Slenderina Weeping Colorado Spruce

Slenderina Weeping Colorado Spruce (Picea pungens 'Glauca Slenderina Pendula')

Slenderina Weeping Colorado Spruce delivers the classic blue spruce color in a narrow, architectural form that fits where most evergreens feel too wide. Its cascading branches add movement and texture, giving the landscape a more designed look in every season. The silvery blue needles hold strong winter presence and create crisp contrast against stone, brick, and deep green shrubs. With early training and a well-drained site, it becomes a long-lived evergreen feature with minimal shaping.

Distinctive Features

This cultivar combines a tight, upright footprint with a distinctly weeping habit, with branches that drape and twist to create a sculptural silhouette. The needles are stiff and typically silvery blue to blue-green, with the best color in full sun. It is often staked when young to establish height and maintain a slimmer profile, and the final form can be more upright or more cascading depending on training. Many landscape specimens reach about 12 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide in about 10 years, with mature plants commonly around 15 to 20 feet tall in favorable conditions.

Growing Conditions

• Sun: Full sun for best needle color and dense branching.
• Soil: Plant in well-drained soil, and avoid sites that stay wet.
• Water: Provide consistent moisture during establishment, then water deeply during extended drought.
• USDA Zones: Generally reliable in zones 3 to 7.
• Mature Size: Commonly about 15 to 20 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide, depending on training and site.
• Habit: Narrow, upright evergreen with strongly weeping, cascading branches.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: Train it upright and place it where the weeping silhouette can serve as a living sculpture near an entry or prominent bed corner.
• Vertical Accent: Use to add height and drama in tight spaces where broad conifers would overwhelm the design.
• Foundation Planting: Place where you want evergreen structure with a narrow footprint and softer, cascading texture.
• Evergreen Contrast: Pair with mounding shrubs and perennials to highlight the blue needles and the draping branch lines.
• Specimen Tree: Feature as a standalone accent in a lawn island or courtyard bed for year-round interest.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Water deeply through the first growing season and during drought to prevent stress.
• Mulching: Apply mulch over the root zone to conserve moisture and moderate soil temperature, keeping mulch off the trunk.
• Staking: Stake a leader when young if you want added height and a slimmer, more upright profile.
• Pruning: Prune only to remove dead or damaged branches, and selectively trim if you need to manage spread.
• Fertilizing: Feed lightly in early spring only if growth is weak, using a slow-release fertilizer for evergreens.
• Monitoring: Watch for spider mites during hot, dry weather and address early if needles begin to dull or stipple.

Why Choose Slenderina Weeping Colorado Spruce?

• Blue Needle Color: Silvery blue foliage adds crisp contrast and strong winter appeal.
• Weeping Character: Cascading branches create movement and a one-of-a-kind evergreen silhouette.
• Narrow Footprint: A slimmer form fits tight beds and small spaces better than many spruces.
• Trainable Form: Staking and training let you guide the final look to match your design goals.
• Year-Round Structure: Dense evergreen growth keeps the landscape looking finished in every season.

If you want an evergreen that feels custom and architectural without demanding constant work, Slenderina Weeping Colorado Spruce is a strong choice. Give it full sun, good drainage, and consistent moisture while it establishes, then let its weeping form take over. Over time it becomes a lasting focal feature that adds structure, texture, and winter presence in one plant.