Dwarf Birds Nest spruce

* Common name: Dwarf birds nest spruce

* Botanical name: Picea abies‘Nidiformis’

* What it is: A low, slow-growing, nest-shaped evergreen with stiff, medium-green needles.

* Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide in 10-12 years.

* Where to use: Under windows along western or southern foundations, ringed around limbed-up trees where it’s sunny or massed on a sunny bank. Full sun to light shade. Avoid wet areas.

* Care: Keep damp the first season or two, then it’s reasonably drought-tolerant. Main problem (besides occasional mites) is brutal heat like we’ve had this summer. May drop needles when temperatures approach 100 degrees. Fertilize with a spring scattering of acidifying, organic, granular fertilizer such as Holly-tone or Holly-Care. Pruning not needed if you give it adequate space. Lightly trim off new growth in June if size-control needed.

* Great partner: Black-eyed susans, yellow daylilies or golden mums.