Picea glauca Alberta Globe - White Spruce

Picea  glauca 'Alberta Globe' is a dwarf variety of white spruce forming a delightful small bush with a globose habit. Its very dense foliage composed of short, erect needles, combined with a very compact rounded habit, give it a charming and curious aspect. The foliage changes throughout the season, starting with a very tender green in spring, then adopting a darker colour before taking on bluish hues in winter. It can be planted in rockeries, flower beds, or pots. It has a very slow growth rate and prefers sunny locations with a moderately moist, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil.

Picea glauca, also known as White Spruce, White Fir, or Glaucous Spruce, is an evergreen conifer belonging to the Pinaceae family and native to Canada. In its natural environment, it grows slowly, with a habit that can vary depending on its habitat, but usually conical or pyramidal with a broad base. This tree can reach a height of 25m (82 ft). This species is traditionally used for paper production. It can live for many years (200 years or more).

The 'Alberta Globe' variety, derived from this species, is a dwarf and amusing form with a compact, rounded habit. It has a very slow growth rate. In the long term, and at least within ten years, it will reach a maximum size of 1m (3ft 4in) in all directions. It produces short and very tight branches covered with quadrangular needles arranged in brushes, very short, very sharp, and aromatic (with a resinous scent). Its young spring shoots are very light, bright green, and luminous, then its foliage takes on a uniformly darker shade of green before turning bluish in the cold winter. The root system of white spruces is shallow, highly branched, and creeping, which makes them difficult to transplant when they are mature and particularly sensitive to wind.

The 'Alberta Globe' white spruce, with its attractive rounded habit, minimal maintenance and pruning requirements, and ease of cultivation, is a perfect plant for rockeries and terraces in pots. It thrives in various situations, as long as the soil is well-drained and not too chalky. It lends itself well to bonsai gardening. This globular plant goes well with large stones, geometric lines, and masonry works. It can be associated with columnar or upright dwarf conifers. The true graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of forms, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of blooms. These plants with their reassuring permanence structurally enhance flower beds, mark pathways, and border terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. They also go well with heathers or ground cover plants such as Aubrietas, Cerastrums, shrubby salvias, as well as flowering shrubs. The key is to play with volumes and colours.