Blue spruce. Kabardino-Balkaria

The blue spruce, also known as prickly spruce (Latin: Picea pungens), is an evergreen coniferous tree. The unusual coloring of needles is given by a thick layer of wax covering each needle, which protects the spruce from environmental influences. The natural habitat of the species is the west of North America, from where it was brought to Europe and then to Russia.

Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, is famous for its alleys of silver-blue spruces. It was here that the Soviet breeder Ivan Porfirievich Kovtunenko grew blue spruces, which today adorn various corners of our homeland. In 1918, Ivan Porfirievich started working in a nursery in Nalchik and for the first time encountered blue spruces, which at that time were a rarity for our country. Then seedlings of spruce trees were purchased for further cultivation to serve as decoration of parks and resorts of southern Russian cities.

Blue spruce took root well in the local climate, but did not want to reproduce by seeds, and it was difficult to get seedlings, so Ivan Porfirievich set his goal to learn how to grow spruce from seeds. In order to achieve the result it was necessary to conduct thousands of experiments: changing the illumination, soil and air humidity, planting in the open ground, greenhouse, hothouse, seeds were treated with various chemicals, fertilized. But all was in vain: the spruce trees sprouted, but after a while they died. Through experiments, research flair and observation of nature he managed to find a simple but effective solution: a mixture of ground taken from the roots of spruce trees and fresh sawdust of coniferous trees was used as a soil.

Thus, in the thirties of the last century, one of the most famous alleys of blue spruces was laid in Nalchik. Later, Nalchik's blue beauties attracted everyone's attention and were planted at the Exposition of National Economic Achievements (VDNH). Ivan Porfirievich received many awards for his work: he became the first laureate of the State Prize in the republic, holder of the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Now blue spruces are known to almost every citizen of our country, they grow near the Kremlin Wall, on Mamayev Kurgan, near the walls of the Brest Fortress, they decorate the buildings of municipalities, schools, hospitals and transform the look of Russian cities with their festive slender appearance. And all this is thanks to the efforts, diligence and talent of a man who sincerely loved and believed in his work.

In the wild, the blue spruce most often grows in mountain valleys along rivers and streams, at an altitude of 1750-3000 meters and can reach about 20-30 meters, but when planted in parks, its height rarely exceeds 15 meters. Currently, breeders have developed many varieties of blue spruce, which are common in ornamental gardening. Blue spruces are winter-hardy, able to grow even in harsh areas of our country. They perfectly harmonize with other plants, look good at any stage of growth.