Canadian Spruce Rainbows End: description and tree varieties, planting and care
Rainbows End Canadian Spruce is a very attractive ornamental culture, which is often used for landscaping city parks and suburban areas. The popularity of the plant is due to the unusual shape of the crown and the rich shade of needles. To get a beautiful and he althy tree, it is important to carry out planting work correctly and provide quality care to the culture.
What kind of tree is this
Rainbows End Canadian Spruce is an attractive ornamental crop. According to the description, by the age of 10 it reaches 90-180 centimeters. In this case, the diameter of the crown is 40-60 centimeters.In a year, the plant grows by 7-10 centimeters. The tree is believed to have a lifespan of 50 years. At the same time, its maximum dimensions are 2.5-3 meters.
Spruce of this variety is characterized by a dense crown. This is due to the presence of short internodes. The plant has a regular conical shape and a sharp crown. After some time, the contours become less clear. At the same time, the branches of the spruce are directed upwards and covered with needles measuring 1-1.5 centimeters.
Young growth is creamy. At the same time, by the summer it acquires a golden yellow hue. Subsequently, the needles turn green. When growing a tree in partial shade, it acquires a less bright shade. If the tree gets very little sun, the yellow color is less pronounced.
Young needles are soft. But over time, it becomes hard and prickly. When rubbed, the needles exude the aroma of blackcurrant. The root system of spruce is distinguished by its superficial location. At the same time, there are practically no cones on a tree.
Popular varieties
Canadian spruce has many interesting varieties. They are similar in shape and small in size. However, each of the varieties is characterized by its own characteristics.
Konika
This is the most popular grade of dove spruce. The plant has excellent decorative properties, and therefore can become an ornament to any site. The shape of the spruce resembles a narrow cone. Another feature of the culture is a dense crown.
The plant is characterized by bluish-green soft needles. The root system belongs to the rod type and has a compact size. In this case, most of the roots are located near the surface of the soil. This must be taken into account when loosening the soil.
Konica is characterized by slow development. During the year, the tree increases by a maximum of 3-4 centimeters. With adequate care, it can reach 3 meters in height.However, the average plant height does not exceed 1 meter. Spruce Konika is suitable for creating hedges. Its main disadvantage is the strong burnout of the crown under the influence of sunlight in the spring season.
The sun is radiant
This variety is characterized by slow development. Its maximum height usually does not exceed 1 meter. This culture is characterized by the shape of a cone and has an ideal shape. The crown is considered quite dense and has excellent decorative properties.
Young needles have a pale yellow color, but later they become blue-green. Spruce of this variety is considered undemanding to care and is able to develop in any type of soil. To increase the decorativeness of the plant, it should be planted in well-lit places.
Daisy
This small tree has a very slow development. For 10 years, the culture grows to a maximum of 80 centimeters. The Daisy variety is characterized by soft short needles, which are distinguished by a green color.
Young branches are yellow-white, but later they turn green. It is important to consider that light needles quickly burn out. Therefore, it needs to be protected from spring sunlight.
The high decorative characteristics of the Daisy variety make it possible to use this crop to create a heather garden. Also, the plant looks great in compositions with other compact conifers.
Sanders Blue
Sanders Blue spruce is distinguished by its conical shape and very small size. By the age of 10, the height of the plant does not exceed 70 centimeters. The tree has many shoots with thin and short silver-blue needles.
To get a decorative culture, it needs to provide good lighting. However, during the first few years, the plant is recommended to be protected from burns. When choosing a site for planting, it is worth giving preference to slightly acidic soil.It should be moderately hydrated and well-drained. Spruce Sanders Blue does not tolerate stagnant moisture.
Albert Globe
This variety is considered a mutation of Konika, but differs from her in appearance. The culture is an evergreen shrub, which is distinguished by a spherical shape. Young needles are characterized by a yellow-green color. Over time, it acquires a rich green hue. This variety is characterized by slow development. The crown diameter of an adult plant does not exceed 1 meter.
Alberta Globe spruce needs good lighting. However, in the shade, the plant feels good. The root system of the plant is superficial. Therefore, the culture needs to be constantly moistened. Spruce of this variety fits perfectly into oriental compositions. It is also often grown in pots.
Rainbows End
Rainbows End spruce is a small crop that has a cone shape. In spring, the plant is characterized by an attractive green color. In the summer it becomes bright yellow. The tree is slow growing. It does not exceed 1 meter in height.
The culture is characterized by soft and short needles. Young shoots are pale green in color. In early spring, they often burn out under the scorching sun. Therefore, the shoots of the plant will certainly need to be shaded.
When growing a crop in the shade, the needles will become dull. Therefore, it is best to plant spruce in well-lit areas. In landscape design, the plant is often used for contrasting plantings. The culture is also grown in containers.
Pendula
This culture has a very unusual appearance.It has hard hanging shoots. At the same time, some of them practically lie on the surface of the earth. The central spruce shoot must be tied up. This is required in order for the tree to grow upwards. This depends on the height of the plant. If the plant is not tied up, it begins to grow down. This leads to the formation of a weeping form. At the same time, spruce branches descend to the very ground.
A distinctive feature of this crop is short green needles. On young shoots, it has a lighter color. In order for the Pendula variety to look decorative, it needs to provide competent care. So, the tree needs high-quality watering, although for some time it can do without moisture.
It is important to choose the right site for planting. Spruce varieties Pendula require a well-lit area and light fertile soil.
Planting a tree
Canadian spruce is cold hardy. At the same time, it is recommended to plant it in sandy or well-drained loamy soil. Also, the plant can be placed in sandy soil. It is best to plant the crop in a well-lit area, but it can also develop in partial shade. The plant is resistant to drought and air pollution.
To plant a gray spruce, it is recommended to do the following:
- Choose a suitable site. It should be well lit and protected from drafts.
- Make a recess 2 times larger than the size of the root system. When planting several trees, it is required to maintain a distance of at least 2 meters between them.
- Pour crushed brick or compost into the bottom of the recess.
- Place the seedling in the hole so that the root collar is flush with the ground.
- Sprinkle the seedling with earth.
- Gently flatten the soil. It is recommended to do this carefully so as not to damage the root system.
- Pour spruce 1 bucket of water and sprinkle with mulch. For this, it is permissible to use leaves, peat or grass.
Care Requirements
To make the spruce look decorative, it needs to provide full and high-quality care.
Irrigation
During the first 2 weeks after planting, spruce requires regular and abundant watering. The soil should not dry out even for a short period of time. Subsequently, you can water the plant less often. However, in the summer heat, the soil still needs to be moistened every week. In this case, excess moisture leads to the development of rot. Of particular danger is the wetting of the root neck.
Also, Canadian spruce needs regular sprinkling of the crown. It is best to use automatic installation for this purpose.If not, it is permissible to irrigate with a hose. In hot weather, this must be done every day. The procedure is performed early in the morning or in the evening.
Whether to cover from the sun
Young dwarf trees may burn out after planting. To avoid such problems, plants are recommended to be shaded in the spring. It is best to plant such crops near large trees with a not too dense crown, through which diffused sunlight breaks through.
Cutting
Rainbows End Canadian Spruce has an attractive pyramidal crown that does not require formative pruning. In this case, sometimes it is necessary to remove randomly grown shoots of normal sizes. If this is not done, the branch will become dominant, which will spoil the varietal spruce.
It is impossible to carry out sanitary pruning of the crop. The plant is characterized by the presence of a large number of short dry branches that are located inside. To get rid of them, a special procedure is carried out - crown cleaning.
Application
Rainbows End is distinguished by its compact size, beautiful crown and unusual color. Because the plant is often used in landscape design. This culture is perfect for decorating small areas. It is permissible to place it in flower beds, rockeries and rock gardens.
Due to its compact size, spruce of this variety cannot be used as a tapeworm. In addition, placing the crop in an open area leads to burnout of the needles. This feature should definitely be taken into account and have a spruce in partial shade. The tree should be placed in the shade of plants that can protect its needles at noon.
Spruce of this variety looks great in the foreground of landscape compositions. It is also permissible to place it in regular plantings along the perimeter of the parterre lawn. The plant will be an excellent decoration for walking paths or the entrance to the house. It can be safely used as a repeating element of long flower beds.
Can also be grown in containers. This option is considered convenient. In this case, the plant will be able to move around the site and decorate them with different zones.
The Rainbow End Spruce is an attractive ornamental plant that has found wide application in landscape design. In order for the culture to grow and develop normally, it is important to plant it correctly and follow the basic agrotechnical recommendations.
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