Picea bicolor "Howell's Dwarf Tigertail" fruit

Picea bicolor "Howell's Dwarf Tigertail" fruit

(Photo courtesy of Northscaping.com)

Other Names: syn. Picea alcoquiana

Description:

This cultivar forms a mound that can be kept that way with pruning, if central leader is left alone will become a pyramidal tree; unique green foliage with silver blue undersides, violet purple cones are breathtaking; an outstanding focal point

Ornamental Features:

Howell's Dwarf Tigertail Spruce has attractive green foliage with silvery blue undersides. The needles are ornamentally significant but remain green through the winter. The flowers are not ornamentally significant. The purple fruits are held in abundance in spectacular cones in mid spring. The rough gray bark is not particularly outstanding.

Landscape Attributes:

Howell's Dwarf Tigertail Spruce is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen tree with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Howell's Dwarf Tigertail Spruce is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Accent
• Mass Planting

Plant Characteristics:

Howell's Dwarf Tigertail Spruce will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location.

This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.