has anybody had any success with this plant in zone 7b? According to the books this should survive in Texas, but I have never seen this plant around my area (northeast Texas) nor in the Dallas and Plano. Thank you for any input.
Sita - Lone Oak, TX.
colorado blue spruce
It is a tree for cooler damp areas with rich soil. It likes lots of water although it is the most drought tolerant of the piceas. This link says areas north of Lubbock can grow it. Even there it would need supplimentary watering. Neil Sperry's book "Texas Gardening" does not include it.
http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PICPUNA.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Spruce
This website puts it as being able to grow down to 7b:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ST453
I seems that you may be somewhere near the southern end of its growing region. In deciding whether to plant Colorado Blue Spruce in your garden, you need to look at several factors: soil depth, soil pH, humus content and amount of water the tree needs and are you willing to water on a regular basis if natural rainfall is insufficient.
Is the soil in your area naturally deep, slightly acidic and loamy? If so, then you probably could grow it successfully in your area. Test the soil for pH. If, as is most of the state, the soil is basic (over 7.5) and shallow (less than 4' - 5' deep), then you may be wasting your money and should probably look for another tree to plant. Changing the soil pH to suit a large deep rooted tree is impossible to maintain in the long run. Eventually the tree would become chlorotic, weaken and die.