Dwarf Alberta spruce in containers add classic architectural interest. Photo by Quincy Benton
Do you grow tired of replanting your containers year after year? Are you looking for some instant impact? And a way to stretch your garden budget?
Try potting up some Dwarf Alberta spruce. You can score these miniature evergreens in garden centers right now. A one-gallon pot costs only about $6 at the big box stores. These miniature spruce are a big bargain, considering you can keep the little trees alive year after year without much trouble. I've never had a pest problem with these plants, and they are not wildly thirsty, either. The baby Christmas trees add year-round interest, verticality, and green--even in the dead of winter. And in even the simplest of pots, they lend a charming Tuscan touch to any garden.
Here's what I do with my Dwarf Alberta spruce: I have a number of large containers in which I've planted the little trees. Since they will require some watering in dry winter, I plant them in plastic containers with saucers, then set the plastic pots inside the more decorative pots. You'll have to pay attention to the size of your cache pot--the outer, more decorative pot--and the plastic pot and saucer you want to place inside. Ideally, the plastic pot should be just slightly smaller than the cache pot. The plastic will forgive Colorado's winter freeze thaw cycles that tend to break ceramic and clay pots. I place some sheet moss on top of the plastic containers to hide them inside the cache pots.
If your container is large enough, you might surround the spruce with some annuals to add color or texture at the base. Or for a classic look, add an ivy or another trailer of some sort. These architectural plantings add a sense of sophistication and a calming presence to any garden, season after season.
The dwarf spruces grow, but not too fast. Once they get too big for their containers, I either transplant them to a larger pot, or I add them to my landscape. I have a veritable Dwarf Alberta spruce forest on my corner. I love the triangular shape of these spruce, as well as their evergreen element.
Here's something even easier that I do every spring. I have three urn-shaped, black-glazed ceramic pots. I'm fond of these pots for their color, their shape, and the fact that a one-gallon Dwarf Alberta spruce fits perfectly inside them. I don't even bother to transplant the Dwarf Alberta spruce. I just slip the plastic container it comes in right into the urns. Instant impact! The plants seem fine in their plastic containers, and at the end of the growing season, I plant them in the ground. I have a simple, elegant statement for less than $20, and the plants don't wind up in the compost bins like the annuals eventually do.
A caveat: Dwarf Alberta spruce need water. If allowed to go too dry, they burn easily, and then you're stuck with a browned evergreen. Mind your containers and keep the soil from drying out for too long. I add a topdressing of moss to help retain moisture.
Give it a try: It's sure to spruce up your garden.
For more info: Colleen Smith's Bluestocking blog includes more green-thumb information, along with posts on other colorful interests.
Comments
We live in Denver and have a couple Alberta spruces potted exactly as you describe. Anything you do besides water to keep them alive. I'm concerned that since they're above ground their root ball will freeze?
Hi, Ginger. You're correct to fret about Dwarf Alberta spruces in containers during Denver winters. Along with cold, our dry winters and intense sunlight can pose problems. A few tips: Top-dress containers with mulch--moss or wood will help keep moisture in and regulate soil temperature. If possible, shelter containers in corners or on a covered porch. My larger containers have made it through many winters. They will need water! And you have to be careful if you have pots that might break with the freeze-thaw cycle. The cache pot method of plastic inside more decorative but less durable pots works well. If you've used that technique, you might even stuff in some insulation for your pots. Even some ball up newspapers would help insulate the roots balls, and I have done that with some of mine in the past. Watch out so your little trees don't get sun scalded. Again, water is key. These evergreens add winter interest, architectural shape, and look adorable festooned with holiday lights.
Hello Colleen: You gave me some great information. I have two adoreable Dwarf Alberta Spruce that have lived through a big move....6 hrs. in a truck, 4 days in a garage, and then put outside finally in front of my door. I love them. They did live over a winter in a garage and came out beautiful in the spring. I was wondering if I could bring them in the house for the winter months. I have no garage now. Thank you so much.
Hi, there! I just found your comment. Thanks for writing. I'm so pleased your Dwarf Alberta spruce trees survived your move and hope they continue to thrive. But I'm afraid they would not make it inside. A porch or a place a bit sheltered outdoors? Thanks for reading and for writing, and sorry I did not find your comment sooner! ~ Colleen Smith
I recently purchased 2 dwarf alberta sprue, I want to plant them into containers but wondering what to do to keep them alive in the winter? I live in Canada and our winters are very cold -30 to -40 below
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