Big Blue/Englemann Spruce

[Hartinez]

The title is possibly confusing. But I have yet to fully identify or decide really, if this tree is an Englemann with extremely blue needles, or if this is a blue spruce with extremely short needles. I polled on Instagram and the votes at about 40 total came in almost a 50/50 split with one or 2 more voting it a Blue Spruce. I’m not fully convinced and I think it’s an englemann. The overwhelming majority of trees in this area are Englemann, white fir and Doug fir. There are SOME blue spruce. I suppose it could also be some hybrid of sorts. But whatever.

Collected fall of 23, left to grow all of last year with some removal of excessive growth, maybe 15% of foliage. It had excellent growth all of last season and again, phenomenal buds and growth this season. So when I Repotted this spring I removed more unwanted foliage.

I styled the tree last week over a 3 day span, removing the remainder needed for the aesthetic I wanted.

The challenge was the rats nest of growth coming mostly from the same level on the trunk. The very thick branches on one side of the trunk that weren’t going to bend and finally, the need to create a new leader or apex since the current naturally died some time ago.

At repot, I fully leaned into (no pun intended) the angle of the tree, tilting the unbeatable branches at an angle that was best for the high elevation tree look I wanted. I have found styling spruce and fir in late summer rather than fall creates micro tears along the branches allowing buds to pop in those areas. When I style in fall I don’t tend to get this affect. Hoping for the same here. With that said this tree is loaded with buds at the tips and some back buds.

Overall I’m thrilled with the styling. I’ll need a better angle at next repot and a better pot. But at repot I carved into this massive piece of lava rock I found and put the tree into the void I created. I’m think a round pot like a drum utilizing the same rock will be a great look.


After collection


This summer


And a video this summer before styling.

 

[Hartinez]

Here is the styled tree
A)


B)

 

[Hartinez]

Which front do you prefer?

A or B?

 

[Jrmcmich]

Very nice job on this! I think I prefer B but can’t go wrong either way. I like how you see the deadwood jins on that side

 

[stubmle]

A is nice, but I think B is better.

 

[misfit11]

Great tree, Danny! Personally, I like option B as the front, although it can be difficult not seeing it in person.

This reminds me of the Blue Spruce that I bought from Todd Schlafer at PBE last fall. I repotted it with Adam Toth this spring. Your styling of this has me itching to style it! Gotta be patient, and not rush things, though.

 

[Hartinez]

Great tree, Danny! Personally, I like option B as the front, although it can be difficult not seeing it in person.

This reminds me of the Blue Spruce that I bought from Todd Schlafer at PBE last fall. I repotted it with Adam Toth this spring. Your styling of this has me itching to style it! Gotta be patient, and not rush things, though.

Thanks Cory! I may have even waited till next year to style, but it has been so dam healthy.

B is my preferred front also. All of the little dead Jin visible from this angle was one of its original natural features. One I was aiming to frame and highlight in this angle. I was also aiming to open up and frame that trunk transition through the middle where the size begins to decrease and that nice subtle wiggle gets more pronounced.

 

[Hartinez]

Very nice job on this! I think I prefer B but can’t go wrong either way. I like how you see the deadwood jins on that side

Agreed! Love those natural Jin!

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

I have seen both, and I am pretty sure it’s less about the needle color and more about the shape/thickness of the needles. CBS usually have thicker and rounder looking needles and Engelmann usually have skinnier and pointier needles. Can you post a close up of the foliage?

A looks good as well, but I prefer B.

 

[Hartinez]

I have seen both, and I am pretty sure it’s less about the needle color and more about the shape/thickness of the needles. CBS usually have thicker and rounder looking needles and Engelmann usually have skinnier and pointier needles. Can you post a close up of the foliage?

A looks good as well, but I prefer B.

Here you go Sal

 

[Hartinez]

I have seen both, and I am pretty sure it’s less about the needle color and more about the shape/thickness of the needles. CBS usually have thicker and rounder looking needles and Engelmann usually have skinnier and pointier needles. Can you post a close up of the foliage?

A looks good as well, but I prefer B.

 

[Adamski77]

Beautiful thing... I would also vote for option B in terms of front... somehow in A there is this disturbing branch going to the left, which is "going away" with option B as front...

 

[Mike Westervelt]

Branches look better to me in A, but trunk movement and taper are waaaay better in B

 

[Hartinez]

Beautiful thing... I would also vote for option B in terms of front... somehow in A there is this disturbing branch going to the left, which is "going away" with option B as front...

Oh yeah. That is the “unbendable” branch I mentioned. I’m even considering removing that one all together once the whole tree fills out over the next few years. It’s just such a thick and visually jarring branch.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Nice work Danny! I like option A, but feel like it could be turned a tad to the right. ? Maybe 5-10 degrees.

 

[rockm]

Extremely Nice tree. The stone come with it?

 

[Nybonsai12]

I have one that was sold to me as englemann and it's needles were short and green. A few years in my garden and it looks very different and could be blue. who knows.

Really good styling and work thus far. and at a good pace since collection. I like A as the front from the pics, I think. B is a good front too though. A tree with two fronts is a good problem to have.

 

[Hartinez]

The stone come with it?

Thanks Rock. It did not, but I wanted to recreate the slope it was growing on. Missed the mark on angle at repot for the shape of pot. That’s part of the reason I’m think either a slab with the rock or a round drum of sorts.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Here you go Sal
View attachment 608833

That’s really interesting… it doesn’t look like the collected CBS, or Engelmann that I have seen. Funny enough it looks like the blueish CBS nursery trees I have seen/worked on.

I think you “collected” this tree out of a Home Depot Garden Center, haha! Just kidding of course.

 

[NaoTK]

very nice. I vote Engelmann; have Englemanns with similar glaucus color. If you get back budding way back on the barked-up trunk then its CBS, but if only ever on the base of branches or on thinly-barked branches then Engelmann