Guys, when I built my house I purchased 2 Alberta spruce trees that were supposed to be dwarf! They aren't!!! I planted them on either side of my font door allowing plenty of room for "dwarfs", but these things are now about 7 feet tall and closing off my front door. I only have about 2 feet between them to get into the house! They are absolutely gorgeous but need some severe pruning if I want a front entry way. Can you please tell me how to prune them or where to go for the technique? Changeling
These generally won't sprout from old wood, so prune back only as far as where green growth is still being produced. But they will continue to grow, and you'll need to shear them regularly to keep them back. You'll have a hobbit-house-type entrance soon :-) But... how many years are we talking here? Even dwarf plants do grow, and whether you can push these back into their boundaries or if replace them, it is best to prune annually so you don't have to go back into old wood after a few years.
Karen, they are 20 years old! Question: Are there tree services that buy these trees when they are this big for transplanting ? Windy
if it is the Fat Albert blue spruce then shearing would not be the best plan of action. use your secateurs and make appropriate cuts to reduce the size as desired.
I don't know what "fat Albert" is and I don't know what "secateurs" are? Your answer makes absolutely no sense to me! Maybe to a professional, but I'm not a professional, that's why I'm here, sorry! Changeling
fat albert is a blue spruce as other posters have noted. my original post was aimed at the alberta spruce that was the title of the thread. secateurs is a fancy word for hand pruners. aka Felco or some such. cheers, Paul
I'd suggest you need a level of help that you can't get from a discussion forum if you are going to undertake pruning these yourself. Pick up a book on pruning - library used bookstore, new bookstore - that includes a good section on how to prune conifers. Consider checking whether a local nursery or botanical garden is offering a class or two that you can take. Or, hire someone, though be careful in who you choose. If these are Fat Albert Blue Spruces, I'm thinking they're really the wrong tree for the space and you're right to think about replacing them. But I doubt that they could be safely moved at age 20. Someone with a big enough backhoe might try it at the right time of year (fall) I suppose, but that person won't be easy to find. On the other hand, 7 feet tall in 20 years is pretty slow growing/dwarf, and they might still be well within range of management by pruning for a few years yet. Hard to tell without a picture.
