A very popular soft looking dwarf conifer. This is a natural dwarf cultivar of the White Spruce.
Pronunciation
(PI-see-AH)(glaw-cah)
Plant Type
All Plants, Dwarf Conifers
Hardiness Zone
at least 4
Sunlight
full, partial shade
Moisture
average to moist
Soil & Site
prefers moist well drained tolerates average
Leaves
needles are light green, in tufts and very soft looking.
Dimensions
A slow growing plant putting on only a few inches of growth per year. I have seen plants up to 6 feet in height. It is reported to reach 10 plus feet with age. In a garden I planted two Dwarf Alberta Spruce that were around 3 feet tall, fifteen years later they are around 5-6 feet tall.
Maintenance
Can be kept small by annual light shearing of the new growth.
Propagation
seeds, cuttings
Cultivar Origin
Lake Laggen, Alberta Canada in 1904 by Jack and Albert Rehder
Author's Notes
I think this plant works best in a protected site. It will wind burn if exposed to harsh winter winds. I planted 2 Dwarf Alberta in a garden and for many years they wind burned on one side of the plant. This stopped after some of the background plants filled in and blocked the wind.
Notes & Reference
#01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr)
, #03-The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (Hillier Nursery)