Picea glauca 'Pendula'

Plants with a weeping habit lend a unique dimension to the character of a garden. One of the best plants with a weeping form is Picea glauca 'Pendula,' weeping white spruce.

This stately evergreen has nice blue-green foliage that hugs the trunk, sweeping downward to create a fantastic impression. It came from Versailles, France, sometime before 1867 and is still somewhat underused in North America.

Its stately narrow, conical habit has moderate growth. Leaf color is rich green. Needlelike, 1/2- to 3/4-inch-long foliage is bunched tightly on branchlets. Whitish blooms lightly cover the foliage.

Young stems are yellow-brown; older bark is gray to gray-brown, eventually developing thin, scaly plates. Its fruit is a 1- to 2-inch brown cone.

It is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 2.

Culture tips

'Pendula' prefers sun or light shade and rich, moist soil, but it's adaptable to a wide range of conditions. It tolerates harsh conditions and is often seen on lists of deer-resistant landscape plants.

Growth is moderate, reaching 8-10 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide in 10 years. Mature specimens as high as 40-50 feet and as wide as 8-10 feet are common.

In the landscape, it's definitely a specimen plant: this plant is hard to hide. 'Pendula' is probably best-suited for larger sites that contain a variety of plant material.

Pruning is not recommended; allow this beauty to develop its unique habit.

Pests to be on the lookout for include stem rot and spider mites, but expect no serious problems.

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Specifics

Name: Picea glauca 'Pendula'

Common name: Weeping white spruce.

Family: Pinaceae.

Description: Width reaches 40-50 feet; height is 8-10 feet.

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zones 2-7.

Landscape uses: Specimen tree in larger sites.

- Kevin Neal

Photo courtesy of Iseli Nursery