The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: Sunshine Colorado blue spruce

Family: Pinaceae (pine family)

Distribution: Species native to w. United States (Rocky Mountains)

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3

Life form: Evergreen tree

Comments: Superior golden selection found by Joe Stupka that grows only 4' in ten years. This intermediate growing conical evergreen eventually reaches up to 15' tall and nearly as wide. It has yellowish needle color that is best during the winter, contrasting nicely with the dark green, blue and blue-green foliage colors of other evergreens. In spring, new growth is lemon-yellow, changing to blue-green in summer.