Which Pine Trees Are Blue-Colored?

Pine trees come in all shapes and sizes. Some tower over our heads and grow to over 250 feet high. Others grow to relatively small sizes and are perfect ornamental trees for residential properties. And others are known to display a bluish tint to their needles that’s impressive to tree-lovers and passersby alike.

If you’ve ever seen a blue-colored pine tree, you may have wished you could have one in your own yard. They’re visually pleasing and stand out from most trees around them. But not every pine tree is capable of producing this type of coloring. Just like most trees, each species is different and capable of producing a variety of colored foliage.

Local tree experts, like Mr. Tree, can point you in the right direction when it comes to finding a blue-colored pine tree and can also help you to maintain it properly. Blue-colored pines look beautiful in any yard, especially in the Pacific Northwest, and having one on your property can be a great addition.

Do you see yourself having a blue-colored pine tree on your property? Knowing which varieties of pine to look out for will help to ensure that you pick the right tree the first time around. Here are a few pine trees that are known to produce a blue color.

Spruce

Spruce trees are one variety of pine tree that produces blue-colored needles. There are around 40 species of spruce on the planet, and a number of them have leaves that are either bluish-green or a grey and blue color. The Montgomery blue spruce is one that displays grey-blue needles and can do well on properties like homes or businesses. This species of tree only grows to about five or six feet tall, which makes them very manageable when it comes to pruning or trimming.

A larger variety of spruce tree with blue needles would be a Hoops blue spruce. This species of spruce grows up to 50 feet tall and 20 feet wide, with needles that are a silver-blue in color. It can fare well in the Pacific Northwest because it only requires partial sun to thrive.

Spruce trees are very similar to a few other pine trees but have slight differences that make them stand out. For instance, the cones of spruce trees typically hang downward from branches, and their bark is usually thick and scaly. Depending on the variety of spruce you plant, it may have the potential to grow up to 200 feet tall, with some varieties growing even taller. One of the tallest blue-colored pine trees is the Colorado blue spruce, which can grow up to 75 feet tall and spread to 20 feet wide. If you’re looking for a blue-colored pine tree, spruce will give you a variety of options to choose from.

Juniper

The juniper tree is another variety of pine tree that can display blue-colored needles. There are over 10 different species of juniper trees, but the juniper ‘Blue Point’ is one of the most popular. You’re likely to see this tree growing in backyards or lining walkways, as it’s typically groomed to be quite sleek with a thin width. It grows steadily at about 6 inches per year and levels out to between 8 and 12 feet tall. The foliage from this tree is the most appealing aspect of the tree, as it’s silver-blue in color and stays that way all year long.

Another type of juniper tree that features blue-colored leaves is the juniper ‘Wichita Blue’ tree. This tree differs in appearance when compared to the ‘Blue Point’, as its leaves grow wider and to less of a point. It’s a great tree to form a hedge or windbreaker with, as it can grow up to 6 feet wide and 15 feet tall. Its leaves are also silver-blue in color, making them stand out from the plants around them.

Cedar

Cedars are one of the larger pine trees that can grow blue-colored foliage. There are only four species of cedar trees, all of which are tall and boast large trunks. These trees typically grow in pyramidal shapes, that are pointed at the tops and grow outward as the branches get closer to the bottom of the tree. Like most pine trees, they keep their leaves year-round, but the cones of cedar are typically smaller than other pines. The cedar tree’s cones are only between two and three inches long and stand upright on the branches.

The Atlas cedar is one of the four species of cedar, and varieties such as the blue Atlas cedar are known to have both green and blue-green needles. The blue Atlas grows slowly but can reach up to 60 feet tall and 40 feet wide. It can grow nearly everywhere in the US except for the more northern states and does best when grown in full sun. Its wide branches make this tree a good option to stand on its own with space around it.

Maintenance

Adding a blue-colored pine tree to your property can make your yard stand out from the crowd. Though adding the tree is a big step, know that there are more steps involved if you want to keep the tree looking its best. When it comes to keeping your blue-colored pine tree healthy, occasional maintenance is needed.

Pruning should be done every so often, to trim back branches that are blocking walkways and to balance a tree that’s become too heavy on one side. You should also have your tree trimmed occasionally, to get rid of wayward branches and to keep up the overall aesthetic of your property. This is especially important if your trees are acting as a fence or windbreaker.

Having your trees maintained occasionally is easy if you’re in the Portland, Oregon, area. Mr. Tree has been performing residential, commercial, and industrial tree services for over 30 years and can help your trees look and feel their best.