It will struggle and grow very slowly at best. I know of none larger than a couple of feet tall. Plant a blue cultivar of Cunninghamia lanceolata instead.

Agreed, it's a lost cause. Many have tried.

Even in Ohio where you bought them, they languish after about 40 years due to heat/humidity (esp. the humidity, IIRC).

I agree - the Cunninghamia is the best "blue" conifer for FL. You might also have some luck with one of the bluer Cedrus deodara cultivars, and maybe C. atlantica.

Thanks all. That's what I thought but I'll plant them and enjoy them while they last :(

Good luck. I'm in Georgia. My neighbor got one for free over the winter which he decided to plant. It's brown now.

Old thread worth a resurface. What happened

Yes what happened? I’m very curious and also think that Picea morrisonicola, Picea martinezii, Picea chihuahuana, Picea polita, and Picea smithiana would have done better.

Consider Podocarpus elongatus 'Monmal'

I had to laugh at the title!! 😁 Blue spruce, Picea pungens, has a huge reputation for decline and ultimately failure just about anywhere that doesn't mirror its native habitat. That means cold winters, reasonably cool summers (largely due to elevation) and very low humidity. I can't think of many areas of the country that can offer these conditions and most certainly NOT Florida!!

Blue spruce even struggle in my climate. Oh, they can live here but inevitably get needlecast that will affect their aesthetic appeal, if not their overall health. 20 years is a long time in the landscape for them here.

I'd be willing to bet good money that the OP's 2 bargain spruces are now toast some 9 years later.

Always a good idea, before bumping an ancient thread, to see if there's even a remote likelihood of the OP (original poster) still being around. You can click on a user's name to see their profile!

That was her most recent comment, in May 2020.

And probably no one is going to come back just to say, yeah you were right, they all failed. :-))

That would be more likely if they had succeeded.