequate supply of air. Drought tolerance is moderate.

Planting: tolerates transplanting well. Planting pit size: 70x70x70 cm. Soil mixture: topsoil, humus and sand in a ratio of 3:2:1.

Care: the area around the trunk should be periodically weeded and loosened, but not dug over. It is also advisable to mulch the trunk circle with peat or loose compost with subsequent incorporation. In dry periods regular watering is recommended, avoiding complete drying of the root-inhabited soil layer. Manure or compost can also be used as fertilizer. Most forms require protection from the scorching spring sun.

Pruning: tolerates shaping and trimming well.

Diseases: Schütte, snow Schütte, fusariosis, stem and root rot, bark necrosis, canker (ulcerous) cancer, cone rust, spruce vertun.

Pests: Sitka spruce aphid, red and yellow gall aphids, caterpillars of the nun moth (noctuid), green spruce-leaf adelgid, spruce needle-roller, spruce spider mite, spruce false scale, root aphid, conifer mealybugs, spruce sawfly, spruce bud sawfly, spruce moth, weevil, caterpillars of the spotted noctuid, dark-gray geometer and angle-winged conifer looper, cone moth, engraver bark beetle, large spruce bark borer, black spruce longhorn beetle, spruce longhorn beetle.

Propagation: propagated by cuttings, best taken in early June. Winter cuttings without treatment with a rooting agent do not take. For cuttings, take matured lower branches from the mother plant that do not exceed 10–12 cm in length. The cutting separated from the mother plant must have a «heel», otherwise the plant will quickly die. The lower part of the prepared cuttings should be treated with growth stimulants. Plant cuttings to a depth of 2–2.5 cm. The substrate should not dry out during rooting, but overwatering is not recommended.

Uses: used in solitary and group plantings, for decorating alpine rock gardens and rockeries, for creating landscapes in an eastern style, rock gardens. Looks effective on small plots and in groups with other conifers in the foreground. Can be grown in a container to decorate entrances to houses, restaurants, cottages, administrative buildings. Can be grown in the bonsai style.