Picea mariana 'Craig' is an extremely dense beehive-shaped dwarf selection of Black spruce. It is arguably one of the most symmetrical trees one can find in the nursery trade. Needles are fine, glaucous green, typical of the species. Growth is somewhat fastigiate and quite uniform. Typical rate of growth in most areas is about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 - 5 cm) per year resulting in an upright globe 18 inches (45 cm) tall and somewhat narrower after 10 years in the garden.
Bill Journeay discovered this cultivar in 2001 in a young forest plantation near Hardwood Lake, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada, and named it after his son. It was transplanted from the woods and is now established at Kingsbrae Gardens in St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. It has been successfully propagated by rooted cuttings at a Corn Hill Nursery in New Brunswick and is slowly making its way into the nursery trade. (See Conifer Quarterly Vol. 26 No. 2, Spring 2009)
This cultivar was registered through the ACS Conifer Registration program and accepted by the International Conifer Registry at the Royal Horticultural Society. William C. Journeay is officially recognized as both the originator, nominant (2001) and registrant (2011). Corn Hill Nursery, Corn Hill, NB, Canada is the introducer.
