PLANT OF THE MONTH
February, 2010
Plant of the Month Feature
by Jeff Rathje
Roots Board Member
Picea omorika
Serbian Spruce
‘Pendula Bruns’
Picture the blue green foliage hanging tightly to the main stem with a full “skirt” at the base. Picture small deep
purple cones clustered at the top of the tree. Picture a slender Morticia Adams shape, but with better color. This stately
image is of Picea omorika ‘Pendula Bruns’.
Picea omorika ‘Pendula Bruns’ was found in the famous Bruns Nursery in Germany in 1955. Of many outstanding cultivars of Picea omorika, Serbian Spruce, it may have the most distinctive shape of all. Growth habit could be termed as “strict weeping”, a very narrow form with an upright leader and pendulous branching. It would make a shapely focal
point in a planting bed surrounded by lower plants. It can be used in a foreground planting area without disrupting
the view behind. It also works well in a “roundy, pointy, flatty” grouping with a low spreading green conifer and a
globose gold-foliaged conifer.
Straight species Serbian Spruces are widely used in Europe but not common in American Gardens. They should
be sought out for larger applications for their interesting foliage, fruit, and stately form with slightly curved and
pendulous branch tips. Serbian Spruces need well drained soil but are pest resistant, drought tolerant, and PH
adaptable. It’s a paradox that they are known to be more widely adaptable than many more common spruce species,
yet they are only found in native stands in a small part of Bosnia and Serbia.
When choosing a weeping Serbian Spruce, size matters. ‘Pendula Bruns’ fits into the American Conifer Society
(ACS) size classification of intermediate (6-12” annual growth and 6-12’ tall in 10-15 years.) ‘Pendula’ is considered a
large conifer (over 12” per year and over 12’ in 10-15 years) and highly recommended. It twists and turns more at the
tips, showing increased blue with the green foliage as well as silvery-white stomatic lines. ‘Berliners Weeper’ is a rarer
cultivar that appears to be between ‘Pendula’ and ‘Pendula Bruns’ in size.
Other interesting Picea omorika cultivars include one often mistaken for ‘Pendula Bruns’called ‘Bruns’. It is a
fatter growing pyramidal form. ‘Nana’ is a globe in youth eventually developing into a fat dwarf (ACS size classification
3-6’ annual growth, 3-6’tall in 10-15 years) pyramid. ‘Expansa’ is an old spreading cultivar, wider than tall, with a leader
forming with age. Two of the newest introductions are dwarf pyramidal forms, ‘Gnom’ and ‘Zuckerhut’.
However, no conifer resembles Picea omorika ‘Pendula Bruns’ for shapeliness. The specimen at Bickelhaupt
Arboretum is on your left as you enter the Heartland Collection, a beauty among beauties. Another nice one is on the
north end of the Grand Mound, Iowa cemetery near my mother’s grave. Take time to visit these aristocratic plants.
You’ll find them worthy of a spot in the finest garden.
About the author: Jeff Rathje has been the owner of Lasting Beauty Landscape in McCausland, Iowa since 1989, which is a small contracting business that is open for retail by appointment only. He has a degree in horticulture from Kirkwood Community College and a true passion for rare and unusual conifers. His other major interests are catfishing on the Wapsipinicon River, woodcutting, and sports. Jeff is a valued Roots Advisory Board member. The Bickelhaupt Arboretum is fortunate to have him on the Roots Board.