Dwarf Alberta Spruce are Perfect Plants for Containers, especially in Winter! This conical, cold-hardy conifer is a Christmas favorite—let’s explore!
If you are looking for the perfect plant to fit into your home and tolerate the chilly months of winter, search no more! Picea glauca is the perfect plant for containers in winter! Read on to discover what makes it great and how to help it flourish in pots.
Why is this Your Perfect Container Plant for Winter?
Dwarf Alberta Spruce is a conifer shrub much smaller than most other members of its family and has a dense, compact form that is perfect for containers. Plus, it has slow-growing, soft, bright, bushy foliage that can be easily pruned into a shape you love!
1. Dwarf Spruce is Easy to Care for
Featuring aromatic, sunny green needles with a waxy coating and dense growth, the dwarf spruce contrasts beautifully against snow. Once mature, it is drought-resistant, making it perfect for beginners and forgetful gardeners looking for lush green with minimal effort!
Come Christmas, this shrubby tree is still accessible for putting up all your decorations while being impressive enough to fill your home with its cheery foliage. And the best part is that it is super easy to grow and care for!
2. It’s Hardy and Resistant
Tolerating cold as low as -40 F (-40 C), this mini tree thrives in USDA zones 2-7. A great plus is its relatively shallow root system, which allows this dwarf spruce to thrive in containers without becoming root-bound. It also propagates easily!
This small conifer resists most pests and diseases, but watch out for spider mites during warm and dry weather and fungi-caused needle casts (dying and falling needles).
Note: If you’re sure the needles are falling due to fungal infection, this article lists several options to manage the issue—from mulching to fungicides.
3. It’s Compact and Grows Well in Small Space
While Dwarf Alberta Spruce can grow up to 15 feet in its native Northland habitat, most start at a foot and mature to eight feet tall. This plant can be pruned to keep it compact, making it the perfect winter alternative for those with insufficient space for large conifers.
However, being a slow grower, you won’t have to prune and trim it constantly season after season. It barely grows four inches a year, so you have plenty of time before you bring out your shears!
4. Dwarf Spruce for a Christmas Centerpiece
Here comes the fun bit! Alberta spruce’s soft needles and bright green foliage are perfect for shaping into unique topiaries beyond a traditional conical Christmas tree! This hardy, forgiving shrub tree allows you to try different designs and experiment with its form.
Better yet, transform your dwarf Alberta spruce into an evergreen bonsai that can become the focal point of your home—watch this video to learn how!
Where to Grow Picea glauca?
This cold-hardy shrub dislikes heat and humidity. It prefers cold winters and cool summers and flourishes in well-drained, acidic soil and full sun. When growing in a hotter region, plant it in a spot sheltered from the blazing afternoon sun.
Pick a sunny spot, but give your plant some shelter from harsh, cold winds and midday sun. And remember to water only when the soil seems dry. Just keep it away from heat sources, high humidity, polluted air, and salt spray.
This evergreen conifer is perfect for growing on the entrance, bright hallway, patio, or balcony garden; you can even place it indoors for a short period, especially around Christmas.
Growing Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Growing and maintaining this tree is a breeze! Your Dwarf Alberta Spruce can live up to 50 years or more if a few key things are kept in mind.
- Enrich your potting soil with peat moss and insulate with pine or shredded bark mulch.
- Pot size matters! Although it does not need a giant container, starting with a 10 to 12 inches pot is a basic need. Later you can move it to a much bigger 14 inches container. It can be repotted to a larger container if it grows bigger later.
- If you live in a colder zone, during winter, cover the pot with a bubble wrap to insulate roots and provide protection from freezing weather.
- In its growing phase, you feed it with any balanced liquid fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 10-10-10.
Note: Once it grows big, place the pot on a movable platform to allow easy relocation; such big containers get heavy after being filled.
