Picea engelmannii ‘Bush’s Lace’

When visiting the Toronto Botanic Garden (beautiful, by the way!) a couple of years ago, I stumbled upon an amazing blue conifer right along the primary path. This narrow, upright evergreen featured dramatic, pendulous branches and was a strong focal point, nestled in a beautiful composition. I knew it was a spruce, but further recognition didn’t register on my radar. Thankfully, I was rewarded with a label and my first encounter with ‘Bush’s Lace’ Engelmann spruce would leave a lasting impression on me.

I’ve since discovered other specimens, primarily at public gardens, and enjoy getting reacquainted with this unique selection. While I was currently growing some compact forms of this spruce species, ‘Jasper’ and ‘Blue Magoo,’ I still had yet to even observe Picea engelmannii in its native range (upper elevations of western North America). Discovered in Aurora, Oregon, by Richard Bush, this selection has since been on my radar as another great candidate for year-round interest, bone-hardiness and “soft-textured appeal” in a gorgeous tone of blue.

Considered upright weeping, the strong central leader of ‘Bush’s Lace’ supports shorter side branches that extend and then sweep downwards to create a layered, blue “skirting.” The powder-blue cast to the needles is an excellent feature to this gracefully drooping conifer that becomes a dramatic vertical accent in the mixed border or closer to the foundation of a home. Thriving in a wide range of moist but well-drained soils, this species of spruce abhors constantly soggy or wet soils. The uber-hardy (Zone 3-8) ‘Bush’s Lace’ grows fairly robustly at 15-18 inches per year and will reach roughly 15 feet tall and 3 feet wide in 10 years. It is thought to ultimately stretch to 25 feet tall and 6 feet wide although most specimens I’ve seen in recent years are about half that height. While branching can be a bit irregular at times, specimens that are content in their situations will thrive. Full sun is recommended.