The small genus of Spruce includes about 40 species of evergreens. All of them are characterized by fragrant needles, a beautiful, even crown shape and relative unpretentiousness. Some species are actively used in landscape gardening, others are more rare.
Describe what black spruce looks like, introduced into culture in Europe since 1700. In terms of decorativeness, it is not much inferior to the Canadian variety, but in general it is unpretentious and stable.
Homeland of the plant
Worldwide, the species has spread from North America. Its natural habitat is limited in the west by Alaska, in the east by the island of Newfoundland (which is a symbol of the province), in the north by the forest tundra, and in the south by northern Michigan and Minnesota. The tree is also found in the Appalachians in the highlands of New York. It grows, as a rule, in the taiga, less often in mixed forests. Widespread in areas with permafrost, in lowlands, sphagnum bogs. Status - plant with a low threat of extinction.
Black spruce: description
Evergreen tree in its natural environment grows up to 20-30 m inheight and reaches a trunk diameter of 30-90 cm. The crown is conical in shape, with lower branches hanging to ground level. The bark is fissured, scaly, red-brown or grayish, thin. The tree has the thinnest needles compared to other spruce trees - 0.7-0.8 mm and a length of 0.5-1.2 cm. The shape of the needles is tetrahedral, prickly, with pronounced stomatal lines above and below, the color is dark, greenish -blue. They are densely located on the branch, the life span is an average of 8-9 years. The needles, when rubbed, have a characteristic tart aroma.
Spruce cones are round-ovoid, sometimes almost spherical, small in size: 2-3.5 cm long and 1.5-1.8 cm wide. Until ripening, they are a natural decoration of the tree, have an unusual purplish brown color. The scales are obovate, wavy, have characteristic strokes in the middle. The cones remain on the spruce for 20-30 years without falling off.
In cultivation, the tree is shade-tolerant, undemanding to soils, winter-hardy, but sensitive to heat. In drought needs good watering. It grows slowly, but in Russia it is rarely found in culture, yielding in popularity to another species - blue spruce. Outwardly, it is very beautiful, its small size allows it to be used everywhere, and the gray and thick needles give fluffiness. The most common are four decorative varieties of spruce, which we will dwell on in more detail.
Baisnery
The variety is supposedly bred in 1915. The hybrid has a dense rounded crown. Bush height and diameteralmost identical, reaching a maximum of 5 m. Growth is slow. The needles are green, with a delicate bluish-silver tint. There is a variety of a variety called Compacta, characterized by more modest sizes (up to 2 m), without a pronounced top, but the color and shape of the needles is similar.
Doumeti
The hybrid is a tall, slender tree 5-6 m in height. The crown is wide-conical with numerous branches rising upwards. The needles have a pronounced blue tint, densely cover the shoots. Numerous spruce cones are located directly on the trunk. The variety is winter-hardy, fast-growing. Recommended for landscaping parks, squares, creating group plantings. It is noteworthy that the tree can be propagated by cuttings. This is a fairly rare occurrence among conifers. For the first time such a spruce was grown in France.
Kobold
A variety obtained as a result of a hybrid crossing of two others - Doumeti and Omorika. A low-growing tree, which by the age of 20 reaches a height of one meter, the annual growth is 5 cm. The shape of the crown is spherical. Neat branches are covered with dense needles up to 12 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. The hybrid is very decorative and certainly deserves the attention of gardeners. The variety was obtained in Germany in 1951.
Black spruce Nana
Graceful dwarf hybrid with a rounded crown shape. In height rarely reaches 0.5 m, grows very slowly. Light green needles with a bluish tinge are thin but long, so the plant seems very "dense" and fluffy. The variety is resistant tofrost, urban polluted air. It is recommended to use for landscaping small gardens, alpine slides, rockeries, roofs, as a pot culture. Pretty easy to propagate from cuttings.
This is not all varieties of black spruce, there are still hybrids, but they are rare. For example, with variegated white, shiny or very thin needles, weeping crown shape up to 5 m in height, dwarf. In its natural environment, black spruce can produce hybrids with closely related species.
Features of cultivation
Black spruce is shade-tolerant and undemanding to soil fertility plant. However, it should be noted that it develops best in a lighted place, protected from drafts and strong winds. Tolerates slight swamping and not too pronounced continental climate. It reacts badly to transplantation, trampling the near-stem space, as the root system becomes superficial over the years.
In order for black spruce to grow beautiful and he althy, provide it with fertile soil. You can prepare it yourself from a mixture of sand, peat, turf and leafy soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 2. At the bottom of the landing pit, be sure to pour a drainage layer 15-20 cm thick made of expanded clay or broken bricks.
If you use spruce to create a hedge, then strong shaping pruning is acceptable, after which the crown thickens with even more force. In other cases, it is recommended to remove only dry and damaged branches. Watering young plantsshould be regular and plentiful, adults - only in extreme heat. Conifers, including black spruce, have a root system close to the soil surface, so loosening is permissible, but to a minimum depth of 10 cm. It is best to mulch the near-stem circle with peat or wood chips.
