Montgomery Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’)
Identifying Features
Plant Family: Pinaceae
Leaf: evergreen, needles surround the stem but more densely so above than below, needles rigid and incurved, silver-blue in color
Twig and Bud: twig stout, orange-brown, buds are broadly conical to nearly spherical, blunt and yellow-brown
Flower, Fruit and Seed: seed cones oblong, cylindrical and short-stalked, 2-4 inches long, green with violet bloom when young, becoming pale brown when ripe
Bark: gray, deeply grooved, forms thick scales
Shape and Mature Height: dense, broad shape, 3-4 feet at maturity
Garden Value and Considerations
Best grown in rich, slightly acidic, moist, well-drained soils. Provide full sun to part shade, though full sun provides best foliage color. The silver-blue needles provide year-round interest.
Notes
This cultivar is named for Col. R. H. Montgomery, a dedicated plant collector and co-founder of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, who donated a large conifer collection to the New York Botanical Garden.
