Should I Plant Alberta Spruce in Containers?

[Gardentime]

Hi everyone,

I've been researching about possibly planting a dwarf alberta spruce on either side of my entryway this Spring. I have heard that spider mites (???) and winter burn are quite common with d. alberta spruce. Should I spend $100 + per plant if it could very well die the next year? (I planned on purchasing the spiraled or pruned type of d. alberta spruce, which are more money) On my street there are probably 15 dwarf alberta spruce plants that appear to be healthy, so should I be this worried about my prospective entryway trees to fall victim to winter burn or spider mites?

I would love them to be year round plants. I live in Connecticut, should I not be so concerned about possible death?


Thank you.

[Susan W]

Check the recs for the Alberta spruce where you are. They are at the nurseries here, and so pretty. But they don't like lots of heat, so are usually planted with afternoon shade. Some do very well, and usually they are in containers.
The beauty of the tree is its 'Christmas Tree' shape, so I would get a regular, not pruned one. If you go with the spiral and pruned trees, need to keep them in shape, giving them haircuts on a regular basis.
Another consideration is that the bigger the pot, the better off you are, especially as you have the freeze/thaw going on.

Hope this helps.

[Gardentime]

Thank You Susan W for your response. They are pretty readily available here as well, but I just wanted to make sure that they would thrive fine in containers. I think I will still purchase a pruned variety because I actually do not like the look of standard dwarf alberta spruce plants, but LOVE the topiary forms. It's a weird kind of love-hate relationship with the same plant.

Thank you again for your response!