Peking Cotoneaster vs Blue Spruce (Colorado Spruce) - TreeTime.ca

Peking Cotoneaster vs Blue Spruce (Colorado Spruce)

Picea pungens

Cotoneaster acutifolia

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Blue Spruce (Colorado Spruce)
Peking Cotoneaster

Blue Spruce, also known as Colorado Spruce, is our best selling tree! People are attracted to the distinctive blue-green color of this hardy evergreen. But Blue Spruce really stands out because it is tough, long lived, and adapted to a wide range of growing conditions. Blue Spruce trees are ideally suited for use in shelterbelts, privacy screens, or as accent trees.

Please note: our Blue Spruce are grown from seed and the needles vary in color from green to blue.

Peking Cotoneaster is a medium-sized shrub that is well adapted to colder climates. Best suited for use as a hedge, Peking Cotoneaster has dark green foliage that turns a stunning reddish orange in the fall.

Hardy fruit guru, Bernie Nikolai (DBG Fruit Growers), has started to recommend grafting hardy pear varieties to Peking Cotoneaster after his experiences were successful and produced fruit faster than other rootstocks. Remember to leave some nurse limbs if you try this.

Blue Spruce (Colorado Spruce) Quick Facts

Peking Cotoneaster Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 27 m (90 ft)
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: long
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: blueish green needles
Foliage: glossy upper surface
Fall colour: reddish-orange
Flowers: white, spring
Berries: black fruit
Cones: large light brown cones (up to 10 cm long), mature in August and open on the tree, then fall to the ground over the following year
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 3 - 4 m (10 - 12 ft)

In row spacing: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Other Names: colorado blue spruce, colorado spruce