Picea pungens 'Ed Wood' / Ed Wood Colorado spruce

Picea pungens 'Ed Wood' (#2) is a extremely slow growing, irregular upright, dwarf selection of Colorado spruce with random, at times clumpy branching and densely held, short, stiff, light-Blue needles. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 10 to 12 inches (25 - 30 cm) tall and roughly half as wide, an annual growth rate of 1 inch (2.5 cm) or less.

This cultivar was one of three very slow-growing seedlings selected in the 1980s by Edsal Wood of Wilsonville, Oregon, USA. For many years, the three original seedlings grew outside of his nursery office. They were simply named Picea pungens [#1], [#2], and [#3]. This conifer was originally called [#2] and slowly introduced to the nursery trade as 'Ed Wood no.2.'

At some point, 'Ed Wood no. 1' was given to Iseli nursery as a gift in the late Jean Iseli's memory. Apparently it was a plant that Jean really liked. Later 'Ed Wood no.3' came into the possession of Russell nursery of Aurora, Oregon, who later renamed it 'Tiny Tim.' It finally came to pass that the "no.3" designation was no longer needed, hence the cultivar name that is now in place.