Knowledgebase
Dwarf blue spruce shrub #389185
Asked March 18, 2017, 4:05 PM EDT
Arapahoe County Colorado
Expert Response
While often referred to as 'dwarf' conifers, they are technically just very slow growers. They will eventually get larger in 20 or 30 years, but most stay fairly compact and are classified based on their growth rate and size at 10 years. A 'dwarf' grows anywhere from one to six inches per year and will only be one to six feet tall in 10 years. Specialty 'miniature' conifers are more difficult to find at garden centers, and have cultivar names that generally include ‘Minima’ or ‘Pygmaea’.
Different growers report Picea pungens glauca 'Globosa' (Globe Blue Spruce) to grow to 2-4 feet tall x 3-6 feet wide (at 10 years). If that is still too large for the area, here are some other smaller conifers to consider:
Oriental spruce, Picea oriental - 'Nana' or 'Tom Thumb'.
Mugo Pine, Pinus mugo 'Slowmound', 'Jakobsen', 'Sherwood Compact', 'Valley Cushion', 'Paul's Dwarf'.
Elegans Norway Spruce, Picea abies 'Elegans'
Little Gem Dwarf Norway Spruce, Picea abies 'Little Gem'
The Plant Select program also has introduced two petite conifers:
Dwarf pinyon pine, Pinus edulis
Blue Jazz pinyon pine, Pinus monophylla ‘Blue Jazz'
Finally, the American Conifer Society offers great information and a large searchable database for those who are interested in conifers: www.conifersociety.org.