Prostrate Alcock Spruce

Prostrate Alcock Spruce (Picea bicolor 'Prostrata')

Prostrate Alcock Spruce is a low, spreading evergreen that adds year-round texture and cool blue-green color in spaces where taller conifers do not fit. Its ground-hugging habit helps beds look finished through winter, while also covering soil and softening hard edges. Use it to knit together rockwork, stabilize slopes, or create a flowing evergreen layer at the front of mixed borders. With sun and good drainage, it settles in as a durable, low-fuss accent that improves with age.

Distinctive Features

This dwarf, prostrate spruce forms a dense, mounding to creeping shape with short needles that read blue-green to gray-green, often with a paler or silvery cast underneath. Branches spread outward and can drape slightly, creating a natural, layered look that works well around stone and along bed edges. Growth is slow to moderate, and the final footprint can vary by site, with many plants staying low while gradually widening over time. A conservative expectation is about 1 to 2 feet tall with a spreading habit that can reach roughly 3 to 6 feet wide in favorable conditions.

Growing Conditions

• Sun: Full sun to part shade, with best density and color in full sun.
• Soil: Moist, well-drained soil is ideal, and it performs best where roots are not waterlogged.
• Water: Keep evenly moist during establishment, then water during extended dry periods.
• USDA Zones: Zones 4 to 8.
• Habit: Prostrate, low mounding to creeping evergreen with a spreading footprint.
• Mature Size: About 1 to 2 feet tall and roughly 3 to 6 feet wide over time, depending on site and age.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: Use the blue-green, ground-hugging form as a focal point spilling over a boulder, wall, or raised bed edge.
• Rock Garden: Weave it through stone to highlight its layered habit and refined needle texture.
• Erosion Control: Plant on slopes to help hold soil while adding evergreen cover and structure.
• Border Front: Place at the front of mixed borders to create a steady evergreen base beneath seasonal perennials.
• Evergreen Groundcover: Use in open beds to cover soil and reduce visual gaps through winter.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Water deeply through the first growing season to support strong rooting and reduce stress.
• Mulching: Apply mulch over the root zone to conserve moisture and reduce weeds, keeping mulch off the stems.
• Pruning: Prune only to remove dead or damaged growth, and trim lightly to guide spread if needed.
• Fertilizing: Feed lightly in early spring only if growth is weak, using a slow-release fertilizer for evergreens.
• Drainage: Improve drainage if needed, since consistently wet soil can reduce long-term performance.
• Monitoring: Watch for spider mites during hot, dry weather and address early if needles begin to dull or stipple.

Why Choose Prostrate Alcock Spruce?

• Low, Spreading Form: Creates a flowing evergreen layer that stays below sightlines and works in tight spaces.
• Blue-Green Needles: Cool-toned foliage adds contrast that pairs well with stone and darker evergreens.
• Four-Season Coverage: Evergreen habit keeps beds looking intentional through winter.
• Practical Performance: Useful on slopes and edges where stability and year-round cover matter.
• Deer Tolerance: Often less preferred by deer than many broadleaf evergreens, though browsing can still occur.

If you want a compact conifer that behaves like an evergreen groundcover, Prostrate Alcock Spruce is a strong choice. Give it sun, reliable drainage, and consistent moisture while it establishes. Over time it becomes a durable, low-maintenance layer that adds structure, texture, and cool color in every season.