Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' / Colorado Spruce

Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' is a flattened globose selection of Colorado spruce with greenish blue foliage and distinctive orange foliar buds that are most exceptional in late winter / early spring. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 12 inches (30 cm) tall and 2.5 feet (75 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of 1 to 2 inches (2.5 - 5 cm).

[Iseli Nursery online catalog] a bright-green, flattened mound that is densely branched and profusely budded. Shiny needles and a dustered, light green bud break on the branch ends give 'Mrs. Cesarini' a unique texture and color contrast.

This cultivar originated as a witch's broom found in the late 1970s by Joe Cesarini of Sayville, Long Island, New York.

Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' in the Harper Collection of Dwarf & Rare Conifers, at Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, Michigan. Photo from August of 2005.
Photo by Dax Herbst
Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' in the Heartland Collection of Garden Conifers at Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Clinton, Iowa. Photo from March 2004.
Photo by Dax Herbst
Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' in a private garden in Kansas. Photo from October 2006.
Photo by David Stegmaier
Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' — Green Industry Images; copyrighted photograph; permission granted.
Photo by Ernie Wiegand
Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' in the conifer collection at the Oregon Garden, Silverton, OR; an ACS Reference Garden. Photo from fall 2013.
Photo by David Olszyk
Picea pungens 'Mrs. Cesarini' — a closeup of foliage detail.
Photo by David Olszyk

Comments